President’s Message – The Value of Water

Ken Wagner in the Grand Canyon, getting a sense for how critical water is for survival.

Many of us take water for granted. It’s easy to do, as we turn on our taps or hoses, and it is always there for us. Many years ago I took a shower at a campground in Death Valley. I had been hiking all day in the dust, and it felt great to have all that water running over me (a swim was out of the question in that desert). When I came out, there were a handful of older gentlemen staring at me incredulously. I figured it wasn’t my incredible physique, and when I inquired, they promptly told me that they had never seen anyone waste so much water! Get wet, shut off the shower, soap up, rinse off, and get out – that was the rule for these people living with water shortages.

Going through the Grand Canyon last month, there was actually plenty of water in the river but only yards from it was unforgiving desert, a constant reminder of how critical water is to life and how precarious life is when access to water is limited. We hiked four miles into a side canyon one day and went through close to a gallon of water each on the round trip. The solar powered filter system on the rafts was running almost non-stop to keep up with the needs of 30 people, independent of the other liquids we consumed. Daytime temperatures of 101 to 127oF were amplified by the sun heating up the rocks, and you could literally see the water being sucked out of the landscape. My reading material was a book about Major Powell’s epic journey through the Canyon in 1869, and while it was an exciting story, it was the aftermath that really stuck with me. He became the Director of both the US Geological Survey and the precursor of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and he took a firm stand on the inability of the west to withstand the kind of population, development, and land abuses of the east at that time (what would he think now?!). He was literally run out of Washington, DC for challenging those shouting “Go west” and “Rain follows the plow”, stating that science-supported limits to growth needed to be heeded (Hmmm…how long ago was this?).

The rest is history, with a different system of water rights developed in the west, and a lot more open space still remaining today, mainly as a function of water limits. Lakes Mead and Powell, two of the largest human-made bodies of water in the world, were both constructed in the last century to impound the Colorado River and provide water for development. We crossed Lake Mead at the end of our trip, and it is 100 feet below full pool level with no expectation of reaching full status anytime soon, if ever again. We drove past road cuts in the desert, future housing developments waiting for approval of water allocations before construction can begin. We overnighted in Las Vegas, which depends on Lake Mead and watched water get wasted in more ways than I have space to recount, all for our enjoyment.

We are typically more concerned with water quality than water quantity within NALMS, but the two are not completely separate issues and water limits are no longer unique to the west. Other than the Great Lakes area, I don’t know of a region that has not suffered water shortages in the last decade. And even there, fights over ground water resources are going on. I am not aware of a major reservoir having been built in the northeast since about 1970, but we have a lot more people. Court cases over water rights are plentiful in the eastern USA now. Mexico is even worse off, and I don’t think that Canada is immune to water quantity issues either. We have to start paying attention to the value of water and managing on a holistic, regional basis.

To this end, NALMS is writing a letter to Congress about the need for a new Clean Water Act. It started with a comment letter on the Clean Water Restoration Act (HR 2421), but when we started discussing it internally, we found so many complications that we came to the conclusion that addressing inadequacies of the current Clean Water Act in a piecemeal fashion was unsatisfactory. I don’t hold any hope of a new Clean Water Act anytime soon, but it is time that we started getting vocal about it if we want it done eventually. In the meantime, we need to think holistically about lake management; we must consider quantity and quality in our management plans, work on a watershed basis, strive to build partnerships that include all stakeholders, push for adequate funding for assessment, management, and enforcement, and recognize the limitations imposed on and by the wonderful resource of water.

Ken Wagner
NALMS President

Please read the following important article.

The Future of NALMS
Ken Wagner

This article represents no official position by the Board or any committee and is not an attempt to sway the opinion of membership. It is simply a written consideration of how NALMS might change in the near future to better meet our objectives, serve our membership, and achieve our mission. Consider it for what is meant to be – a start for discussion of where we go from here.

Possible models for NALMS have been discussed previously. NALMS has functioned with a “start-up” or “volunteer” board for most of its 27 years. This is more properly termed a management or administrative governance board; the board may direct staff but takes most of the responsibility for operations as well as policy. We have had some form of paid staff since the beginning, with actual NALMS employees since 1991, but we have never had more than 3 staff members and much of the work of NALMS has been accomplished by volunteers. We can continue to function in this mode but this places a lot of burden on volunteer officers and directors, and our performance has been very uneven over our history.

The primary alternative is a policy governance board, one that directs actions and sets policy but is not charged with day to day operational control. This does not mean that volunteers would not have a role; indeed, their role might even be enhanced, but the responsibility for seeing projects through will rest with a staff headed by an Executive Director. Our search for an Executive Director represents a step toward implementing this governance model, despite past failures to install paid leadership.

An analysis has been completed, and the efforts of the last two years have put us in a financial position to move forward with the Executive Director. That process is in progress, and while we still have to be very sure about having the right person, we can afford this move. However, hiring an Executive Director is not the end of the evolution of NALMS but rather the beginning. There is an apparent need to alter our structure to better support the staff, which in turn supports the volunteers. In other words, we want a professional driving the bus, but we are not looking to relegate everyone else to passenger status.

There has been a tug of war between volunteer committees and the NALMS office over our history, with different functions vested with different groups every few years. When the pendulum swung toward more volunteer effort, we got some spectacular results and some complete flops. When the emphasis shifted toward staff control, we got prioritization based on limited staffing; the top items were generally done well and the lower items were not done at all, and the order of priorities did not always make sense. We have yet to achieve the right balance between staff and volunteer efforts.

So what might this new structure look like? Most committees would likely remain unchanged, although they might have a staff liaison. Efforts to make the staff completely responsible for many committee functions have failed (Membership is a great example), but having staff support for many committees would be a great aid. Consider what Membership has done this year with staff getting out invitations, new member packets, and addressing questions, while volunteers generated lists of likely new members. A few committees might change; we need a Conference Advisory group in an active oversight and planning position but that group should be directing a staff person to make all necessary arrangements. Publications runs something like this now; volunteer authors submit articles to minimally paid Editors who function like volunteers but are supported by several paid staff on a part-time basis – and look at the results in LakeLine and Lake and Reservoir Management. The need for volunteer committees won’t be diminished, but they should not have to take full responsibility for getting everything done. Our best efforts have paid staff assigned to at least assist, and we need to do more along these lines.

Obviously from the above, the nature of the staff will change. An Executive Director should be in charge in Madison, and we expect to add staff over time, as funds allow, to meet key needs as suggested above. The first step is likely to be a full time webmaster, charged with other communications functions as well. What Matt Remsik has accomplished in a part-time position has amazed many people, but the “to-do” list is still long and that position could support committees much more than time currently allows. Conference support is probably the next biggest need, but there is constructive debate to be had on staff need priorities. All of this carries a cost, and if we want to support it primarily with membership dollars, we have to increase membership or raise dues unreasonably. If we want to support it with grants and donations, we need an active and competent fundraiser.

Most pressing is the structure of the elected leadership of NALMS. We have been blessed by dedicated volunteers who give generously of their time and attend NALMS functions at no cost to NALMS. We have also had no-shows, ghost directors, and personal tragedies that have limited effectiveness. NALMS has survived, but we have not grown as needed to become self-supporting and achieve our mission, mainly because we lack the funds or the manpower to sustain needed efforts. How the board should change is perhaps the most difficult and contentious issue to be addressed, and there is no easy answer. Consider the following options:

Administrative board comprised of whoever wants to be on it - the current make up of 17 people includes 13 technical specialists and 4 people with management roles in their “day jobs”. We have no legal expertise, no fundraising expertise, no one who is really an outreach or public relations specialist, no marketing specialist, two people with non-profit management experience, perhaps three people with significant organizational budget and financial experience, and only a few folks with personnel management experience. As a board, we are supremely qualified to assess and manage lakes but are generally unqualified to run a multi-disciplinary non-profit organization. It works because there is a demand for what NALMS supplies and this volunteer group works pretty hard. Any lapse is felt by NALMS. If we are to continue this model, we need to improve the working relationship between the board and the staff and build the expertise we need to improve our operations.

A board of professionals representing areas of expertise necessary to run NALMS – this is consistent with the governance model and might involve having directors elected or appointed to positions based on needed skill sets, such as legal, marketing, management, development, finance, legislative, or several technical fields that cover most of our current board expertise. These people would each act as liaisons to staff and committees responsible for similar functions and would meet to set the direction of NALMS, procedures to be followed, and staffing levels, with responsibility for meeting directives assigned to staff and overseen by the Executive Director. Most such boards elect their own officers, often their successors, and would not provide any required geographic representation. They would likely have considerable fundraising responsibility, would logically be substantial donors of money or at least time, and would act as facilitators and door-openers. They may not be true volunteers but whatever compensation they might receive would not be more than they gave.

A hybrid of the above policy governance board and what we have now – we could reduce the number of geographically based positions to perhaps six, then add skill-based positions such as finance, marketing, and others listed above, for a total of perhaps 12 to 15 board slots. We could keep elected officers but might let that group select a Chairperson and a Secretary from within the group. The finance person could be the Treasurer, acting to oversee staff management of funds. Alternatively, we might select directors to represent groups within NALMS: Affiliates, CLM/CLPs, volunteer monitors, government agencies, corporate members, and so on.

Almost all of the details are up for discussion. The key aspect is a move away from directors who volunteer out of interest alone in favor of filling positions that represent skill sets or groups within NALMS that need representation. This is not meant to belittle the service of so many volunteer directors, but we might be better served if we had directors with experience in much needed disciplines that could move NALMS forward.

A few details are worthy of additional consideration:

1. Do we keep elections as they are or move toward the board choosing its own successors? In reality, these are not mutually exclusive choices; the board is the Nominations Committee and produced all but one nomination in a two-year period. Elections are rarely contested and only 10% of the membership actually votes, sometimes with single digit tallies for the winning candidate. Is the current system working? On the other hand, it may not seem fair to take away the membership’s power of choice in an election, and we might have candidates who are diametrically opposed on some key issues down the road.
2. Considering that directors and officers have not had any real fundraising obligations, funding their own travel has been viewed as a minimum required commitment. If we actively seek out new directors with desired skills, should we change this approach? Most would say no, arguing that we want dedication as the first quality in any candidate. But suppose a really good fundraiser or marketer offered to serve on the board if their expenses were covered?
3. How many members do we need and how do we get them to support our current staff plus the Executive Director? About 2,500 members at an average level of $100 (we have memberships that range from $55 to $500) covers most costs but leaves little for products and programs. A membership of about 4,500 would support everything we now do, plus an Executive Director. Our annual symposium covers most of the difference now, but not reliably, as net income varies from year to year. Market projections suggest that a membership of 4,500 is not unreasonable, but 10,000 members is probably a pipe dream.
4. Who would the new NALMS structure serve? We have had a struggle over the soul of NALMS, and the conclusion appears to be that maintenance of NALMS as a diverse group is paramount. We build partnerships and that requires multiple interest groups. We are an educational group and want to educate at multiple levels from secondary school through college to laypersons and lake managers. Nevertheless, the market review suggests that the two areas of greatest potential membership increase are lake managers and lake associations. If we got just 25% of the possible members in these groups to join, we would exceed 5,000 members. If we focused our support efforts on these two groups, we would be serving nearly all sub-groups within NALMS.

To sum up, what we need is an adequate funding plan and the right person in charge with the appropriate staff, directed by a qualified Board and supported by an involved membership of about 4,500. Comments can be emailed to President Ken Wagner or Development Committee Chair and President Elect Dick Osgood and will be considered in future deliberations.

Within NALMS

Director and Officer Nominations Slate Proposed

The open nominations process closed at the end of July, and the Nominating Committee has until the end of August to finalize the slate and send out ballots. NALMS is again fortunate to have some very well qualified candidates. We will elect a President-Elect, a Treasurer, and Directors from Regions I, III, V, and IX. We have qualified candidates for all positions through the open nominations process, with contested races likely in several regions. The Nominating Committee is now evaluating nominees. Ballots will go out electronically by late August. Consistent with NALMS procedures, anyone wishing to vote by mailed ballot can contact the office for a paper ballot, but the election will be conducted in a largely electronic format.

Awards Nominations Open

NALMS presents awards annually to outstanding projects, volunteers, researchers, and corporations. Awards are handed out at the Awards Ceremony during the annual symposium, which is in Orlando, Florida this coming November 1st. Nominations will be sought into September. Both the summer issue of LakeLine and the NALMS website list the awards and explain the nominating process. Don’t assume that someone else will nominate your favorite volunteer group, lake manager, project, or researcher. Consider possible recipients seriously and prepare a nomination soon!

NALMS Products & Items

NALMS Brochures

Going to a conference, giving a lecture at a drinking plant operator’s school, teaching a course in limnology, participating in a watershed association, or belong to a lake association? Contact NALMS for free brochures. NALMS has a nice tri-fold, color brochure about the organization that can be distributed to anyone who deals with lakes and reservoirs on a regular basis. It is a great resource to hand out to show people that there is an international organization out there working on lake management. So many lake professionals and users have never heard of NALMS. This is a great way to introduce them. Simply e-mail or contact Darcy Brown in the NALMS office, and she will mail you however many you need.

NALMS Committee Updates

Executive Director Search Update

The Executive Director Search Committee has been busy this summer. The application submission deadline was July 27th. Now, the Committee is screening the applicants and anticipates developing a short list by mid-August. At that point, we will be contacting applicants and references to further refine our search. We anticipate that face-to-face interviews will occur in September. Then, providing we find the right candidate, we will extend an offer and negotiate salary and a start date.

Dick Osgood has offered to answer any questions about the search.

Affiliate Council Structure Plan to NALMS

At the first Affiliate meeting in Chicago this past April, the idea of forming an Affiliate Council was shared and agreed upon by those who attend. From this initial meeting, a small ad hoc committee was formed to finalize a structure plan for this new Council. The goal is to improve the communication and interaction between NALMS and the Affiliates. To do this and be successful for both parties, a council must be well managed, organized, and active.

A structure plan was proposed in July to all the Affiliates and submitted to NALMS. Not many have commented on the structure plan and now there is some question whether there is even a need for a Council. NALMS is strongly encouraging all affiliates members to take time to read over this structure plan, decide how your organization can contribute to the success of an Affiliate Council, if there is even a need for one, and what you would like to get out of a new Affiliate Council. Please send your comments to NALMS. The Affiliate Council structure plan is on the NALMS website.

Membership Update

As a society, we remain committed to increasing membership; this is a commitment that all members must make if we are to succeed. Membership in NALMS is less expensive than most professional societies and comparable to most grass roots advocacy organizations, but you get more in return if you take advantage of all that is offered. Please recruit at least one member before the annual meeting in late October. Need help? Have them look at the website or send them an electronic copy of an article from LakeLine or Lake and Reservoir Management; these are truly great resources. Every time you recruit a new member, we will put your name in the NALMS “lake”, from which we will “fish” winners in early September. You could get a free conference registration, Disney tickets, or lake-related merchandise. We want to reach 2,000 members by the end of October, and we need your help. Given the website content, quality of our publications, and the nature of our mission, you can be proud to ask people to join.

Upcoming Conferences & Events

NALMS '09 Orlando Symposium Update

A draft program should be available by the time you read this, and it is looking good! The sessions will be as informative as ever, we expect to provide ample time for specialty group meetings, overall interest is high, and the social setting couldn’t get much more exciting. Final details are falling into place. This is no Mickey Mouse® operation! OK, suppose it is since it is at Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida from October 30th to November 3rd. But the phrase has new meaning now. This could be the biggest and best NALMS symposium of all time – all it needs is you. Check out the NALMS website for details, updates, and options. Register on-line or through the office, and while you are at it, you can renew your membership as part of the same process, if needed. There are a few spaces for deserving presentations; contact Harvey Harper if you want to fill one of those spaces!

Dive Trip Offered

Independent of the NALMS symposium but tagged onto the end of it for convenience, Eric MacBeth of MN is organizing a diving trip to some famous Florida springs for the Saturday after the symposium ends (November 3rd). Contact Eric if you are interested and want to learn more.

Youth Disney YES Sign-up Sheet for Orlando Conference

NALMS has found some great Disney programs for youth attending the Orlando symposium where parents want them to learn something during a week out of regular school. It is the Youth Education Series or YES. We have selected eight possible programs, with one or two to be offered each morning, Tues-Fri, depending upon interest. The info sheets for each program are posted on the symposium website for review, and we are asking people who are interested to email Darcy Brown with which programs are of greatest interest to you and how many would participate. The program titles are: Dynamics, Energy, LaNouba, Magic, Motion, TeamUp, Animation, and Arts. Spouses or other guardians may also attend. A park pass is needed, but the programs are rather inexpensive beyond that (about $23 each). This is just a preliminary head count, to assess interest. YES registration will actually be handled through Disney.

StormCon '07

The 6th Annual North American Surface Water Quality Conference and Exposition will be held on August 20-23, 2007 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, AZ. For all the information, go to www.forester.net/sc.html.

Oregon Lake Association Annual Conference

Diamond Lake, Oregon

The Oregon Lake Association (OLA) will hold its annual conference on September 21-22, 2007 at Diamond Lake, one year after a rotenone treatment successfully eliminated a chub infestation that disrupted a popular rainbow trout stocking program and created conditions conducive for cyanobacteria blooms (see Diamond Lake article below). Diamond Lake is a 3,000-acre lake at an elevation of 5180’ in Oregon’s southern Cascade Mountains, just five miles north of Crater Lake National Park. The lake was treated for chub once before in 1954. The need to repeat this treatment means that more strenuous measures must be instituted to ensure a third treatment will not be necessary. Join us to learn about these plans, the mechanics of rotentone application, and the course of lake recovery after this extreme measure. For more details, please visit the OLA website.

Lake News & Information

Exotic Species – State Invasion Portfolios

Texas, West Virginia, and Alaska have developed 16-page invasion portfolios that provide great information about the science, environmental impacts, and economic implications of invasive species specific to each state. Go to http://www.ucsusa.org/invasive_species/state-invasion-portfolios.html to download all three portfolios. Much of this information is applicable to others states/provinces, and it is a great education resource. Maybe affiliates or other regional agencies/organizations would like to expand this portfolio program to their state or province.

State Funding for Lake Monitoring

Rebecca Dugopolski, Environmental Engineer with Herrera Environmental Consultants, is assisting the Washington State Lake Protection Association (WALPA) in developing a list on lake funding in other states across the country to help get WALP’s lake monitoring program in Washington up and running again. She is interested in the amount of state funding for all types of lake monitoring and education programs. Even if there currently is not a state-funded lake program in your state, that would be helpful to know as well. Please contact Rebecca at rdugopolski@herrerainc.com.

$200,000 Grant Opportunity

The Joint Watershed Research Grant Program is offering up to $200,000 in grant funding to qualified academic or research institutions and nonprofit or for-profit organizations for projects that could be used within the seven-county, Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. This grant is organized by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, in partnership with the Mississippi Water Management Organization. Pre-proposal deadline is September 28, 2007 (www.minnehahacreek.org).

Cobbossee Lake – 35 Years of Sustained Work Succeeds

Sunset over Cobbossee Lake

Cobbossee Lake had a long history of nuisance algae blooms that turned its once sparkling clear, trout-filled water murky green. Nonpoint source pollution in Cobbossee Lake's watershed, as well as pollution from upstream lakes, delivered excess phosphorus into the lake. Elevated phosphorus levels promoted algae blooms, which discouraged recreation, spoiled aquatic habitat, and caused the lake to not meet state water quality standards. After 35 years of restoration work, including upstream alum treatments and widespread installation of best management practices, Cobbossee Lake exhibits remarkably improved water clarity. The lake has been free of nuisance algae blooms for the past 10 years and now attains state water quality standards. This impressive recovery prompted the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to remove Cobbossee Lake from Maine's section 303(d) impaired waters list in 2006.

The historic Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club (oldest inland yacht club in America) and lake association dating back to 1904 are once again happy! For more information about this lake, you can to go www.cycmaine.org or www.epa.gov/owow/nps/Success319/state/me_cobb.htm.

Website of the Month – www.blueplanetrun.org

Blue Planet Run – Transforming Plight into Possibility

The Blue Planet Run will cover 15,200 miles, across 16 countries and 4 continents, 24 hours a day for 95 days to deliver an extremely urgent and important message: we can and must begin today to alleviate the catastrophic burden placed on over a billion people who, every day, must drink unsafe local water, or travel long distances on foot to search for safe water for themselves and their families.

Started in New York City on June 1, 2007, a team of "20 ordinary male and female athletes doing extraordinary things" are running around the clock along a route that includes the U.S., Ireland, the U.K., France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan and Canada. Each runner is sprinting 10 miles a day. Batons are being passed at over 1,500 exchange points. The Run will end back in New York City on September 4, 2007. Each exchange point and heartfelt moment will be captured in the media, fueled by well-organized events in major cities, and apart of an international PR campaign.

Diamond Lake (OR) - Resetting the Diamond

In September 2006, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) successfully treated Diamond Lake with rotenone to rid the lake of an estimated 90 million tui chub. The treatment goal was to restore the lake’s water quality and recreational trout fishery.

The successful treatment was the culmination of years of effort and collaboration between ODFW, the Umpqua National Forest, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and other agencies. The treatment project cost close to $6 million in federal, state, county, and private contributions.

Diamond Lake first was treated with rotenone in 1954 when tui chub, a minnow native to the Klamath Basin, decimated the recreational rainbow trout fishery. That treatment rid the lake of chub and resulted in decades of high quality trout fishing until the minnows again were discovered in the lake in 1992. ODFW officials believe tui chub were illegally used as live bait.

Since their discovery in 1992, the tui chub population climbed rapidly to an estimated 8 million adults and 90 million juveniles. The rainbow trout fishery collapsed and water quality deteriorated, resulting in toxic algae blooms that closed the lake to water contact for portions of the summers of 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Now that the lake is free of tui chub, water quality, zooplankton, and benthic populations already are on the rebound.

ODFW stocked Diamond Lake this past spring with 50,000 – 100,000 fingerlings and 10,000 – 25,000 catchable-sized trout. A minimum of 50,000 put-and-take rainbow trout will be stocked pending funding.

Some of the larger-sized trout are a predacious variety to help minimize the danger posed by any tui chub or other small fish that may be illegally introduced into the lake. The numbers of fingerling trout released will gradually increase over the next few years, in concert with the recovery of the lake’s health.

Diamond Lake will be closely monitored for years to come by ODFW, the Umpqua National Forest, and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. These agencies will monitor water quality in both Diamond and Lemolo lakes and the North Umpqua River. Fish species composition will be check in Diamond Lake also. Population levels of phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, flora and fauna in and around Diamond Lake will be apart of the monitoring program.

Open Invitation to Add to the Next E-newsletter

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

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.