During this workshop, we introduce newly refined tools used by volunteers to monitor lake health and harmful algal blooms, and we provide an opportunity for community science organizations to compare approaches to organizing, training, and supporting volunteers.
Tools featured include the NALMS Secchi Dip-In AWQMS database and the Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative’s bloomWatch app. Volunteers can use the AWQMS database to import their Secchi Dip-In results from all over North America and then compare their data with that of others through the use of various visualization tools. The bloomWatch app has the capability to capture real-time information about cyanobacteria and other Harmful Algal Blooms through the convenience of your smartphone.
Community science and monitoring programs featured during the workshop range from well-established to newly-organized. We hope participants will contribute descriptions of their own programs, including both success and challenges. Throughout this virtual workshop there will be opportunities for participants to interact with workshop leaders.
Presenters
Alex Heppner has been with the AWQMS team for over seven years. With a BS in Environmental Science and years of sampling and reporting experience as a staff scientist in his home state of Pennsylvania, Alex gives a unique "real world" perspective when it comes to all things AWQMS. He has facilitated the migration of millions of records to the Water Quality Portal and has assisted organizations across the country QA/QC, assess, analyze, and submit their environmental data.
Maggie Reilly has been an intern for the North American Lake Management Society and the Kentucky Division of Water since June 2020. She graduated from the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont with a major in Environmental Science and concentration in Water Resources. During 2020, she has been working with community volunteers to aid with the AWQMS database and the bloomWatch app.
Angela Shambaugh is an aquatic biologist recently retired from the Lakes and Ponds Program (VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation). Since moving to Vermont in 1986, she has been working in the fields of water quality and plankton ecology for private consultants, the University of Vermont, and the State of Vermont. In those roles, she participated in the development of a cyanobacteria monitoring protocol for Lake Champlain, one of the largest and most physically diverse lakes in the northeastern US. In its current form, the monitoring protocol is used for all waterbodies in Vermont and aspects of it have been adopted by other states in the region. Angela currently serves as co-chair of the NALMS Inland HABs Committee. In the image above, Angela is shown facing us. Meg Modley is modeling a shawl Angela created for the NALMS 2019 Silent Auction.
Lori Fisher serves as Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Committee, a bi-state, non-profit organization working to improve and protect the health of Lake Champlain for all those who depend on the lake for drinking water, recreation, and transportation. Lori is the author of Volunteer Coordination and Training for the Lake Champlain Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program (Lake Champlain Basin Program, 2019).
Lisa Borre has worked for 30 years to conserve and manage lakes and wetlands around the world. She is currently a Senior Research Specialist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies where she is coordinator of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) and the Lake Observer mobile app project. Lisa is president-elect of NALMS.
Perry Thomas is an aquatic ecologist who brings to her work a passion for connecting organizations with research findings and innovative tools to inform clean water actions. She is currently an environmental scientist with the Kentucky Division of Water, an active member of the Ohio River Basin Alliance, and technical advisor to the Kentucky Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program. Perry is the outgoing president of NALMS.
Tracy Lizotte is an Environmental Analyst for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Water Bureau’s Monitoring and Assessment Section. As an Environmental Analyst, Tracy works on various projects that include managing the Bathing Beach Water monitoring program, Cyanobacteria monitoring, and monitoring to determine if Connecticut’s rivers, streams, and lakes comply with the Clean Water Act. Tracy is also part of the Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative. Before joining CT DEEP, she worked for New England Bioassay for 9 years, managing and working on various aspects of performing aquatic toxicology work.