Co-chairs of the International Rainy Lake of the Woods Watershed Board's Aquatic Ecosystem Health Committee Todd Sellers (Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation), Mike Hirst (Lake of the Woods County Soil & Water Conservation District)
Summary
In late September and early October, dense algae blooms revisited residents at the north end of Lake of the Woods and into the Winnipeg River. After putting out a call to local friends to share some photos with us, our inbox was filled with grotesque images of beaches and shorelines caked in thick, green sludge – perhaps a bit artistically compelling, but also horrifying from a public and ecosystem health perspective.
The potent algae bloom is a good reminder of why the Foundation does our work for our watershed. For years, we have been saying that we need international water quality objectives (WQO) for Lake of the Woods, just like we see on the Great Lakes, to address harmful and nuisance algae blooms, among other risks. Lake of the Woods is no less than a Great Lake and deserves just as much care and consideration.
A WQO is a specific and measurable parameter to which Canada and the U.S. have agreed. For Lake of the Woods, for many years, the Foundation has been working with Indigenous and non-Indigenous government agencies in Minnesota, Ontario, Manitoba, Canada and the United States to identify strategies to reduce nuisance and toxic algae blooms. Much of this work has focused on limiting phosphorus loading to the lake, as phosphorus is a key nutrient responsible for fueling the harmful and nuisance algae blooms we see on Lake of the Woods.
Over the past year, the International Joint Commission funded a project through its International Watersheds Initiative that brought together water quality experts and government agencies to provide advice regarding establishing WQOs for Rainy – Lake of the Woods.
Pursuant to its Directives from the International Joint Commission, the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board has recently completed a two-phase study to review and develop recommendations for water quality objectives, alert levels, and scoping for a binational core monitoring program to support both. In this context, objectives are for boundary waters and require agreement of Canada and the United States. Alert levels are advisory thresholds selected and established by the board for waters in the watershed to identify potential problems for boundary waters for which water quality objectives have not been established.
This collaborative, international study was championed by the International Rainy Lake of the Woods Watershed Board’s Aquatic Ecosystem Health Committee, which is co-chaired by Todd Sellers and Mike Hirst. The Foundation’s International Watershed Coordinator, Teika Newton, acted as project facilitator.
It this webinar, Todd and Mike will review the project.
Please join us for this one-hour, lunch & learn session to hear more about the international efforts to improve aquatic health in the Rainy – Lake of the Woods watershed. As always, there will be an opportunity to ask questions of the speakers, too. Note that this webinar will be recorded for rebroadcast on the LOWWSF website.
About the Presenters:
Todd Sellers has been the Executive Director of the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation since its launch in 2004, and he is the Canadian co-chair of the Aquatic Ecosystem Health Committee of the International Rainy – Lake of the Woods Watershed Board (IRLWWB). Todd has been a public member of the IRLWWB since its inception in 2012. Todd holds a Master of Science degree in aquatic biology from the University of Alberta, with his thesis work on climate change impacts on lake trout being conducted at the Experimental Lakes Area east Kenora. He is a life-long summer resident of Minaki, ON, a fishing guide on the Winnipeg River and a Past President of the Lake of the Woods District Stewardship Association.
Mike Hirst has been a Resource Technician for the Lake of the Woods Soil and Water Conservation District since 2004. He is a US member of the IRLWWB, from Baudette MN, and he co-chairs the Board’s Industry Advisory Group as well as the Aquatic Ecosystem Health Committee. Mike has worked in various capacities for conservation and water quality by partnering at local, state, federal and international levels. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and Water Resources from the University of North Dakota.