President’s Message

Ken Wagner enjoying the benefits of global warming during winter sampling.

In December, NALMS Project Manager Philip Forsberg and I attended a Disney presentation in Madison, WI. We were both impressed at the lengths to which the Disney organization will go to make you say “WOW” when you visit. They freely acknowledge that they are a “for profit” company and that their intent is to make you decide to purchase their “product” ahead of others and repeatedly. The key to doing this is service, and they related a number of mind-blowing examples of how they go above and beyond expectations to maximize that WOW factor. They also related how they sometimes fall short of their goals, as all organizations do, and what they do to improve their record going forward. It was a very stimulating presentation.

I have been thinking about it ever since, and I wanted to share with you two trains of thought. First, and most simply, you have an opportunity next autumn to experience the magic of Disney for yourself, as the 2007 NALMS International Symposium will be held on the Disney grounds in Orlando, FL at the Coronado Springs Resort. You are unlikely to ever get a better deal for on-site accommodations, and the host committee is hard at work to make this both the most educational and entertaining symposium of all time. I also expect that it will be the best attended, so think about those travel arrangements sooner rather than later.

The other thought is more focused on the day to day business of NALMS, and how we put the Disney principles that we learned in December to work for the benefit of our members and the Society as a whole. NALMS has not always been the most member-friendly organization, but I think we are doing better today. We will continue to improve our service through this year. Have you called the office lately? I don’t want you all to interrupt Darcy Brown, our Administrative Assistant, but if you have occasion to call I expect you will be pleased with her level of professionalism and good humor. Have a website problem? Well, we have had plenty of these relating to our website for a year or more now but that should end this month with the new website, ably constructed and managed by Matt Remsik, our Webmaster. Sure, there are still bugs to work out, and a lot more information will be coming on line over the next two months, but check it out and let us know what you think. And if you have had problems getting into the membership services area, which is password protected, try again. If your personal link is still broken, Matt will get you set up quickly.

Other improvements underway include a new shopping cart with high security for credit card purchases, true on-line membership application and renewal, and a state-of-the-art conference registration system that will let you register on-line, select from a menu of options for guests, special events, and meal selections, provide confirmation, and give you a receipt. The announcement of availability for secondary school grants was in the last newsletter but is also on-line; if you know of a school that could use some funding for water-related educational efforts, clue them in. We are working on an image library, a sample of which will be on the open portion of our site and the bulk of which will be in the membership services area, for use by members in presentations, illustrations, or just general enjoyment. A number of useful publications are on the web already, with more arriving weekly, easily obtained by link or straight download. NALMS is here to serve its members.

Of course, even Disney has breakdowns, and we will too. At the first NALMS conference in Orlando in 1987 I got stuck on a ride in the Magic Kingdom for 2 hours with a toddler and no spare diapers – that is an experience I never forgot, but at least I can laugh about it now. As NALMS President, I have had to disappoint a few people because we have to put quality or accuracy ahead of speed, or because we don’t have the staff or flexibility to personalize every last transaction to the level that some would like or because I can’t be in two places at once (yet – I’m working on it). I don’t like this, but I don’t always have an answer everyone will like. Disney looks to its front-line staff for problem solving ideas. Aside from our staff, all of you represent the front lines in lake management and member services; all suggestions for improving our operation are welcome. The Disney folks noted something that I have emphasized to others myself; how problems are addressed is at least as important as the minimization of problems. I truly believe that NALMS is well on its way in both departments, but there will still be ups and downs on this ride. We’re happy to have you on it with us, but as at Disney, please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle and your seatbelt fastened until the ride comes to a complete stop!

Ken Wagner
NALMS President

Within NALMS

Affiliate Update

We said goodbye to the Chapter membership category at the end of 2006. As dues become due for all former Chapters in January each year, the opportunity to renew as a NALMS Affiliate was provided, and all former Chapters have been notified. The alternative membership category is Non-Profit, which is similar and carries the same cost, but Affiliates share a common mission with NALMS and are willing to participate in joint events and other efforts. Affiliates also enjoy the potential to receive funds for attendance of one or more representatives at NALMS meetings. So far, about half of the previous Chapters have sent in their renewal forms and dues. Some have had to wait for meetings to approve the change, so we have updated and retained all Chapter contacts on the website under “Affiliate Organizations”. However, we will soon remove former Chapters that have not renewed as Affiliates. NALMS encourages former Chapters to arrange for whatever administrative procedure is necessary to make the change as soon as possible. There are funds available this year to bring lake leaders to Chicago during the last week of April, and these will go first to Affiliate groups. In fact, the amount of funding is more than the cost of Affiliate membership, so there is strong economic reason to make this change quickly. Additionally, the Affiliate Council is about to be formed, and will be set up using those groups that have registered as Affiliates. There will be emails about this, and there will likely be a conference call within about a month. The Chicago meeting for enhancing the States’ Lake Management Programs (April 24-27) will host the first meeting of the Affiliate Council. Contact the office or President Ken Wagner if you have a question or problem with regard to Affiliate membership.

NALMS Products & Items

Gearing up for the 2008 NALMS Calendar

Okay, its still winter of 2007, but we want the 2008 version of our calendar to be even better than the very well received 2007 calendar. If your organization wants to sponsor a page ($350), get in touch with Tom Conry through the NALMS office to reserve a space. If you would just like to place a business card-sized advertisement on one of the introductory pages ($50), then that can also be accommodated. If you have a picture you want associated with your sponsorship, we can consider it, but NALMS reserves the right to make the selections; quality and appropriateness are key factors. If you know of dates that should be on the calendar, please let us know by August 1st, 2007. You may point out any date at all, including holidays that may not be consistent across boundaries; anything that will make the calendar more useful to members is welcome. We can keep a running list as the year progresses and get them all on there in the summer when the calendar is expected to be printed. It is especially important for Affiliates or other groups with annual conferences to get the dates correct. We have a few errors in the 2007 calendar, and we didn’t make up these dates! Some will not know the dates for meetings and other gatherings in 2008 so soon, but let us know as soon as you do know. Time marches on!

Website Update

The new website has gone live, and we are working out the bugs and adding new material daily. Check it out at least weekly for the next couple of months as more products and features are added. If you see a problem, let our Webmaster, Matt Remsik, know at mremsik@nalms.org. If you have something to add, please let him know as well. Key improvements behind the scenes are still in progress, so there will be invisible as well as visible changes over the next month or two. Bear with us as we develop this new website into something of which NALMS can be proud and that will serve its members and the interested public well. One important feature now available is your account information, which lists what NALMS has as your current contact details. You can update it yourself now, including changing your password. If you still can’t access the membership services portion of our site, this feature should automatically notify the staff so they can fix the problem. Please check your information, although if the email is wrong, you probably aren’t reading this now anyway!

At a Click of a Button, Talk with 70 Lake Professionals

Spring of 2003, a NALMS website was formed through Yahoo groups web service to provide an easy way to let lake professionals and chapter organizations communicate with each other. Four years later, the group has now grown to 70+ members. Any NALMS member can join the group. Once a member, then you can easily, with a click of a button, communicate with the nations top lake managers and professionals about any lake topic. It is also a great way for lake associations and NALMS affiliates to communicate directly to NALMS and other similar lake organizations around the country and even world. The Yahoo group name and website address has just recently been updated to NALMSAffiliates at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/NALMSAffiliates/. Please sign up by going to this website. It’s just another way to be informed.

NALMS Committee Updates

The committees within NALMS have been busy! This is great news, and all members will reap the benefits of these efforts. Many works are still in progress, but here is a sampling of what is going on:

• Executive – held its monthly call; members also chair or participate in other committees, so this is the busiest group of all.
• Bylaws – completing a review of our Bylaws with any recommendations for change.
• Certification – almost finished with 2006 renewals, some of which did not arrive until the very end of the year, and working to process 3 new applications.
• Conference Advisory – working hard on multiple symposia venues and arrangements; Orlando and Lake Louise are looking very good, site in New England for 2009 should be known by late April.
• Development – working on capacity building, updating the strategic plan, developing an Executive Director position description, and implementing a major membership drive.
• Education and Outreach – posted an announcement for secondary school grants, supplied some publications for posting on the web, working on an image library for the web, developing web pages on cyanobacterial issues.
• Government Affairs – actively tracking USA activities, with a number of developments expected in the coming year with a change in the US Congress. Also working to improve tracking of Canadian affairs.
• Personnel – completing a revision of the personnel manual.
• Policy – Operations sub-committee has reviewed all existing NALMS policies and will recommend changes to the Board for our April meeting. The Science Advisory sub-committee has three position statements under development, with one on toxic cyanobacterial blooms nearing completion. A supporting white paper on the topic is also in preparation.
• Publications – Winter issues of the Journal and LakeLine are out, and the next issues are on track. Working to finalize a publication on stormwater and to fund a manual on remote sensing for lake management.

A lot of capable people donate their time to these committees and more help is always welcome. Consult the committee directory on the website and contact the corresponding chairperson if you are interested in serving.

NALMS Attends Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI)
Steven Heiskary, NALMS Representative to ACWI

NALMS was invited to join the membership of the Department of Interior’s (DOI) ACWI in 2003. The ACWI advises the Federal Government, through the DOI, United States Geological Survey (USGS) on the Federal Water Information Coordination Program (WICP). The purpose of the committee is to represent the interests of water-information users and professionals in advising the Federal Government on activities and plans related to Federal water-information programs and the effectiveness of those programs in meeting the Nation’s water information needs.

The annual meeting on January 17-18, 2007 in Herndon, Virginia included a variety of updates from various programs that collect water information. Following are a few notes from these presentations:

• The National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) is a very active sub-group of the ACWI. NALMS has been represented on that committee by Jeff Schloss. A significant portion of that presentation focused on the National Water Quality Monitoring Network for Coastal Waters and Their Tributaries, which was presented by Chuck Spooner (EPA) and Dr. Gail Mallard (USGS). While the focus is on coastal waters, oceans and estuaries primarily, the proposed network does include the Great Lakes and major tributaries to the ocean (e.g., Mississippi River). The focus of the monitoring will be to have a comprehensive and long-term program, which complements existing efforts that will allow for the assessment of the status and trends of these waters. Various pilot studies are now being discussed and further announcements on this will be available via the ACWI web site. This may be of interest to NALMS members who work on or are interested in our Nation’s coastal resources. Also of note is the next NWQMC National Monitoring Conference, which is scheduled for 2008 in Philadelphia and details should be available on their web site http://acwi.gov/monitoring/index.html.
• USGS provided an update on the National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA), Cooperative Water Program, Spatial Water Data and other programs and noted some recent fact sheets and circulars. Circulars may be accessed at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/index-water.html
• Update from Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrological Science (CUAHSI) whose mission is to advance hydrologic science. Details on the organization may be found at: http://www.cuahsi.org/
• As a part of several of the reports there are several new publications that may be of interest to NALMS members. Among some of the pertinent ones are as follows:
  1. Filling the Gaps: Priority data needs and key management challenges for national reporting on ecosystem condition. Heinz Center, May 2006.
  2. Benefits of USGS Stream gauging Program. USGS, March 2006
  3. Data delivery and mapping over the web. NWQA Data Warehouse. USGS, August 2006 (should allow for improved access to this rich database)
  4. Water quality data elements: a users guide. National Water Quality Monitoring Council, April 2006
  5. Paper on sustainable water resources management. This is a white paper put forth by sustainable water resources roundtable by Ethan Smith and Harry Zhang 2006.
  6. Subcommittee on sedimentation has a turbidity workgroup that is working with ASTM to develop a new standard for measurement of turbidity.

This is just a brief overview of this meeting. As NALMS representative on this committee I look forward to continued interactions with the ACWI, its member organizations, and will continually look for potential areas where NALMS can collaborate with other organizations to further water resources management and protection. For further information on ACWI or more details on any of the subcommittees or reports noted, go to http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwihist.html.

Upcoming Conferences & Events

Travel Assistance Available for Statewide/Province-wide Lake Organizations to National Lakes Conference in Chicago

Program planning has been completed for the upcoming 20th Annual National Conference on Enhancing the States' Lake Management Programs, to be held in Chicago, Illinois on April 24-27, 2007. The theme of this year's conference is "Interpreting Lake Quality Data for Diverse Audiences." During the conference, we'll explore creative ways to translate myriad lake quality data into meaningful information that can be understood by technical audiences, policy and decision makers -- and perhaps most importantly -- the general public. Lake program staff from state and federal agencies, as well as the statewide "grassroots" lake organizations these programs serve, are encouraged to attend.

For the past 20 years, the U.S. EPA has proudly sponsored this conference in cooperation with the North American Lake Management Society and others. Representatives from statewide lake management associations again will be joined by state lake program managers from all over the country. A special workshop on Thursday morning, led by acclaimed water quality education and information trainer Charlie MacPherson, will allow statewide lake organizations to refine their skills in communicating with their members, as well as lake and watershed residents. You can also visit http://www.nalms.org/conferences/chicago for full conference program information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, YSI Inc., Hach/Hydrolab Corp., and NALMS have set aside funds to support statewide and province-wide lake organizations' participation and travel to this conference. Information about the assistance available has already been mailed/emailed to the leaders of each statewide and province-wide lake management organization. If you have any questions regarding the available assistance, you can contact conference coordinator Bob Kirschner at the Chicago Botanic Garden, mailto:bkirschn@chicagobotanic.org

4th Annual International Lake of the Woods Water Quality Forum

NALMS is again sponsoring the Lake of the Woods International Water Quality Forum which provides an opportunity for those engaged in water quality research within the Rainy River Basin to communicate findings, share ideas, and work toward a better understanding of water quality issues. The 4th Annual Forum is scheduled for March 7 & 8, 2007 at Rainy River Community College in International Falls, Minnesota. This is a professional symposium intended for researchers and resource managers working and/or interested in research and management activities related to the Lake of the Woods and Rainy River Basin. The Forum is sponsored by the Rainy River Basin Water Resources Center, Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation, Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association, North American Lake Management Society, Rainy River Community College, Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

On the afternoon of March 7, there will be three focused working group sessions: Nutrients & Algae, Water Quality Monitoring, and Aquatic Invasive Species. On day two, the Symposium will include presentations, a poster session and an Emerging Issues discussion session. This year’s Emerging Issue topic is Cyanobacteria – Environmental and Regulatory Controlling Factors. The Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation will hold a reception the evening of March 8th following the Forum. All Forum participants are invited to attend. The Forum registration fee ($40) includes refreshment breaks and lunch for both days. For more information about the conference and pre-registration information, visit http://rainybasinwater.org or call Bev Clark (705 766 2150) bev.clark@ontario.ca.

Lake News & Information

Invasive Species – Zebra Mussels in Lake Mead! Ooooops!!!
Our First Correction!

Zebra (left) and quagga (right) mussels.

Many of you have heard President Ken Wagner utter one of his trademark lines, “That’s the first mistake I ever made”, and probably more than once! Well, we just made our first mistake ever in the NALMS e-newsletter, and this time it’s true. We reported on the discovery of zebra mussels in Lake Meade in the last newsletter, as did just about every other aquatic-oriented organization’s newsletter.

However, according to NALMS member Mark Sytsma, who along with Tom Conry has represented NALMS on the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, the announcement was premature and later work by several academic institutions confirmed that the invader is actually a closely related species, the quagga mussel. From a practical perspective, it is an equal threat, and an incident command center has been set up and a mitigation plan is being implemented. From a media perspective, this points out the need to provide all the facts when releasing information to anyone and for checking all the facts and writing accordingly when reporting to the public. We apologize for spreading slightly incorrect news.

The image, courtesy of the USGS Non-indigenous Aquatic Species, can be found on the web at http://nas.er.usgs.gov/taxgroup/mollusks/zebramussel/quagga_gallery.asp.

How is Mercury getting into our Pristine Lakes?
FOLLOWING MERCURY IN A PRISTINE PARK
Source: Environmental Science & Technology, 10/15/06

Evidence that links atmospheric mercury to methylmercury in fish is mounting in the scientific literature. In a paper published in this issue of ES&T (pp 6261-6268), researchers strongly identify atmospheric deposition as the source of mercury contaminating fish living in Voyageurs National Park. The study comes just weeks after another paper (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006, 40, 5992-6000) reported similar conclusions from the Experimental Lakes Area in northern Ontario, Canada.

Voyageurs National Park, in northern Minnesota, is a relatively pristine region with no point sources of mercury. Two of the park’s lakes however, contain fish with some of the highest mercury concentrations in the state, and the federal government posted fish consumption advisories in the mid 1990’s.

To determine the source of mercury in Voyageurs National Park and how it ends up in fish, a team of researchers led by Jim Wiener of the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse measured mercury in bedrock and soils, and they statistically modeled lake and wetland functions. To study the food chain, the team analyzed 1-year-old yellow perch, which are eaten by loons and larger fish. One of the perch’s predators, the northern pike, was also tested; those data will be published later.

The team found negligible geologic sources of mercury in 17 of the area’s lakes and in the stream or groundwater catchments that feed them; however, sediment cores record that airborne mercury accounted for two-thirds of total mercury accumulated after 1900. The researchers concluded that atmospheric deposition from anthropogenic activities dominated the contemporary source of mercury pollution.

Atmospheric mercury deposition appears to be only factor in the ecosystem that doesn’t vary spatially, Wiener points out, referring to data from the Mercury Deposition Network. Between lakes, mercury levels in the perch varied 5-fold. Such variations, the team says, are caused by differences in wetland and lake behavior.

For example, total organic carbon served as an indicator of wetland output into the lakes. The team documented wetlands exporting methylmercury-the form of mercury that bioaccumulates in fish-along with the organic matter. The export rate differed among disparate watersheds but was highly correlated with the methylmercury concentrations in lakes and fish.

“My overall impression,” says Ed Swain of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which provided financial support for the research, is that the new work “confirms in a single study a lot of our modern understanding of mercury.” Although many of the team’s conclusions have long been suspected and some have been published in bits and pieces (e.g., as results from METAALICUS), “none had put it all together before.”

“It’s a neat demonstration of the fact that a lot of mercury problems in North American are in areas that are pretty pristine,” adds Drew Bodaly, project leader of the Penobscot River Mercury Study in Maine and former researcher with the federal Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The results solidly point to atmospheric mercury as the source of mercury in fish, Bodaly says. In the past, variability in mercury levels in both lakes and fish across a region has been used as an argument against atmospheric sources for mercury. Swain suggests that the variation among watersheds shows that each aquatic system processes mercury from the atmosphere in a unique way but with direct relationships to changes in mercury levels. “The implication is that if you lowered the mercury inputs. . . in each lake, the contamination levels would go down, he says.

Bodaly also points to the continued effects of acid precipitation, which influences pH and sulfate levels. In the team’s models, the lower-pH, higher-sulfate lakes tended to have fish with higher mercury levels, he notes. “As a factor, [acid rain] hasn’t gone away.”

-Naomi Lubick

EPA Proposed Budget for FY 2008 Reduced

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson released his agency's $7.2 billion fiscal year 2008 budget on February 5th, 2007. The new budget cuts EPA funding by nearly 4 percent in FY08, providing $7.2 billion for EPA, which is $294 million below the estimated level for the current fiscal year. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) would be funded at the FY2007 level ($687.6 million), but this is lower than what was provided in FY06. The proposed budget includes $842 million for the drinking water SRF, also the same as FY07 and just slightly higher than in FY06. The State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) program would get $2.7 billion under the proposed budget, continuing annual reductions from FY07 and FY06. Within that total, Section 314 (Clean Lakes Program) remains un-funded, while Section 319 (Non-Point Source program, which devotes some funding to lake management in some states) would get $194 million, about the same as last year but $10 million less than in FY2006. Point Source programs are also roughly level funded. In other budget sections, air quality and hazardous waste management received substantial sums, but overall, the budget continues an alarming trend of reduced support for key water programs and alters the emphasis of EPA programs in a way not beneficial to the interests of NALMS and many other water-related groups. More information on the President's FY 2008 budget request for EPA can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/budget/index.htm.

Job Opportunities in the Northwest and Northeast

Lake Oswego, Oregon
Are you a seasoned corporate leader and outdoor enthusiast? Would you like to spend your workweek in an office overlooking a beautiful lake and days off cruising in your boat? If so, consider this unique opportunity. The Lake Oswego Corporation (LOC), which manages the 415-acre Oswego Lake and its lakefront properties near Portland, Oregon, seeks a General Manager/Chief Operating Officer (GM/COO). This newly-created, highly-visible position reports to the President of the Board of Directors and is responsible for managing daily activities in accordance with Board policies/corporate bylaws, supervising and developing an internal staff of five, overseeing all programs and services, facilitating public relations and shareholder communications, as well as coordinating business with outside agencies.

For more information about this position and four other job openings, go to the NALMS employment web page at http://www.nalms.org/Employment/JobPostings.aspx.

Arlington, Massachusetts
The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA), based in Arlington, MA, is looking for a full-time permanent employee to manage the Mystic Monitoring Network (MMN), a volunteer water quality monitoring program. Responsibilities include planning and coordinating volunteer sampling events, performing water quality sampling and analysis, analyzing water quality monitoring data, and meeting with municipal, state, and federal officials to review results, problems, and action plans. Full description at .

Salary: $25,000 - $30,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
Start Date: On or before March 1, 2007.
Application Procedure: Send a cover letter and resume to search@mysticriver.org.
For more information: Contact search@mysticriver.org.

Open Invitation to add to the Next E-newsletter

If you are having a conference, a lake-related question, need advice, looking for similar lake problems/solutions, have an interesting story to share, are selling something, or just want to be heard throughout NALMS, please send your material to Steve Lundt at slundt@mwrd.dst.co.us.

All e-newsletter material is due to Steve Lundt by the first Friday of each month and will be included in that month’s e-newsletter.