Statewide officials are taking notice of improvements and enhancements on the lakes around Albert Lea.

And they want to know how these things are being accomplished, which is why the Fountain Lake Sportsmen’s Club has been chosen to make a presentation at a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources stakeholders roundtable in the Twin Cities on Friday night.

The local club is one of two presenting organizations at the annual roundtable event. About 200 people attend, on average, and the discussion focuses on wildlife preservation, fishing, hunting and everything in between.

“It’s an opportunity for conservation organizations, regular citizens and groups like ours to have a chance to influence policy decisions and understand where the DNR is going and why,” said Lance Frank, vice president of the Fountain Lake Sportsmen’s Club.

Frank will give a five-minute presentation on what the club has done to enhance youth events and grow successful partnerships.

He said successful partnerships with the DNR, the city, watershed districts and many other local organizations have been important to their accomplishments. Probably the most important partnerships, however, are the ones with its own members.

“A relatively small group of dedicated people can do a whole lot,” Frank said. “When I talk about everything we do, people expect us to say we have 500 to 600 members. Our total membership is 150, and only 10 percent are really active, which is why it’s so important to have good partnerships.”

According to Sportsmen’s Club President Dave Villarreal, a copy of a letter that ran in the Tribune on Dec. 17 was sent to Mike Kurre, director of the DNR’s mentoring program. It outlined the many things the club has done in the past year to enhance community involvement, specifically youth programs. Kurre then invited the local club to participate in this year’s event.

“When you go to these events, the speakers and discussions are from north of the Cities, because that’s where most everything takes place,” Villarreal said. “Even people who come from out of state, from the south, will bypass southern Minnesota to go to cabins up north.”

“I’m thrilled about this,” he said. “We’ve been working with the city, the Lakes Foundation, the Shell Rock River Watershed in turning our lakes around and people are starting to take notice.”

The date of the event, however, is bittersweet to those involved with the club.

This Friday, club members and others in the community will honor the passing of friend and sportsman Jim Stewart. Stewart was a past treasurer and board member. He died just after Christmas.

“He was a great friend and I wanted to stay behind and honor him,” said Villarreal, who sent Frank to speak in his place at the event.

The memorial for Stewart will be Friday afternoon at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home.

The Fountain Lake Sportsmen’s Club has been active in Albert Lea for more than 30 years. The nonprofit organization annually hosts youth and senior fishing events and partners with community organizations to promote fishing and making local lakes better. The club works closely with the DNR, Albert Lea, Freeborn County, the Lakes Foundation of Albert Lea and the Shell Rock River Watershed District on lake cleanup events and reclamation projects.