Protecting America’s Water from Harmful Algal Blooms
The computational approaches we describe here, as well as conducting research via the tenets of open science, will allow us to make significant advances in cyanobacteria ecology and other related fields.
The New England Region Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program: A Pilot Study
The New England region realized that coordinated efforts between grassroots organizations, resource management agencies, and research institutions were needed to regularly monitor for cyanobacteria and the nutrients that contribute to blooms.
Photo Contest Engages Public with Harmful Algal Blooms
Most people have never seen a bloom, and a vital first step in building public awareness about algal blooms is helping the public recognize what an algal bloom looks like. To help engage and educate the public about algal blooms and how to identify them, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency teamed up with the National Environmental Education Foundation and the North American Lake Management Society for the 2014 Algal Bloom Photo Contest.
In Memoriam – Jim Flynn
Longtime NALMS member and supporter, Jim Flynn, passed away on March 18 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
It is not possible to overstate the contributions that Jim has made to NALMS over the years. A member of NALMS from early in its history, Jim and his employer, Hydrolab Inc., were perennial sponsors of NALMS’ annual symposium and the Student Paper Award. Jim was instrumental in the success of the annual symposia, particularly in the early years of the Society. He organized the exhibits as the chair of the Industrial Relations Committee for many ...
In Memoriam – Lowell Klessig
NALMS and lake management lost an important voice and cherished friend with the death of Lowell Klessig on August 8, 2014, following a courageous battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. He died at his beloved New Hopestead Farm in the Town of New Hope, Wisconsin surrounded by family. Lowell’s doctoral dissertation served as the foundation for Wisconsin’s Inland Lake Management Law. He had a long career with the University of Wisconsin-Extension as a Lake District Specialist. He crisscrossed the state to help lake property owners and county boards develop stewardship ...
Bird Brains and Cyanobacteria
Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy has been documented with increasing frequency in southern freshwater bodies. Numerous pieces of evidence point toward a cyanotoxin as the cause of the disease.
Ohio’s Experience with HABs
Since the State of Ohio became aware of harmful levels of microcystin in one of its large inland lakes in 2009, officials have been fine-tuning the state’s monitoring, response, and outreach plans. In addition to carrying out the HAB strategy, and revising the strategy as needed, the State of Ohio continues to seek ways to address the root cause of HABs – excessive nutrients that enter the State’s waterways.
HAB Impacts on Domestic Animals
The Harmful Algal Blooms that make it into headlines are generally associated with public waters, and the occasional poisoning of much-loved pets that become poisoned when they visit public lakes. Arguably, however, the biggest impacts in terms of lost labor and income, are suffered by farmers who have to find alternative water sources when ponds become unusable for livestock.
The HAB Experience in Kansas
Blooms occur in many Kansas lakes, but past official attention was limited to those blooms that caught enough public attention, or caused enough impact on economic and recreational activities, to demand state agency involvement. Current Harmful Algal Bloom sampling occurs on lakes where the Kansas Department of Health and Environment receives a formal complaint, as well as, on lakes which are publicly owned or managed, or are private but providing public water supply or are open to the general public for recreation.
Wind Effects in Shallow Lakes
Wind energy drives spring and fall turnover in stratified lakes, brings nutrients from deeper waters into the epilimnion, and transports nutrients and particulate material both vertically and horizontally in the ecosystem. Here we identify effects that wind can have on phytoplankton in shallow lakes, and illustrate with examples of four well-known lakes from around the world.
