Curt Forst is someone who a lot of us can relate to. He's environmentally focused, down to earth and lighthearted. Growing up you would not find him under the hood of a car, but rather down by the creek or river, taking an adventure through nature.
This interest in his natural surroundings carried on through the years and he learned that what he experienced as a journey within the creek ecosystem was called ecology. Playing in the mud developed into enjoying hunting, fishing and camping. Eventually, he earned a bachelor’s degree in education and biology. Even though he didn’t go into education formally, he uses every opportunity to teach others about topics he is passionate about.
Curt lives on Howard Lake in Wright County and is on the Wright County Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Wright County Water Quality Task Force, president of the Wright County Coalition of Lake Associations (COLA) and president of the Howard Lake Watershed Alliance. He has also been chosen as Wright County's Conservation Person of 2023!
Curt uses these positions to share his knowledge and experiences whether through submitting information for newsletters or by attending meetings. Through his signature wit, Curt’s message is clear: educate, educate, educate. He tries to get people involved whenever he can.
He leaves the house prepared with a rake in his trunk and a Secchi disk in his boat for wherever the day may lead him, continuing to live life with the curiosity he held growing up. Curt monitors Howard Lake but keeps in mind the importance of knowing what is happening in neighboring lakes. For Curt, sometimes that means sampling them, and sometimes that means staying in communication through the COLA on how and when others tackle issues and projects.
When Curt found out about the AIS Detectors program, it seemed like a natural fit. He became more involved because, like many others, he was concerned about what was happening on his lake. “You don’t want your lake or any body of water to get to the point of not being able to enjoy it,” Curt explains.
His goals are to protect the water quality of the lake he lives on and to keep issues from spreading to other lakes because of how important water is to everything around us. “If the balance is thrown off, the destruction can become one of the greatest threats to our Minnesota waters,” Curt says. Plus, he says volunteering gets him out of his wife’s hair.
When asked what his favorite part of volunteering is, Curt answered, “Meeting like-minded people. Sharing stories. If you’ve been beaten down by not much progress being made, being with like-minded people, your spirits are boosted a little bit and you’re reenergized to get out and do more.”
He also enjoys being able to meet and teach all kinds of people with a wide range of knowledge. Being entrenched in a topic or project makes it easy to forget that not everyone is on the same page. But Curt stays optimistic and enjoys that volunteering gives him opportunities to share with others.
Curt encourages everyone to take the AIS Detectors Core Course with an excited, “Oh, do it! Just do it!” He also encourages people to review the information after having taken the course. Going through the educational materials again is a good reminder of key concepts but can also prepare you to take additional steps in your AIS journey. Curt emphasizes the importance of plant identification skills since, just like people, not all individual plants in a species look the same.
Thank you, Curt, for the hard work you put into monitoring Minnesota’s lakes and educating those around you.
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