Hello and welcome everyone! My name is Jake Holst and today I will be your tour guide today in the great state of Minnesota. For today’s tour, we had the great opportunity to walk through Lake Nokomis Park. Lake Nokomis Park is a small but popular lake located just south of Minneapolis. Lake Nokomis is known for its spectacular boat community as well as being a hotspot for local residents and swimmers. The Lake also is inhabited by a wide range of native fish and plant life. While lake Nokomis is loved by many, it still has it share of many serious problems. One of the biggest problems affecting Lake Nokomis, and many similar lakes around it, is chloride based runoff. In other terminology it's commonly known as watershed. As the winter months approach the city, this problem tends to skyrocket due to the use of chemicals like de-icing salt. Watershed caused by these types of harmful chemicals lead to a drastic drop in drinkable water, it kills off fish, as well as essential nutrients stored in the lake's soil. While your immediate reaction might be to shut down the use of chemically malicious substances around popular lakes, it is just not a viable solution for Minnesota. Sadly, there are no better alternatives that can be effectively used for our roads and other aspects of our infrastructure. Luckily the experts at Lake Nokomis have introduced a system that allows them to filter out the dangerous chemicals from this lake. So today we get to look at this incredible system that is preserving the health of the lake. Later on you will be able to see the filtration system in action, as well as see some great landmarks around the Lake. Before we start our journey around the lake let's meet at the Park map right next to the west side parking lot. Here you can better track your way around the map, as well as see some other great interpretive resources about the lake.