The pdf Proceeedings Report of the 2018 International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum (5.73 MB) 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!
Clare Nelligan, PhD. candidate at Queen's University, is the recipient of the 2018 Deborah Battigelli Memorial Award. Presented by the Foundation, this Award provides financial assistance to graduate students to present their research at the annual International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum.
Clare will deliver the Deborah Battigelli Memorial presentation at the Forum with a talk titled "Long-term trends in dissolved oxygen, nutrients and primary production in embayments of Lake of the Woods that support lake trout".
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.
Read more: New satellite Sensors Promise Better Algae Tracking
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
Read more: Lake of the Woods Special Issue Open Access - Lake and Reservoir Management
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.
The local governments within the Minnesota portion of the Lake of the Woods Watershed are collaborating together on a watershed-based plan known as the One Watershed, One Plan. Those governments include Lake of the Woods County, Lake of the Woods Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Warroad River Watershed District, Roseau County and Roseau SWCD. The ultimate goal of the planning effort is to implement water management activities on a watershed basis, spanning jurisdictional boundaries.
Only Rain Down the Drain! That’s the message behind a binational storm drain stenciling project this past summer. Our Foundation's Watershed Coordination Program engaged youth and the communities of Fort Frances and Kenora, Ontario and International Falls, Minnesota to paint messages beside storm drains next to Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River. The messages are reminders to take care of what goes into those storm drains. These drains lead directly to the river and lake, without treatment. Soap used for car washing, oils, gas and greases, fertilizers on lawns and other contaminants can get washed down into these drains with overland flow.
Read more: Storm drain stenciling: Engaging youth in protecting our water
Algae blooms during late summer and fall on Lake of the Woods remain a concern that was highlighted by the Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board at it's meetings with IJC Commissioners in Ottawa, October 25, 2017.
The view from space is compelling with blue green algae blooms widespread across the southern basin - "the Big Traverse" beginning in early summer. By fall, blooms covered most of the lake including in the middle channel and north central basin around Kenora. Blooms persisted well into late October.
Read more: Lake of the Woods algae highlighted at IJC Watershed Board meetings in Ottawa