Aquatic Plant
Identification
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Price: $183.75
This workshop is an all day introduction to the taxonomy and identification of
aquatic plants. Learn to identify those floating leaves and noxious weeds. There
will be a demonstration on how to properly press aquatic plants for herbarium
specimens. Participants will view preserved specimens and receive hands on
training in aquatic plant identification. Attendees are welcome to bring their
own plant specimens if they want assistance identifying their local flora.
Session Presenters
Dr. Adolf Ceska and Oluna Ceska, M.Sc. are rare plant species specialists
based in Victoria, BC, Canada. Adolf is one of BC’s foremost authorities in all
things botanical and is a retired botanist from the BC Conservation Data Center,
founding member of the Native Plant Society of BC, and contributor to the Eflora
website. Adolf is co-author of the book “A Floristic Bibliography for British
Columbia.” In addition to her botanical skills, Oluna is a reconized authority
on fungi and algae. Together they operate Ceska Geobotanical Consulting in
Victoria.
Alum for Phosphorus Inactivation & Interception
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Price: $183.75
Sponsored by Sweetwater Technology-Teemark
Excess phosphorus in lakes comes from the watershed, lake sediments or both. Eliminating or mitigating these sources may be difficult, expensive or require many years. Alum, aluminum sulfate, may be used to safely, quickly and efficiently eliminate problems with excess phosphorus. Technologies to control excess phosphorus using alum have been developed and are available. Alum can be used to inactivate sediment phosphorus or intercept phosphorus in runoff or remove phosphorus from lake or pond water.
Participants will learn about the alum technologies through published literature overviews, case histories and participant interaction. Topics include internal and external phosphorus sources, alum precipitation chemistry, application technologies and strategies, dose determination (inactivation), phosphorus interception, effectiveness and longevity of phosphorus inactivation. Techniques for evaluating the timing and magnitude internal and external phosphorus inputs will be reviewed in the context of designing alum application strategies. Differences between thermally stratified versus unstratified (polymictic) lakes will be discussed. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences during the workshop. Workshop includes a workshop manual with worksheets and a detailed bibliography.
A substantial portion of the workshop content was developed by Drs. Dennis Cooke and Eugene Welch.
Session Presenters
Session Presenters
Dick Osgood of Osgood Consulting and Harry Gibbons of Tetra Tech are the session organizers. Dick has authored numerous scientific articles, makes frequent presentations on lake management and writes a regular column in LakeLine, NALMS’ quarterly magazine. Dick owns a consulting business that offers lake management services. Harry has authored scientific articles, makes frequent presentations on lake management and participated in his first whole lake alum treatment in 1974. Tom Eberhardt of Sweetwater Technology presents alum application experiences and strategies.
Benthic Invertebrate Taxonomy
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Price: $183.75
The accurate and precise identification and classification of benthic organisms provides the foundation for many ecological investigations of streams, rivers, and lakes, including biological assessment and monitoring programs aimed at evaluating the quality of habitat and water.
Lake, pond, streams and river taxa will be examined with most time spent on stream taxa. Family Level identification for most Ephemeroptera, Plectoptera and Trichoptera will be covered. Chironomids and several other common dipteran groups will be also be examined. Molluscs (several common gastropod and bivalve families) will be covered. Finally, crustaceans will be examined if time allows. Workshop participants will be sent preliminary reading material ahead of time to familiarize themselves with insect anatomy. Workshop participants will gain more from the workshop if they prepare ahead of time.
Session Presenters
Session Presenter
Sue Salter B.Sc. R.P.Bio. is lead taxonomist and has been involved in invertebrate taxonomy and biomonitoring projects over the past decade. She is the head of Cordillera Consulting which is a private, independent Freshwater Invertebrate Taxonomy Laboratory based in Summerland, British Columbia. Cordillera specializes in processing benthic invertebrate samples for biomonitoring programs and environmental impact assessments. Cordillera has processed several thousand samples from creeks, large and small rivers, estuaries, lakes, ponds and thermal springs over the past decade.
Cordillera Consulting is a supporter of the Taxonomic Certification Program administered by the North American Benthological Society (NABS). This program has been designed in an effort to improve the quality of data used for biomonitoring and impact assessment. Sue has passed genus level certification tests in three categories.
Bioengineering
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Price: $183.75
This one day class workshop will focus on soil bioengineering techniques and options involved in restoration and reclamation of damaged ecosystems and lake and stream bank sites using a combination of structural materials, vegetative cuttings and other specialized techniques.
Soil bioengineering is an applied science that uses live plant materials to
perform an engineering function such as slope stabilization, soil erosion
control or seepage control.
This workshop will discuss:
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Factors involved in successful restoration
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Successional reclamation • Soil bioengineering techniques
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Regional differences in climate, soils, hydrology, plant types, and growing
seasons
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Maintenance and monitoring The course will include a course manual.
Who should attend?
This course is for all lake association group members, consultants and
contractors who are interested in learning more about the theory of
bioengineering and case studies.
Session Presenter
David F. Polster, R.P. Bio. is a plant ecologist with over 30 years of
experience in vegetation studies, reclamation and invasive species management.
He graduated from the University of Victoria with an Honours Bachelor of Science
degree in 1975 and a Master of Science degree in 1977. He has developed a wide
variety of reclamation techniques for steep/unstable slopes as well as
techniques for the re-establishment of riparian and aquatic habitats. He is the
past-president of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association. He is the treasurer
for the B.C. Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration and serves as the
alternate mining representative on the board of the Invasive Plant Council of
B.C. Dave has provided on-site design and direction in the development of
reclamation and bioengineering systems for restoration of severely damaged
ecosystems. He served as the environmental supervisor for CP Rail’s massive
Roger’s Pass Project. He was responsible for developing the bioengineering
systems that have successfully revegetated a portion of the Point Grey cliffs at
UBC.
Dave has prepared reclamation plans for numerous mines, quarries and gravel
pits in Canada. He pioneered the concept of successional reclamation where the
aim of the reclamation program is the re-integration of the disturbed site into
the natural processes of vegetation succession. He has applied his knowledge in
ecology to solving problems of unwanted and invasive vegetation. He has authored
numerous papers on these topics.
E. coli Monitoring in Streams by Volunteers: A Training Workshop
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Price: $94.25
Contamination of surface water by fecal matter threatens public health and is a common public health concern. While monitoring is important to ensure safe recreational opportunities, reduced state budgets and shortages of state agency personnel make regular monitoring difficult. In 2004, volunteer monitoring programs in six upper Midwestern states initiated a three year CSREES funded project to evaluate five test methods and kits for monitoring E. coli bacteria that are suitable for home use (see http://www.usawaterquality.org/volunteer/EColi/ for more information on the project). The methods were evaluated by comparing E. coli test kit results determined by volunteers to results determined through certified laboratory analyses and by assessing volunteer preferences for using the methods. After a year of study, two test methods were selected to be used in all participating states. A comprehensive training program was developed and used in all six states to assure consistency. This ensured that volunteers were provided with sufficient background information about E. coli bacteria and comparable hands-on learning opportunities to become skilled with sampling techniques and monitoring methods. The training was evaluated and modified over three years to meet participants’ needs and to achieve project goals most effectively.
This workshop will provide participants with this refined training to use in their own states. The training will begin with an introduction to E. coli monitoring, including its importance and relevance to water-based recreational activities. Participants will learn how, where, and when to collect water samples and how to ensure volunteer safety. Hands-on training will be provided using Coliscan Easygel and 3M Petrifilm methods. Participants will practice quantifying pre-prepared plates and learn incubation and proper disposal procedures. Recording and calculating data and sources for bacteria monitoring supplies and equipment will also be included.
Each participant will also receive a copy of the Citizens Monitoring Bacteria manual.
Session Presenters
Lois Wolfson, Michigan State University,
Jerry Iles, Ohio State University Extension,
Barbara Liukkonen, University of Minnesota and
Kristine Stepenuck, University of Wisconsin-Extension and Wisconsin DNR
Internal Phosphorus Loading
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Price: $183.75
Internal phosphorus loading as phosphorus (P) released from anoxic sediment surfaces often represents the main summer P load to lakes. Because of its high biological availability, the lack of dilution and the timing, it can have an immense effect on summer water quality of a lake, reservoir or pond. However, depending on the stratification of the lake, it is not always easy to determine the quantity of internal load (especially in polymictic lakes), and it many be difficult to estimate the ultimate effect it may have on surface water quality (especially in stratified lakes).
This workshop presents a way of quantifying internal load in polymictic as well as stratified lakes. Considering lake characteristics and data availability, such quantification can be done in a step-wise fashion, where missing data may be predicted by subsidiary models. After the mere quantification of internal load the participant will learn how to combine it with external load in a simple mass balance model to predict seasonal phosphorus concentration. Knowing this, other water quality characteristics (algal biomass, bloom frequencies, Secchi disck transparency and hypolimnetic anoxia) can be arrived at. Applications regarding lake quality assessment, nutrient criteria, total maximum daily load (TMDL) computations and restoration options will be discussed.
There will be ample time available for interactions and discussions with the audience. Comprehensive handouts and reference list will be provided to cover theory and case studies. For preparation see publications on the website http://www.fwr.on.ca
Session Presenter
Gertrud Nürnberg is a previous NALMS Director of Region X1, eastern Canada. She is head of Freshwater Research, a limnological company focusing on restoration and modeling of eutrophic lakes and reservoirs. She founded this company in 1984, after completing her Ph.D. in biology/ limnology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With her husband Bruce LaZerte, Ph.D., also a limnologist specialized in geochemistry, she’s worked with lake associations, government agencies, engineering companies and the private sector in the US, Canada and Europe. She has published comparative research and empirical lake models on phosphorus, iron, and anoxia and on lake management techniques in numerous scientific journals and been an associate editor of the NALMS journal Lake and Reservoir Management, since 1996. She is winner of NALMS’ 2003 Technical Excellence Award in recognition for outstanding research in lake restoration, protection and management, and the 2004 Best Journal Article Award for NALMS’ journal of Lake and Reservoir Management (2003, Vol. 19, pages 307-322).
Natural and Constructed (Treatment) Wetlands
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Price: $183.75
Wetlands are valuable but little understood ecosystems – even by professional ecologists; for most people they are much less familiar than woodlands, grassy meadows or lakes and rivers. The US and European laws encourage preservation, restoration, and creation of wetlands. However, wetlands are a relatively new field and do not fit easily into traditional learning schemes. Managers, engineers, policy makers and biologists are often required to consider wetlands during construction or development and may have insufficient knowledge or wetlands to make the best and most rational decisions. Others may simply wish to know more about wetlands but do not have the time to take a full college semester course.
Constructed wetlands are now becoming accepted for the treatment of storm flows, sewage from small and large communities, agricultural surface and sub-surface runoff, larger volumes flows in effluent dominated rivers, mine wastes, landfill leachate, and summer urban “nuisance” water. However, the design parameters needed to construct a reliable constructed wetland system are not well established. Often the manager or biologist must hope for removal of toxicants rather than guarantee the result. How safe and what is the life span of a treatment wetland? Nowadays, regulators demand that wetlands be both safe and deliver effluent with a known concentration of toxicants or bio-stimulants. Therefore improvement in wetland design is needed. Research and practical experience is available in a few recent texts, but much is often hidden in gray literature or new conference proceedings. This course puts together what is known and what is still uncertain in using constructed or created wetlands for water treatment.
This course is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of people from managers and scientists to the general public. The short course will begin with sessions on the structure and function of natural wetlands and then spend the rest of the day using this knowledge to understand how constructed wetlands can be used in modern wastewater treatment trains. This is an overview class and not a session on detailed design or ecology. Extensive knowledge of aquatic chemistry, physics and biology is not necessary.
Session Presenter
Alex Horne. Ph.D. is an Active Emeritus Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His specialty is Ecological Engineering and his courses on reservoir, lake, wetlands, river and estuarine ecology and management were staples in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for 32 years. He has carried out extensive research into aquatic ecosystem throughout the world. His work on wetlands began in Antarctica in 1967, included the Kesterson wildlife Refuge/Reservoir (marsh selenium toxicity problem) and now focuses on constructed wetlands for water treatment in semi-arid climates. He has carried out wetland research on the removal of nitrate, phosphorus, heavy metals, organics and pathogens. He has authored over 230 papers and reports and is co-author of the best selling textbook on Limnology, the study of lakes, rivers, wetlands and estuaries. Over 15,000 acres of wetlands are now functioning or under consideration based on designs by Dr. Horne and co-workers optimizing biodiversity, aesthetics, and water treatment in California, Arizona, Nevada, China, Spain, Australia, and the Caribbean Islands.
Taxonomy, Ecology and Control of Nuisance Algae
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Price: $210.00
Algae are an important part of a properly functioning natural aquatic system, but when algae become abundant, water uses and habitat are often impaired. All algae were not created equal, however, and proper identification is important to determining management strategy. With recent apparent increases in toxic algae and issues with taste and odor, understanding algae has become even more important. Key information includes how to collect and recognize major groups of algae and common genera within those groups, how and why algae can become nuisances, and the basic options for control of algae in lakes. Although a half-day workshop cannot cover all aspects of algal taxonomy, ecology or control, participants will hear selected lectures and engage in relevant lab demonstrations. Participants are encouraged to bring any algae samples with which they would like identification help. The workshop is taught by Drs. Ann St. Amand and Ken Wagner, experienced algal taxonomists working in applied fields. Participants get a detailed manual and a full day of exposure to algae and algal issues.
Session Presenters
Taught by Drs. Ann St. Amand of PhycoTech and Ken Wagner of ENSR, this workshop has proven to be a very enjoyable as well as education experience. If you can’t imagine fun with algae, let Ann and Ken show you how it is done!
Simple Tools for Lake and Watershed Assessment
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8.00 am – 5.00 pm
Price: $183.75
This course continues to be updated. It is a full-day, problem-oriented introduction to a suite of simpler tools from the Army Corps of Engineers that are used to assess lake and reservoir water quality in a watershed context. We use the remodeled FLUX32 mass tranport program as a basis for discussing watershed delivery, stream transport, and nutrient load estimation. FLUX32 is a Windows® application with a user friendly interface and continuing enhancements. Both new and experienced FLUX users will want this new version. From FLUX and mass transport, we will proceed to a discussion of in-lake trophic response using the Windows version of the Bathtub model. Finally, we will use the new software package called TASTR (Trophic Assessment Screening Tool for Reservoirs), to illustrate an integrated watershed-reservoir assessment. TASTR uses the Bathtub model, simple watershed models and a self-contained GIS capability to put the reservoir (or lake) water quality into a watershed context. TASTR lets the user quickly (but with low resolution) and easily explore a lake's potential trophic response to changing conditions or operations. TASTR's capabilities also let it serve as a convenient "front end" for Bathtub modeling and as a license-free, stand-alone, GIS tool for performing basic geospatial tasks.
A CD will be distributed that includes all course notes and copies of the software. Participants should bring a laptop to the workshop if possible (but not absolutely required). Software will be provided to registrants prior to the conference (via email, FTP, or CD) to allow pre-session installation.
Session Presenters
The instructor (Dave Soballe, Ph.D.) is a senior researchers with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory. Dave has taught this course at NALMS for the last three years and has over 25 years of experience with reservoir and watershed processes and assessments.