NALMS Notes - May, 2007
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NALMS is poised to take the next step in its organizational history, hiring an Executive Director. It is a step we have taken before, so it’s déjà vu all over again. There will be differences in the process, differences in candidate qualities sought, and most definitely differences in the way the new Executive Director is supported and supervised. It is not only the right thing to do, it is absolutely essential to our continued growth and well being as an organization. I am sure of this. I am pleased to report that NALMS is more financially sound than at any time in our history. Our projections indicate that after subtracting for normal expenses and dedicated accounts, and projecting income at a lower than normal level, we can afford an Executive Director for about two years with no increase in membership. We have no intention of letting that be the case, and expect that the right Executive Director will propel NALMS to the next level in many ways. The point is that we can afford this step, even when viewed as a risk. In fact, we intend to increase membership to near the level needed to support an Executive Director going forward by the end of 2007. The membership campaign is about to get rolling in earnest, and you all have a role to play. Everyone needs to bring in at least one new member, and I am counting on you to help me achieve the goal of doubling membership. See the notes elsewhere in this newsletter. If we can top 2500 members, we will be in very good shape. Membership over the last 5 years has been stagnant at around 1300 to 1500. Discussions on the structure of NALMS have also been proceeding, and a variety of images of how NALMS could look organizationally in the future are emerging. However, we have no intention of developing any one approach without extensive membership input, which will be solicited shortly. This is an open ended process at this point. Any change in the Constitution and Bylaws requires a vote of the membership, and the leadership of NALMS knows that trust must be earned to get any changes passed. I can see multiple options, some more extreme than others, each with advantages and drawbacks. The current model has maintained NALMS, but it has not nurtured NALMS; we can do better, and we can do it without damaging our “culture”. So we have three main thrusts for the remainder of my term as President: search for the right Executive Director to lead NALMS forward, increase membership to support that addition, and advance the process of defining the best structure for getting NALMS to achieve its mission. We have achieved a lot so far, but the best (and the most work) is yet to come.
Ken Wagner
The Board of Directors met for over three hours on Friday afternoon to go over informational items and conduct planning exercises. All NALMS members present in Chicago were invited to attend. This less formal discussion process was viewed as extremely helpful in setting the stage for the formal board meeting on Saturday where the Board completed its agenda in record time, accomplishing the following:
Minutes will be posted within a few weeks on the Membership Services portion of the NALMS website. President Wagner wishes to express his appreciation for the level of preparation and participation by Board members; this was a very productive meeting, and the degree of professionalism by this Board was evident.
The 20th annual conference on Enhancing the States’ Lake Management Programs, alternatively known as the Chicago conference or the Kirschner conference, was held in the last week of April and was a rousing success. Bob Kirschner pulled out all the stops to provide attendees with an amazing experience in every way. The sessions focused on how to use lake data to make better management decisions; both the Survey of the Nation’s Lakes, now underway, and general approaches applicable to lake associations and volunteer monitoring groups were covered extensively. Technical and citizen outreach presentations were blended to provide a very balanced program and plenty of discussion time was provided, much of it quite lively. Everyone learned a lot from this program, and we are indebted to the entire planning committee for developing it.
At the same time, we are indebted to Bob Kirschner of the Chicago Botanic Garden and Tom Davenport of USEPA Region V for their unwavering support of this conference over the past 20 years. Every year they come up with ideas, the venue and funds to make it happen, and we know it does not get easier over time. The energy level necessary to pull this off is extreme and has to be sustained over months, culminating in three days of attention to detail that boggles the mind. Every need is attended to, all preparations are complete, and contingencies always seem to be in place; this conference is a model of how to bring people of all backgrounds together for the betterment of lakes.
This year, we celebrated the 20th conference in fine style with a session, a tour, and a banquet at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Highlights were many, but included a music-accompanied slide show of 20 years of conference memories, multiple presentations to Bob and Tom from their many friends, and a champagne toast in self-illuminating glasses. Master of Ceremonies Jay Sauber from North Carolina did an outstanding job overseeing the banquet program festivities. Thanks to everyone who made this such a special event, but especially to Bob and Tom for years of dedication to lakes and the people who study them, manage them, use them, and love them. NALMS is very proud to be associated with this conference, which will be held again in Chicago on Apr 29-May 2, 2008. Tom Conry is again spearheading the creation of the NALMS 2008 calendar and needs dates for key events in 2008. We realize it seems early, but if you can at least bracket the dates of Affiliate annual meetings, and provide more exact dates for any gatherings, events or other activities that belong on the NALMS calendar, it would be much appreciated. And we’ll try to get all the major holidays on the calendar this year, but if you know of more obscure ones, please let us know. Send those dates to Philip Forsberg at the office (forsberg@nalms.org). We will need up to 12 members to complete the search, which will occur between June and October, assuming the right person is found in that timeframe. The commitment involves helping with the development of the evaluation process and advertisements, reviewing submissions, potentially attending interviews (some of the committee surely will, but perhaps not all), and ultimately recommending one candidate to the Board of Directors. This is not a commitment to be taken lightly, but the Board is open to nominations until May 18th. If you would like to serve in this capacity, do not hesitate to volunteer. If you wish to nominate someone else, please ascertain that they are willing to serve. A nomination is not a guarantee of acceptance. The Board will recommend a slate of no more than 12 members for acceptance by the Executive Committee. Send any nominations to Secretary Tom Conry at tomc@ci.waco.tx.us. A notice regarding nominations for Officers and the Board of Directors has been posted on the NALMS website. Nominations are due by the end of July, but don’t let this be a last minute exercise! We need to take our elections very seriously to keep NALMS on the forefront of environmental management. Please consider who would make good candidates for available offices and speak to them about it. This process is only as strong as you make it. See details at http://www.nalms.org/News/2007CallForNominations.aspx.
At a well attended meeting in Chicago, representatives from all active Affiliates met to discuss the value of banding together and what structure might best suit the group. An interim management team including Beth Buchanan, Jef Morgan, Frank Browne, Ann St. Amand, John Burns and Steve Lundt was established to lead the Affiliates in further review of a structure and function document developed at the meeting. They will be in touch, and all Affiliate members should get involved. We hope to have a more formalized structure within a couple of months. The primary purposes of the Affiliate Council are to coordinate information exchange, provide a unified voice for issues common to the Affiliates, and to promote membership in both NALMS and the Affiliate organizations. What’s at stake? If the Council can form and organize to supply a selection procedure, the NALMS Board has agreed to consider placing a Bylaw amendment before the membership at the annual symposium to give the Affiliate Council a seat on the NALMS Board of Directors. Now there’s an incentive!
This is just a friendly reminder that the time is now to start planning your Lake Appreciation Month activities for your area or lake. Popular activities to organize include: shoreline cleanup, self-guided lake tours, noxious weed removal, water quality demonstrations, participation in the Great North American Secchi Dip-In event, and/or simply getting lake users out to a lake to appreciate its beauty. Go to http://www.nalms.org/LakesAppreciationMonth/Default.aspx for more great ideas. The annual meetings of FLMS and the SE NALMS membership will be held from June 4-7 in Naples, FL. See the NALMS website for links to this meeting. NECNALMS will hold its annual meeting on June 8-9 at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. See the NALMS website for links to this meeting. The Massachusetts Coalition of Lakes and Ponds will host a meeting on Saturday, June 16th in Wayland, MA to discuss a variety of lake management techniques and provide some on-site demonstrations at Dudley Pond in Wayland. Jackson Madnick is organizing this event and can be reached at 508-653-0800 for more details. Every day, boaters and anglers unknowingly introduce harmful invasive species into their favorite lakes and streams. These plants and animals hitch a ride in boat hulls, propellers, muddy boots, and other equipment. The Izaak Walton League of America is launching the Clean Boats Campaign to raise awareness of this problem and educate boaters and anglers how to properly clean their gear. The campaign kicks off with a sweepstakes for a $2,500 boater's shopping spree and other prizes. Participants enter to win by visiting www.cleanboats.org and taking the Clean Boats Challenge to see if they know how to keep their boats and waterways clean and safe from invasive species. Because invasive species such as zebra mussels and round gobies aren't native to American waters, they are safe from the predators and diseases of their native habitat. As a result, they reproduce exponentially and out compete native fish and wildlife populations, threatening biodiversity. They can also ruin boat engines, jam steering equipment, increase the operating costs of drinking water and power plants, affect human health, and reduce property values. In the Great Lakes region alone, at least 184 aquatic invasive species are already established, with a new one discovered every eight months. "Each year, the United States spends $9 billion trying to control the spread of aquatic invasive species that are damaging our waterways and wildlife," says Leah Miller, director of watershed programs for the Izaak Walton League. "If you can detect them early enough, it may be possible to eradicate them. But in most instances, it is too late. That's why it is important for boaters, anglers, and other water users to inspect and clean their boats and gear every time they leave the water. This keeps invasive species from spreading to new waters." For more information on the Clean Boats Campaign, please contact Leah Miller, (301) 548-0150, ext. 219, lmiller@iwla.org. Clean Boats Campaign public service announcements are available for download and use. For more information, please contact Jay Clark at (301) 548-0150, ext. 233, or jclark@iwla.org. ALMS has launched a website and an e-newsletter! Check them out at www.ALMS.ca. In this electronic age, having a website and e-newsletter is an easy way to keep in touch with members, disseminate key information and notices, and provide a forum for productive interaction. NALMS applauds the efforts of ALMS in going electronic! At an April 19th hearing for increasing the funding for voluntary conservation programs, it was made clear through testimony that the Farm Bill should be boosted to reduce agricultural impacts on water. Reauthorization of the 2002 farm bill, as a means for reducing water pollution problems caused by agricultural runoff, received bipartisan support. Tim Bishop (D-NY) said “the trouble is that not enough farmers are receiving benefits from these programs. Given that these practices have been proven to work, the onus is on us to work out why there is not more enrollment in these federal programs.” Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) claimed the bill could serve as a vehicle to pump more money into the programs that provide payments and technical assistance for a variety of farm conservation practices, which also helps the farmer whose only source of income is agriculture production. Since fiscal year 2002, about $2.1 billion has gone to programs and practices that improve water quality, but currently all of the programs are over subscribed. Other witnesses included Wiley Stem, Assistant City Manager, City of Waco, Texas, with whom NALMS Secretary Tom Conry works. Stem testified about managing Lake Waco, which supplies public drinking water for approximately 150,000 central Texas citizens and has been severely damaged by pollution running off agricultural lands in the watershed. A complete list of witnesses and their testimony is available at http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=144. On April 13, USGS announced that the pilot phase of the National Water Quality Monitoring Network for U.S. Coastal Waters and their Tributaries is moving forward. According to USGS, the goal of the Network is to "provide information about the health of our oceans and coastal ecosystems and inland influences on coastal waters for improved resource management." The Network, which will cover a broad range of water resources, was designed by 80 representatives of Federal, state, and local government organizations, universities, water associations, and the private sector working through the National Water Quality Monitoring Council. Past President and Conference Advisory Chair Jeff Schloss represents NALMS on the NWQMC. The pilot phase of the Network will examine current monitoring in three regions: the Delaware River Basin, Lake Michigan, and San Francisco Bay. This examination is expected to be completed by January 2008. For additional information, visit http://acwi.gov/monitoring/network. On April 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a new web-based tool to help states and local communities protect and restore local water resources. According to EPA, the Watershed Plan Builder will help local watershed organizations develop integrated watershed plans to meet state and EPA requirements and promote water quality improvements. The tool is designed for watershed organizations, federal and state agencies, tribes, universities, and local governments. The tool produces an outline of a comprehensive watershed plan tailored to a user's specific watershed. It addresses monitoring and assessment, community outreach, selection and application of available models, best management practices, implementation, and feedback. NALMS has been invited to help supply information to improve the Watershed Plan Builder going forward. The Watershed Plan Builder is available at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershedplanning/. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a more user-friendly and readily available version of its watershed management program on April 23. BASINS, “Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources,” is a multi-objective system that integrates environmental data, analytical tools, and modeling programs. The new BASINS 4.0 version will be a valuable tool for watershed and water quality-based analyses, including the development of total maximum daily load (TMDL) allocations. The upgraded system runs on non-proprietary, open source, free geographic information system (GIS) software, making the tool universally available to anyone interested in the system. For more information about BASINS 4.0, visit www.epa.gov/waterscience/basins. 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 to be considered for inclusion in that month’s e-newsletter. |
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