Environment and Climate Change Canada science program: fall update
The science team from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) was back on the lake in September for their fall intensive sampling, rounding out their work for the entire summer. The ECCC science program aims to develop a framework to assess and predict the ecological response of the lake (e.g., algae blooms) to potential nutrient load reductions.
Ongoing water quality and other data were collected from 30 stations across the lake. Issue-specific work was also undertaken to better characterize: nutrients coming from the lake bottom, algae types and toxins.
Workshop for lake associations bridges local and basin wide issues
Citizen science, partnerships and the valuable role of volunteer organizations in lake stewardship, nutrient reduction and aquatic invasive species prevention was the focus of a one-day workshop for lake associations, held by the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation, September 11 at Sunny Cove camp on the shores of Rainy Lake.
Public calls for action from Canada to cut phosphorus in Lake of the Woods
A vocal, engaged and committed crowd of 200 citizens concerned about toxic and nuisance algae in Lake of the Woods gathered at the Clarion Hotel in Kenora, Aug. 15, 2018 to learn what is being done to address the problem.
Many attendees, led by former Prime Minister John Turner, voiced strongly a demand for Canada to “get on with it” and take action immediately to combat algae blooms jointly with Minnesota, in its plan to cut phosphorus by 18.4%.
IJC Recommends Immediate Interim Phosphorus Targets for Lake of the Woods
Following a presentation from the International Rainy – Lake of the Woods Watershed Board in Washington D.C., the International Joint Commission endorsed and submitted the Board’s recommendations for immediate interim phosphorus reductions in Lake of the Woods to the Governments of Canada and the United States.
Read the full June 13, 2018 IJC Press Release on “Immediate Interim Phosphorus Targets Recommended for Lake of the Woods”
Background Document: IJC Letter to Governments
Foundation Honours WICOLA with Lake Steward Award at 2018 Forum
The Foundation presented the Gerry Wilson Stewardship Award to the White Iron Chain of Lakes Association (WICOLA) for their leadership in civic engagement, outreach, research and partnerships.
Teresa Sagen, WICOLA president, accepted the award on behalf of the Association and all its members who have worked for over 25 years to develop and conduct programs in partnership with Minnesota’s natural resource agencies to fill gaps in monitoring and science and engage hundreds of volunteers in work to protect the headwaters in the Rainy-Lake of the Woods watershed.
2018 Forum Proceedings Report Now Available
The Proceeedings Report of the 2018 International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum is now available.
Lake of the Woods and its watershed went under the microscope at the 2018 International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum, March 7-8 at the Rainy River Community College in International Falls, Minnesota. The auditorium was jam-packed with close to 170 researchers, resource managers and policy makers representing 72 organizations – a record attendance!
2018 Kallemeyn Award: Kat Rühland, Kevin Peterson and Gail Faveri
The Foundation presented Kat Rühland, Kevin Peterson and Gail Faveri each with the Kallemeyn Award, recognizing their outstanding professional achievements and contributions to research and resource management in the Rainy-Lake of the Woods basin.
For the first time, the selection committee decided to make more than one award this year, recognizing excellence in different aspects of the Kallemeyn Award criteria. The committee decided that a “shoot out” like the end of the Canada-USA Women’s Hockey Olympic Goal medal game was not the way to settle a tie!
Thanks to Our Supporters
A big “thank you” to all who have invested in the future of Lake of the Woods by donating to the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation or by helping us at public meetings. Your gifts and support are helping to develop a sustainability plan for our lake. A key element will be standards and reduction targets for phosphorus, responsible for the algae blooms.
New satellite Sensors Promise Better Algae Tracking
The view from space is compelling with blue green algae blooms covering most of the lake in late summer and fall as can be seen in this European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel satellite image from October.
A new generation of satellite sensors came on line this year – delivering high resolution detection and tracking of algae blooms.
At our Watershed Forum in March, Dr. Caren Binding (Environment and Climate Change Canada) will present a preliminary report on her work on Lake of the Woods to develop near real time severity assessment and tracking of algae blooms.
Lake of the Woods Special Issue Open Access – Lake and Reservoir Management
You’ve got until March 15th to download for free, some of the seminal research that is unlocking the mystery of what is causing algae blooms on Lake of the Woods.
Our science partners working on Lake of the Woods have put together a special issue of the Journal of Lake and Reservoir Management (Volume 33, Issue 4) devoted entirely to Lake of the Woods with free public access to this paid-subscription scientific journal. View online or Download pdf files of the research papers until March 15 at: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ulrm20/33/4