Lake Partner Program (L (LPP) Volunteer water monitoring 2018 Fall - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Lake Partner Program (L (LPP) Volunteer water monitoring 2018 Fall Seminar for Lake Associations: COTTAGE COUNTRY – What’s Coming & How to Prepare for it

Intro by: Marlin Horst, President FOCA Board of Directors (Baptiste Lake Association) 2018 Fall Seminar for Lake Associations: COTTAGE COUNTRY – What’s Coming & How to Prepare for it

Lake Partner Program (L (LPP) Ministry of the Environment, Conservation & Parks, Dorset Environmental Science Centre Write to the Minister! 2018 Fall Seminar for Lake Associations: COTTAGE COUNTRY – What’s Coming & How to Prepare for it

Dear Min inister Phillips… As one of FOCA’s 50,000 waterfront families, send to: and on behalf of my own lake, __________, Hon. Rod Phillips …writing in support of the Lake Partner Minister of the Program, a partnership between FOCA, the Environment, Ministry of the Environment, and DESC. Conservation & Parks The significant value of this program: rod.phillips@ • one of the largest of its kind in the world pc.ola.org • 1,000s of hours of volunteer water sampling each year by hundreds of citizens Please c.c. FOCA: • over 20 years of data, tracking water quality president@ across Ontario foca.on.ca …urge you to continue supporting this program and your MPP! 2018 Fall Seminar for Lake Associations: COTTAGE COUNTRY – What’s Coming & How to Prepare for it

Lake Partner Program (L (LPP) Emily Shapiera FOCA Assistant Lake Stewardship Coordinator Dorset Environmental Science Centre 2018 Fall Seminar for Lake Associations: COTTAGE COUNTRY – What’s Coming & How to Prepare for it

The Lake Partner Program: Long Term Trends and Next Steps Emily Shapiera Assistant Lake Stewardship Coordinator Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations Dorset Environmental Science Centre 6

Lake Partner Program • Each year, > 600 volunteers monitor water quality and water clarity in 550 lakes at over 800 sites • Volunteers send water samples to DESC chemistry lab for analyses • Data are updated and shared annually online • Data used to assess and report on water quality across Ontario Largest volunteer-based water quality monitoring program of its kind in Canada 7

What we measure, and why Total Phosphorus Calcium Chloride Water clarity (TP) (since 2008) (since 2015) Important nutrient Estimated using a • Essential element • There have been • • controlling the growth Secchi Disk that is required by increases in of algae in Ontario all living organisms chloride Lakes concentrations across the province due to road salt 8

Total Phosphorus 9 Total phosphorus controls the growth of algae in most Ontario lakes

Total Phosphorus – Current status (LPP lakes) • 93% of inland lakes in the Lake Partner Program meet the PWQO objective 10

Total Phosphorus – Change over time? • At a landscape scale, TP concentrations have not changed significantly over the last ~ten years for LPP lakes 11

Calcium (Ca) – Long-term declines in recent decades • Ca levels have been declining in Ontario inland lakes Calcium Concentration (mg·L -1) • 3.5 Main causes are historical acid deposition (acid rain) and biomass loss through timber 3.0 harvesting 2.5 • Recent laboratory and field experiments have shown that 2.0 when Ca levels fall below 1.5-2 mg/L, aquatic organisms may be 1.5 negatively affected • 1.0 The LPP has been monitoring 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Ca since 2008 Year 12

Calcium – Current status • The majority of LPP lakes in Ontario have Ca levels that can support calcium-rich aquatic organisms • But, ~15% of lakes are at Ca concentrations that may hinder the reproduction and survival of some Ca-rich organisms (< 2.0 mg/L) 13

Water clarity – Current status • Regional distribution of LPP lake water clarity (Secchi) across Ontario. Trends correspond with geological factors that would influence water 14 clarity.

Water clarity – Change over time (2000-2014) • Most lakes (65%) show no significant change in Secchi 70 from 2000-2014 60 • ~21% of the lakes show a 50 decline in water clarity over Lakes (%) 40 time (lakes becoming less clear) 30 20 • This could be due to long-term increases in dissolved organic 10 carbon (DOC) – lakes are becoming more tea-stained in 0 No change Strong Weak Weak Strong appearance decline decline increase increase Long-term trend in Secchi transparency Download “ Secchi Trends Across the Province ” at www.foca.on.ca/lake-partner- program-sampling-assistance/ 15

Chloride • Lake salinity is potentially increasing due to road salt • Runoff could be an issue for lake health • LPP beginning to analyze for chloride in Ontario lakes; dataset will help watch for trends 16

Dissolved Organic Carbon • Dissolved organic carbon causes the tea-stained, dark colour that is prevalent in many lakes in Ontario • A potential future parameter to measure in the Lake Partner Program • Dissolved organic carbon unfortunately is difficult to analyze due to its short shelf life, and our current lab load 17

LPP Volunteer Survey 2016 • Electronic survey sent out in Jan, 2016 using web-based survey platform. • Received a good response rate (70%). Thanks to any volunteers in the audience who took the time to fill this out! 18

Survey Highlights “Being an LPP volunteer is important because Survey result Outcome I am helping to gather data that will be used to 87% would highly recommend the Enhance youth engagement and “They're not monitor the effect of environmental change on program ; mostly “retirement” age volunteer recognition our lakes. It takes very little time to carry out making lakes demographic the water samples and provides valuable anymore.....” 87% use the LPP data. The LPP data are being used as intended information to the Ministry. Our lakes are a – to monitor long-term trends etc. beautiful natural resource that need to be protected.” Low interest in in-person training (e.g., Volunteers are OK with the instructional workshops), mobile app and social materials available to them; work with media usage. FOCA to explore other options (Webinars, FAQ’s, “Ask the Expert”, “ Being a LPP volunteer “If we don't have data about what Videos). means that you have a is happening in our lakes how do Volunteers need help understanding Improved and more varied resources to reason to regularly spend we know what is needed and and interpreting their data. help them interpret their data. some quiet time on your Modernize data reporting where whether any of the efforts that we possible. undertake are having any effect.” lake and at the same time Minimal understanding of how the Use newsletters and annual reports to do something meaningful MOECC uses the data. communicate news to volunteers. for your lake.” 19

Data Delivery • Survey of volunteers showed a desire to understand how the LPP data are used • Lake Partner Program Report Card released in 2016 • Summarizes the current state of water quality in 350-450 volunteer-monitored lakes across Ontario • Working towards improving our online tools & newsletters. www.desc.ca

Where is the LPP Data Being Used? Academic research • Algal bloom research • Calcium decline research • Property value research • Lake Associations and • stewards Government material / • policy 21

Engaging Youth Working to encourage younger people to take an • interest in Ontario’s Lakes We need the help of parents, grandparents, uncles, • aunts, neighbours, and more! One of our youngest Kids investigating benthic volunteers at 10 years old! invertebrates at the Haliburton- Muskoka- Kawartha Children’s Water Festival! 22

A Big Thank You to all of Our Volunteers …for your dedication, your passion, and your sense of humour! 23

Resources Find links to your local LPP results, and FOCA’s video about water sampling tips, here: https://foca.on.ca/lake-partner-program-sampling-assistance/ 24