What is behind the view
A lake guide should be as clear about its evidence as a calm morning is about the shoreline. This page explains where our words, data and visuals come from, what may be changed in presentation, and how to flag something that does not look right.
Disclosure reviewed and updated July 27, 2026
Every published asset needs a trail
For controlled site media, we record the creator or source, source address when applicable, rights or license state, dimensions, file hash, assigned use, derivatives and a duplicate check. Meaningful images also receive useful alternative text in all six site languages.
We use an image only when its origin and publication rights can be recorded. Public-domain, openly licensed, commissioned and permission-based work keeps its applicable credit and license conditions in the media record. An attractive file with unknown rights is not enough.
AI-generated media may be used only for a documented visual gap after relevance, rights and quality review. Its record identifies the generation method, prompt or production note, review state and assigned use. It is not presented as documentary evidence of a real lake, event, person or observed condition.
Presentation can change; meaning must not drift
Images may be cropped for different screens, resized, compressed, color-balanced or converted to a modern file format. Those changes must not add, remove or relocate factual features in a way that changes what the scene communicates. Responsive versions stay linked to their source asset by recorded derivative information and hashes.
Maps, diagrams and infographics are explanatory works, not photographs. They identify their underlying source or method, use accessible labels, and separate measured values from illustration. Decorative artwork is kept out of the reading order; meaningful graphics receive text alternatives or nearby explanation.
Evidence before embellishment
Lake identity, geography, science, health, weather, regulations, events and public facilities are tied to an authoritative source identity and a freshness state in the project evidence layer. Depending on the subject, that may be a Minnesota agency, federal service, university program, local government, park authority or official event organizer.
We prefer the agency or organization responsible for the record: for example, Minnesota DNR for lake and fish records, MPCA for water-quality assessments, MNGeo for geospatial layers, UMN LakeBrowser for satellite lake observations, MDH for health guidance, NOAA or the National Weather Service for weather, and the responsible local body for parks, access and events.
A source date, retrieval date, season, survey year or review state is kept with claims where it matters. Conditions, regulations and schedules can change after review, so time-sensitive pages point visitors toward the responsible current source. Conflicts are investigated instead of silently blended.
We do not guess depths, clarity, species, rankings, nearby places, lake relationships, event details or map positions. A blank is safer than a plausible invention. Unnamed waterbody records are not published as lake destinations, and named lakes use their verified canonical identity.
Page-level source links and freshness notes appear near the information they support when useful. Larger grouped source lists, media records and methodology notes are kept in the evidence layer so a page remains readable without losing its audit trail. External sources are secondary to continued on-site discovery.
Six ways to read; one correction trail
English, Spanish, French, German, European Portuguese and Simplified Chinese are supported language states. Interface and page text are registered for each state, including meaningful image alternatives. Translations are labeled as pending until a qualified human editorial review is recorded; source-language meaning and proper names remain the reference when resolving a discrepancy.
Send the page address, the specific image or statement, what you believe is wrong, and a supporting source if you have one. We review the underlying record, correct the public output when warranted, and update the relevant freshness or provenance record. Sponsorship never changes this correction process or permits an unsupported claim.