Alberta Lake Management Society Newsletter

Februrary 2013
 Join the Conversation on Water
Healthy Lakes are at the top of the list of topics to be discussed at 20 public conversations on water.The Government of Alberta has prepared a Water Conversation Guide which describes the four priority areas and why input is needed in each of them to prepare for the future.

ALMS cannot emphasize enough how important it is to speak up for lakes! Public sessions are being held in communities across the province and a complete list of locations can be found here. We encourage members to participate in the public sessions or to complete the online workbook that will be available on the water conversation website.

 

In addition to public sessions, ALMS has been invited to participate in stakeholder sessions and will continue to communicate any developments from the engagement process to our members moving forward. In a few locations we need members to represent us: if you are an ALMS member, have knowledge of lake issues and solutions, and live in these locations: Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat, Milk River, Edson, or Slave Lake please volunteer to represent us.  

Save Our Lakes: The Health Impacts of Toxic Blue-Green Algae Blooms in Alberta
Come join the North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper and ALMS for an evening of discussion and education on the topic of toxic blue-green algae blooms in our lakes. Free of Charge!

Toxic blue-green algae blooms are a known threat to swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters because of the human health impacts. Our objectives for the evening are to provide the participants with the reasons for the concern and provide answers on what we can do and can not do. Our promise is an evening that will both educate and entertain all those who attend and discussion that will impact the way we think and act regarding our Alberta lakes.

 

Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 - 18:00 - 20:30

Location: Atrium and Lecture Theatre 150, Telus Centre for Professional Development, NW corner of 87ave and 111st. University of Alberta Campus

Itinerary: 

6:00PM: Reception and information displays (light snacks and beverages provided)

6:40PM: Welcome and Introductions

6:45PM: Interactive Presentation on the Health Impacts of Blue-Green Algae Blooms Presented by: Ron Zurawell, Ph.D., P.Biol., Limnologist, Water Policy Branch Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

7:30PM: Introduction and Screening of the CBC "Nature of Things" Documentary, Save My Lake

8:15PM: Adjournment or further discussion

 

WEBINAR OPTION AVAILABLE!  

 

Please register to participate, the Telus Centre can accommodate many but webinar space is limited.     

 

Most Threatened Lake in the World 2013
Lake Winnipeg BGA
Blue Green Algae washed up on shore.
The announcement that Global Nature Fund has selected Lake Winnepeg as the Threatened Lake of the Year worldwide has garnered lots of attention from Manitoba media as well as across the country. It's not the kind of announcement that anyone is proud of but it is providing an opportunity to raise awareness about the increasing threat of blue-green algae blooms that, in some years, have covered up to 15,000 square km of the lake's surface.

The media's attention to this announcement has spurred discussion about some of the solutions to the lake's problems and, in particular, to emphasize the idea that everyone can be involved in helping to clean up the lake. Throughout the Lake Winnepeg basin there is a real push to make actions and purchases "lake friendly". Visit the Lake Friendly website for a ton of great tips for people living in lake watersheds.

They have also discussed the more substantial changes such as preventing wetland drainage and upgrading sewage disposal systems that require government support and funding. This is a long-term and ongoing problem, but the people working on solutions have been galvanized by this Threatened Lake designation and are more determined than ever to turn the lake into a good news story.
Call for Symposium Partners
ALMS is building a team to host the 2016 North American Lake Management (NALMS) Symposium. This will be ALMS' 25th anniversary year.

If you are interesting in partnering to bring this international symposium to Alberta, please contact us.
Do a Survey, Win a Book!
Please complete
this 5 minute website feedback survey
to help us evaluate our websites' features, content and future updates.

Respondents will be entered to win "Butterflies of Alberta" (a glossy, hardcover book)

Your help would be much appreciated.
ALMS is Hiring!
Jane at Pigeon Lake
LakeWatch Technicians
3 positions
Job Posting - Closing date Feb 24

 Beach Outreach Educator - 1 position
Job Posting - Closing Date Mar 15
 
Water Boatman, Loudest Animal on Earth
You may be surprised to learn that the lesser water boatman (Micronecta scholtzi), a 2 mm long insect living in freshwater bodies across Europe, is the loudest animal on the planet.

What's even more surprising, however, is how they make the sound: with their genitals. A male rubbing its ridged penis, which measure no more than 50 �m in length, across its ridged abdomen, is able to produce a sound as loud as a passing freight train, or 99.2 decibels.

Why do they make these sounds, you may wonder? In the name of love, of course. Male lesser water boatmen use this sound to attract mates, and though 99% of the sound is absorbed by the water, a male singing on a stream bed is audible even to a human walking along the bank. After discovering this sound in 2011, the lesser water boatman became the loudest animal on earth relative to its size.

While this specific noisy species has never been observed in Alberta, at least ten genera of water boatmen do call our province home and can be seen, and maybe even heard, in our lakes and streams.

 

Keep Informed
Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Lake news, water news and information about activities are posted here first!