[email protected]

LAKES Letter

In this issue, we take A call for community science standards for the a look at community Great Lakes science, aka citizen by Chris Winslow science, and how it adds to our knowledge of the COMMUNITY SCIENCE is often described as monitoring conducted by amateur scientists that can help to advance scientific research and lakes. understanding. As this issue of Lakes Letter attests, community science has become more popular with researchers and agency environmental monitoring programs over the years. This is due to several reasons. CONTENTS Monitoring activities can be both time- and resource-demanding, and 1 A call for community efforts are often reduced or abandoned when program budgets fluctu- science standards ate. In addition, the vast size of the Great Lakes Basin makes it difficult 3 Association news for agencies to effectively cover the area in a cost-effective manner. Meet the new board Thanks to technological advancements that make it easier to collect, analyze, and report certain environmental data (e.g., via smart IAGLR news shorts phones and new sensors), monitoring can now be efficient, accurate, and accessible. Such advance- Award & scholarship ments make it possible for community science to increase the availability of temporal and spatial winners data needed by agencies to assess watershed and lake conditions and to anticipate future environ- 6 Swim Drink Fish citizen mental changes. Further, people are curious about the land and water resources around them and science hubs want to protect and preserve the places they love. This simultaneous increase in ability and desire 8 The Smart Citizen Science of the public to engage in science efforts, as well as their influence on resource management policy, Initiative provide a unique opportunity to involve communities in robust data collection. 10 STREAM: Combining Yet these data must meet certain standards to be widely incorporated into monitoring programs. DNA and people power Currently, we lack a clear understanding of what these data standards are for the agencies and aca- for healthy freshwater ecosystems demics that would benefit from their use. We need to develop a roadmap and mechanism to ensure that both providers and potential users are speaking the same language. Ultimately, there is a need 12 Uncharted waters: A story of how community-based to develop a user-friendly community science handbook that summarizes best practices from exist- water monitoring can help ing materials and provides a tool to develop and deploy a robust and reliable monitoring network. fill data gaps There are a few guidebooks and websites to inform community science, but not all are targeted spe- 14 Member news cifically at water monitoring in the Great Lakes Basin, and they vary in the level of detail provided. As a result, the International Joint Commission will be soliciting proposals via the State Depart- Kudos ment’s RFP/work plan systems to identify a team to review existing community science materials, Welcome new members resources, and opportunities; identify potential roadblocks to conducting community science; New member spotlight develop a summary of requirements on “credible data” across the Great Lakes; and provide a Delaney Demro framework for the future development of a user-friendly community science handbook. This work Patricia Ann Owl plan highlights the need to review existing materials to not only identify best practices for use in the Great Lakes Basin but also to highlight common mistakes that prevent the long-term adoption of Michael Schmidt these monitoring efforts. Luwen Wan Finally, it is not uncommon for a community science program to be designed for one data col- In memoriam lection purpose or audience. The goal of this effort would be to identify collection standards that David Baker could be used to meet numerous needs and end users (e.g., students, watershed groups, university Deborah Swackhamer academics, state and federal agencies, etc.). Regardless of level of rigor, community science programs offer the opportunity to engage younger and more diverse populations, which can contribute to enhanced understanding of environmental science as well as to greater diversity in the environmental sciences and resource management workforce.

Chris Winslow is director of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory. He serves on the IJC Science Advisory Board Research Coordinating Committee.

IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 1 PERFORM ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR STUDIES WITHOUT KILLING THE FISH

Hehe! That tickles!

NON-INVASIVE, EASY TO USE, ACCURATE ECOTOXICOLOGY ASSAYS

Environmental impact matters. Use TECO® Mucus Contact us today to learn more. Collection Swabs and test kits to test fish for: + follow individuals and populations over time + endocrine disruption – vitellogenin ELISA + liver damage – hyaluraonic acid ELISA + stress – cortisol ELISA 800.526.5224 | diapharma.com + applicable to over 35 different fish species

+ save cost and time RESEARCH USE ONLY IN THE US AND CANADA + standards and controls included ML-00-00517Rev01 ASSOCIATION NEWS

MEET THE 2021–2022 IAGLR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Andrew Bramburger Paris Collingsworth * Environment and Climate Change Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant / Purdue Canada University President U.S. Regular Member

Jean Adams Susan Daniel * US Geological Survey - Great Lakes Great Lakes Center Science Center U.S. Regular Member Vice President

Edward Verhamme Alexander Duncan * LimnoTech Centre for Indigenous Fisheries, Past President University of British Columbia Canadian Student Member

Lizhu Wang * Donna Kashian International Joint Commission Wayne State University Treasurer U.S. Regular Member

Katie Thomas * Trevor Pitcher Ontario Tech University University of Windsor Secretary Canadian Regular Member

Alfred Otieno Achieng * Neil Rooney University of Eldoret, Kenya University of Guelph International Member Canadian Regular Member

Evie Brahmstedt Rene Shahmohamadloo * Clarkson University University of Guelph U.S. Student Member Canadian Regular Member

* Denotes new member

IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 3 ASSOCIATION NEWS

IAGLR NEWS SHORTS

Seeking papers for special section in CASS update JGLR IAGLR joined other members of the Consortium of Aquatic What is the role of the community in environmental cleanup Science Societies in several initiatives over the past few and revitalization? This special section of the Journal of months: Great Lakes Research will explore the social, community, and • Urged the Biden Administration to return to a Waters of organizational dimensions of environmental remediation, the US (WOTUS) rule based on science, citing the loss of habitat restoration, and community revitalization that are protections for millions of stream miles and acres of wet- unfolding throughout the region. Submissions will be accepted lands resulting from a 2020 update to the rule. This change July 1–September 30, 2021. Look for the call for papers, soon has led to "dire consequences for fish, fisheries, wildlife, to be posted on the IAGLR website. watersheds, water quality and supply, flood control, as well as the people and economies that rely on them." Help enhance member benefits • Collaborated on a proposal to NSF titled “RCN:LEAPS: Please join us for an open meeting of the IAGLR Member- A VOICE (Vision of Opportunity, Inclusivity and Com- ship Committee on Wednesday, June 4, 2:30-3:30 EDT. We munity Equity) in Aquatic Science.” Grant funding would will focus on gathering suggestions and getting your feedback support training opportunities for the IAGLR JEDI Com- on several ideas to enhance the benefits of IAGLR member- mittee. ship. An email invitation will be coming soon with a link to the Zoom meeting. We hope to see you there. If you have any • Explored opportunities for coordination on climate policy. questions, please contact Jean Adams, Membership Committee The World Climate Statement of Aquatic Science Societies Chair, at [email protected]. released by CASS members last September was distributed to all congressional environment and natural resource Nominate a notable paper staffers on Earth Day, April 22. The Chandler-Misener, JGLR/Elsevier • Continued Early Career Scientist, and JGLR/Else- planning the vier Student awards all recognize papers 2022 Joint published in the Journal of Great Lakes Aquatic Sci- Research based on originality, contribu- ences Meeting. tion, and presentation. If you read a paper CASS members published in 2021 that excels in these cat- adopted the egories, nominate it for an award! Nomi- theme “Rapid nations can be submitted at any point and will be considered Changes, Collaborative Solutions.” The meeting will in- for the appropriate award based on the career status of the lead clude a panel discussion with nine CASS member presi- author at the time of acceptance. dents. A site visit will be scheduled for summer 2021.

Board moves to create ED role for State of Lake Conferences association Save the dates for two State of Lake At its meeting on May 13, the IAGLR Board of Directors conferences slated for next year. approved moving forward with plans to hire an executive The State of Lake Erie Conference director to lead the association. The board dissolved the ad will be held March 16–18, 2022, in hoc Executive Director Fact-Finding Committee established Cleveland, Ohio, and the State of last year and will create a search committee to develop a job Lake Michigan Conference is planned description and propose a timeline for hiring an executive for October 24–26, 2022, in Traverse director for this new role. City, Michigan. We hope to see you there, in person!

4 IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 ASSOCIATION NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS IAGLR AWARD AND SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Lifetime Achievement Award Elsevier Early Career Scientist Award HENRY (“HANK”) VANDERPLOEG, NOAA JORDAN MATLEY, Great Lakes Institute Great Lakes Environmental Research of Environmental Research, University of Laboratory. For important and continued Windsor. For 2020 most notable paper in contributions to the field of Great Lakes the Journal of Great Lakes Research, titled research over a period of 20 years or “Seasonal habitat-use differences among more. Lake Erie’s walleye stocks.”

John R. (Jack) Vallentyne Award MARGARET LANSING, NOAA Great Lakes Elsevier Student Author Award Environmental Research Laboratory. For RYAN GROW, University of Minnesota, important and sustained efforts to inform Duluth. For 2020 most notable paper in and educate the public and policymakers the Journal of Great Lakes Research, titled on large lake issues. “Spatial and vertical bias in down-looking ship-based acoustic estimates of fish density in Lake Superior: Lessons learned from multi-directional acoustics.” Anderson-Everett Award PAULA MCINTYRE, International Association for Great Lakes Research IAGLR Scholarship (contractor)/Loracs Design LLC. For MATT THORSTENSEN, University of outstanding contributions to the Manitoba. For research titled “Genomics, International Association for Great Lakes movement, and ecology of the Lake Research. Winnipeg walleye.”

Best Associate Editor 2020 Award ERIN DUNLOP, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. For outstanding Norman S. Baldwin Fishery Science support of the review process for the Scholarship Journal of Great Lakes Research. ZOE ALMEIDA, Ohio State University. For research titled “Do early-life conditions set lifetime trajectories in fish? Evaluating how experiential legacies influence individual and population responses to changing Best Reviewer 2020 Award environments.” MICHAEL RENNIE, Lakehead University. For outstanding support of the review process for the Journal of Great Lakes Norman S. Baldwin Fishery Science Research. Scholarship GRACEANNE TARSA, University of Wisconsin. For research titled “Round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, abundance and Chandler-Misener Award–2020 productivity in the rocky nearshore zone of LAUREN OLDFIELD, SABINA RAKHIMBEKOVA, JAMES W. Lake Michigan.” ROY, and CLARE E. ROBINSON. For 2020 most notable paper in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, titled “Estimation of phosphorus loads from septic systems to tributaries in the David M. Dolan Scholarship Canadian Lake Erie Basin.” STEPHANIE FIGARY, Cornell University. For research titled “Zooplankton as indicators: Understanding the Great Chandler-Misener Award–2019 Lakes through decades of zooplankton TED R. ANGRADI, KATHLEEN C. WILLIAMS, JOEL C. monitoring.” HOFFMAN, and DAVID W. BOLGRIEN. For 2019 most notable paper in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, titled “Goals, beneficiaries, and indicators of waterfront revitalization in Great Lakes Areas of Concern and coastal communities.” continued on page 16

IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 5 Swim Drink Fish Citizen Science Hubs Blending technology, advocacy, and education to protect our waters by Mark Mattson

HE SUMMER OF 2020 saw unprecedented numbers of people turning to their local waters as the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to find new ways to connect with their surroundings and with each other. The pandemic has taught us Tthat few things are as important as our health and the health of the world around us.

This summer of swimming has also helped us realize that Environment and Climate Change Canada's Great Lakes safeguarding the waters we connect with can be a way of Protection Initiative over the last four years, the organiza- protecting our own physical and mental health. This is es- tion runs four citizen science monitoring hubs in Ontario pecially true when you consider that each year, an estimated on the Great Lakes: the Toronto Hub (launched in 2016 by 3.5 million people get sick after swimming in a waterbody Lake Ontario Waterkeeper), the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation that contains harmful bacteria or pollution. Hub (launched in 2018 and hosted by Zhiibaahaasing First The most beloved spots where we enter the water are not Nation), the Lake Erie–Niagara Hub (launched in 2019 and always those that are regularly monitored by governments hosted by the Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative), and health units. That’s why citizen scientists are sampling and the Kingston Hub (launched in 2020 by Lake Ontario water in these popular but unmonitored places—so that we Waterkeeper). know when and where we can connect with our local waters, These hubs do more than just share water monitoring worry-free. results with recreational water users and connect people to Citizen science has been providing data that help people water. They also create yearly reports that highlight ways to make informed decisions about getting on or in the water restore, protect, and promote our waters. Citizen scientists since long before the pandemic, however. Over the decades, are highly trained. They are given the resources they need citizen science has demystified the scientific process and to collect reliable data. Citizen science is authentic science, democratized the field so that amateur scientists can inform resulting in reliable data that inform policy and give mean- water literacy regarding development, pollution, and climate ing and force to environmental laws and protections. change. Citizen science encourages people to get outside and Swim Drink Fish’s citizen science monitoring hubs are experience wilderness close to home. It provides a sense of shifting our perception of science by blending technology, belonging in and connection to our waters. advocacy, conservation, storytelling, and education with One prime example is the network of citizen science research to enact real change for our water. The past un- hubs run by Swim Drink Fish. Thanks to funding from precedented year has proven how imperative citizen science is. Even as our citizen science water monitoring hubs faced more challenges this year than in any previous year, their work only became more important, and the value of their efforts only became more obvious. Due to COVID-19, the start date of the monitoring season was delayed, and sampling capacity was reduced. Social

continued

A volunteer citizen scientist (front) and Niagara Project Coordinator Gregary Ford (back) sampling at Sunset beach, St. Catharines. Credit: Jessica Gordon distancing requirements meant that fewer Citizen scientists stepped were able to engage with their community volunteers could help out compared to once again. Near the end of the season, previous years, and there were less op- up to fill the gaps left in the Lake Erie–Niagara hub safely hosted a portunities to formally engage with the Niagara College youth engagement event communities. recreational water quality for 48 eager participants over the course But the hubs were up to the task. As monitoring so people knew of several days. This is more than double governments and health units turned the number of the previous year. their attention to the front lines of the when and where they The hubs were also able to virtually pandemic, hub coordinators and citizen engage new citizen scientists by training scientists stepped up to fill the gaps left in could enjoy their local them how to use Gassy, an AI tool that recreational water quality monitoring so waters and find solace is learning to identify pollution, debris, people knew when and where they could wildlife, and people in the water. By enjoy their local waters and find solace during a difficult year. uploading photos of trash, plastic bottles, during a difficult year. ducks, fish, swimmers, paddlers, and “In Kingston, we have a lot of access more, users can become the eyes and ears to the waterfront, and people accessing of their water and contribute to our grow- the water, and it’s only increasing,” notes ing water health database. Hannah McDonald, Kingston monitor- munities so that they can not only safely So many of us believe that our waters ing coordinator. “I saw more people interact with their local waters, but also must be restored and protected but are outside, and more people getting out on safeguard them. Chelsea Antoine, the unsure of where to start. Citizen science the water, especially this summer during community hub coordinator for Zhi- monitoring hubs are one of the best ways COVID-19.” ibaahaasing First Nation notes, “With a passionate individual can have a posi- Water quality monitoring this past COVID, I’ve seen people at the beaches tive impact on their waters. By becoming summer was not only important to those every weekend, and a lot of people started a citizen scientist, anyone can help gather using the water and the hub coordinators, camping out at the beach. I’ve helped my important water quality data and share but also for volunteers and the commu- community become more informed, and invaluable information with their com- nity. The people who volunteered often the more they’ve become informed, the munity. took further steps to protect their water less litter I've found at the beaches.” on their own. In Toronto, many of these Though the hubs were resilient during We invite you to get involved with our volunteers were avid swimmers, scuba this challenging summer, COVID-19 citizen science hubs. Visit Swim Drink Fish divers, and other recreational water users. showed how crucial citizen scientists are for more information. One volunteer who frequently swam at to community water monitoring. With Kew-Balmy Beach noticed that water fewer (or in some cases no) volunteers Mark Mattson is an environmental lawyer quality was failing there. She started seek- at the hubs, monitoring felt more dif- and founder and president of Swim Drink ing out more information on combined ficult, less impactful, and less engaging. Fish. He also is the Waterkeeper for Lake sewer overflows and connected with her However, COVID-19 didn’t fully halt Ontario. city councillor to learn more. community engagement. As the season On a community level, citizen science progressed and COVID-19 restrictions hubs provide water literacy for com- lessened in some areas, hub coordinators

Kingston Monitoring Coordinator Hannah McDonald sampling water at Community Monitoring Coordinator Chelsea Antoine in the lab at the Kingston Hub. Credit: Hannah McDonald the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation Hub. Credit: Dylan Neild

IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 7 THE SMART CITIZEN SCIENCE INITIATIVE by Max Herzog, Program Manager, Cleveland Water Alliance

easonal surges and legacy deposits of nutrient pollution make Lake Erie the epicenter of yearly harmful algae blooms (HABs) large enough to be seen from space. This annual ecological crisis puts Sthe health and well-being of the nearly 12 million people that rely on this great lake for their drinking water, recre- ation, or livelihood at risk. Lake Erie states are increasingly investing in solutions to reduce the nutrient pollution that Western Lake Erie HAB, Sept. 26, 2017. Landsat-8 (NASA/USGS satellite) photo. drives these blooms, but often don’t have the information needed to strategically locate these projects, evaluate their effectiveness, or optimize their performance. Further, reduction in budget allocations in Michigan, Ohio, and New York are challenging the scope and sustainability of state agency water monitoring. These challenges produce significant limitations on the scope and granularity of water quality data collected across Lake Erie and its watersheds.

Fighting back against age the full scope of Lake Erie’s existing citizen science movement to address their HABs most pressing research, decision making, Citizen science (volunteer monitoring and management needs. by community members) represents an Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) important opportunity to expand our is working to address these challenges regional data collection capacity and through the Smart Citizen Science Initia- address pressing water quality challenges tive, a regional network of volunteer like HABs. Lake Erie residents feel a pow- programs and community funders that erful sense of connection to and respon- support and accelerate community collec- sibility for their water resources and are tion of Lake Erie Basin data. This network often willing to contribute their resources serves as a platform for driving regional and time to that end. Local organiza- citizen science innovation including tions have been harnessing this energy piloting new technologies and imple- to monitor water quality in communities menting collective data standards. The across the region for years. initial three-year (2020–2022) effort is However, these groups have typi- made possible by the support of the Great cally developed in response to hyper- Lakes One Water (GLOW) Partnership, a local management needs, resulting in a collaboration of community foundations fragmented regional landscape of citizen committed to solving Great Lakes water science that approaches data collection, challenges. management, and use protocols on a To date, the Smart Citizen Science watershed-by-watershed basis. Many of Initiative has engaged 12 volunteer water these groups continue to rely on physical quality monitoring groups in a series of data sheets and Excel-based data manage- technology pilots, group visioning ses- ment, which severely limit accessibility sions, curriculum development projects, and discoverability to external end users. and other regional collaborations. These As a result, it is difficult for government, include Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, academic, and industry actors to lever- Cleveland Metroparks, Doan Brook Wa- continued Credit: Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

8 IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 Credit: Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

tershed Partners, Erie Soil and Water Conservation District, Erie Basin. Now, community groups, researchers, and deci- Friends of Euclid Creek, Huron River Watershed Council, sion makers can easily access and leverage the data. Lorain Soil and Water Conservation District, Metroparks These tools will be backed up by a set of standards for the Toledo, Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Re- collection, management, and use of Lake Erie citizen science serve, Rocky River Watershed Council, SUNY Fredonia, and data. These Smart Lake Standards will aim to formalize oper- Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. ating procedures and best available technology to provide an “Being a part of a Lake Erie-wide network of organiza- accessible framework for elevating the credibility of citizen tions and citizen scientists with the Smart Citizen Science science data. The creation of Smart Lake Standards will en- Initiative is exciting, inspiring, and empowering,” notes Lisa able consistent, high-quality monitoring of key parameters Meranti, Watershed Volunteer Program Coordinator, Cleve- across the region, enable wider use and comparability of land Metroparks. “Contributing to something that can have currently available citizen science data, and allow rapid pilot- significant collective impact is very motivating.” ing of new data collection technologies against agreed-upon Throughout the last year, CWA partnered with The benchmarks. Further, Smart Lake Standards will provide a Commons to provide access to their data platform, Water framework for collaborative regional research projects, com- Reporter. With features such as volunteer vs. organizer pro- parison of locally collected data, and establishment of new files, built-in QA/QC permissions, and a mobile app for field community monitoring programs. data upload, the Water Reporter platform is set up to enable CWA is currently convening key experts and decision organizations to leverage the power of volunteer monitoring makers spanning academic and federal research institutions to produce meaningful data that are structured and interop- as well as state environmental agencies to support this work. erable. The Commons has even worked with CWA to create These advisors will support CWA and the Smart Citizen Sci- a unique web widget that allows users to visualize, explore, ence network in designing and executing the first iteration of and download data from Local Champions across the Lake these standards by early 2022.

Credit: Cleveland Water Alliance and The Commons

IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 9 STREAM Combining DNA and people power for healthy freshwater ecosystems by Chloe Robinson and Mehrdad Hajibabaei

Credit: Raegan Mallinson/Living Lakes Canada

Members of Junction Creek Stewardship Committee being trained in CABIN methods in Sudbury, Ontario.

ver a quarter of Canada’s population lives within the Great Lakes Basin. This transboundary watershed holds one-fifth of all the surface fresh water on Earth and is under increasing pressure from growing urban Opopulations. Threats including pollution, habitat fragmentation, and overuse of water directly degrade freshwater ecosystems and therefore impact the local economy, quality of life, and environment. One of the major concerns with these threats is that three out of the eight Canadian sub-watersheds are data deficient for a variety of ecological health metrics, one being benthic macroinvertebrates. These data deficiencies remain severely problematic for

understanding responses to threats. Top to bottom: Flat- Benthic (i.e., bottom-dwelling) macroinvertebrates can provide headed mayfly larvae, green sedge caddisfly us with a great deal of information regarding water quality of larvae, and golden stonefly larvae. These freshwater systems. Groups of macroinvertebrates, including species are macroinver- mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), caddisflies tebrates known to be sensitive to changes in (Trichoptera), and dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) have environmental conditions. Credit: Chloe different levels of sensitivity to factors such as water pollution and Robinson oxygen availability, meaning they are ideal biological indicators of freshwater health. continued

10 IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 The STREAM solution There is an urgent need for rapid, standardized, accurate, and accessible monitoring techniques to better understand change given the increasing threat of degradation and biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems. To tackle these data deficiencies, the STREAM (Sequencing the Rivers for Environmental Assessment and Monitoring) project was launched. Headquartered at the University of Guelph, the main objective of STREAM is to rapidly generate baseline benthic macroinvertebrate DNA data from across Canada through community-based biomonitoring. STREAM was established in 2018 through a grant from the Government of Canada via Genome Canada and Ontario Genomics. This project is a national multi-stakeholder collaboration between the University of Guelph, World Wildlife Fund Canada, Living Lakes Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. STREAM has partnered with community The process of manually sorting and identifying macroinvertebrates (top) groups in Canada, including within the Great Lakes Basin, to versus eDNA metabarcoding approach of species identification (bottom). collect these benthic samples using standardized Canadian Credit: Chloe Robinson Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) kick-net protocols. CABIN-trained community members collect samples from their watershed and then send the samples to the University of Guelph for processing via a technique called DNA metabarcoding. This process involves generating hundred of thousands of DNA sequences from benthic samples, which are then matched against an extensive DNA library to determine which species are present.

STREAM in the Great Lakes Basin Within the Great Lakes Basin, STREAM works Rivers biomonitoring, 58 with two community groups: Four Rivers species of macroinverte- Environmental Services (Thunder Bay) and brate were detected in Tidy Junction Creek Stewardship Committee (JCSC; Creek, with nearly half of Sudbury). Four Rivers Environmental Services these being bioindicator provides support and technical services to the species. Matawa member First Nation communities Establishing this and coordinates initiatives aimed to assist baseline in the Great community-led environmental stewardship and Lakes Basin is vital for natural resource management in Thunder Bay. understanding both water JCSC is a dynamic organization focused on the quality and how macroin- restoration of a large urban waterway in the vertebrate species respond City of Greater Sudbury. to environmental stressors. The study aim for both community groups Data are especially needed is to establish baseline information on macro- within Canada's North- invertebrate communities to inform future de- western Lake Superior, velopment and restoration decisions. Between Wanipitai and French (off the two groups, 14 sites have been sampled Lake Huron's Georgian since 2019, and a total of 248 macroinvertebrate Bay), and Lake Ontario ba- species have been detected. Of these species, the sins. Continued biomonitoring within the Great Erin Desjardins, stewardship most common three detected across the sites Lakes Basin will enable longer-term trends to be intern at Four Rivers and member include two species of Netspinning caddisfly investigated to infer freshwater health status in of Eabametoong First Nation, and a species of non-biting midge. relation to global threats such as climate change. mobilizing winter water analysis equipment in the homelands of JCSC is conducting multi-year studies to Interested in getting involved with Constance Lake and Ginoogaming investigate how macroinvertebrate communities STREAM? Please get in touch via our website First Nations. Credit: Four Rivers change over the course of the STREAM project. to find out more about partnering with the Environmental Services For the sites sampled in both 2019 and 2020, STREAM project. the richness (i.e., number of macroinvertebrate species) was mostly higher in 2020, with this Chloe Robinson is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Guelph. Mehrdad Hajibabaei is an associate professor with increase consisting of a range of bioindica- the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics and the Department of tor species not detected in 2019. For the Four Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph.

IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 11 Uncharted Waters A story of how community-based water monitoring can help fill data gaps

by Emelia Duguay, Sustainable Development Coordinator, Water Rangers

Born out of a belief that all people living stringent public health restrictions, vol- in Canada have the right to participate in unteers from groups like CSG could still freshwater conservation, Water Rangers test throughout the season as long as they is a nonprofit organization that empowers were comfortable doing so, and that they people to do just that. It all started when, in did. Don and other volunteers in the area Don Ross from County 2014, Kat Kavanagh helped her father test consistently uploaded data from more than Sustainability Group and hundreds the water at their family’s cottage on Lake 15 sites to Water Rangers’ platform between of other testers across Canada use Water Rangers’ kits for data McGlashan, just north of Ottawa. After April and November of 2020. Since the plat- collection and for educational realizing that there was no easy way for the form is all open access, Quinte can conve- purposes. average person to organize and share water niently retrieve these data at any time. quality data like the kind she and her dad Later in the season, Quinte was able were collecting, Kat decided to use her skills to supply Moira Lake Property Owners as a web designer to help create one. In Association and Kennebec Lake Associa- 2015, Kat and a team of other web designers tion with Water Ranger kits, too. As the “While testing in Bancroft and developers entered AquaHacking, pandemic helped show, CSG and other this past week, we met a competed with their idea for Water Rangers, community-based water monitoring groups retired environmental sci- and won. This marked the birth of Water can help conservation authorities like ence professor who had also Rangers, and the rest, they say, is history! Quinte fill data gaps when they emerge. done work with the Ministry Today, Water Rangers’ website and app For this reason and countless others, Water of Environment during his allow anyone to store and keep track of wa- Rangers is excited to see community-based ter quality data. They also work to empower water monitoring continue to grow in the long career. He was saying communities with their affordable, easy-to- coming years. how happy he was to know use testkits, which test for parameters like that this sort of citizen sci- pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and What’s next? ence was happening and how more. In many ways, the pandemic exposed important it was to be doing the hugely untapped potential of crowd- sourcing water quality data. Communities this given all the cutbacks Spotlight: Quinte Conservation Authority want to help look after water, and with the in government services he One of Water Rangers’ most ardent right tools, they can. This is good news for had witnessed over his 40 supporters is Don Ross, a member of the scientists and decision makers, too, since years working in this field. County Sustainability Group (CSG), a volunteers can help collect data across a He seemed inspired to learn community-based conservation group wider geographic area than professionals more about this and perhaps in Prince Edward County. In early 2020, can do on their own. Not only that, but with the right support, these data can be get involved with WR from Don saw an advertisement in Quinte Conservation’s newsletter, saying that accessed more efficiently than ever before. his cottage on a nearby lake. Quinte could potentially leverage funding In 2021, Water Rangers is joining forces Keep on testing, testers. We to support stewardship programs in with DataStream. This collaboration will never know where the ripples the area. Don decided to jump on the mean that data uploaded to Water Rangers’ we’re making in the water opportunity; he responded to the newsletter platform by community groups will feed will land.” and asked if Quinte could assist CSG with into the new Great Lakes DataStream, the costs of restocking their Water Rangers where it will sit alongside those of Don Ross, County Sustainability testkits. Quinte's education and stewardship other watershed groups, scientists, and Group, Prince Edward County coordinator, Maya Navrot, responded government monitoring programs. Since almost immediately, saying they would the data are all shared openly, scientists indeed be able to make this happen. can easily access these data to inform their Supporting CSG’s water monitoring research, while policy makers can use the efforts would end up being incredibly valu- data to inform their decision making. able for Quinte that year since they had to To learn more and get involved, please reduce some of their own water monitor- visit waterrangers.ca and greatlakes- ing efforts due to COVID-19. Absent any datastream.ca.

12 IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 There is no place on earth like IISD Experimental Lakes Area… … and it’s right here in Canada.

Since 1968, we have been researching on whole lakes to discover how human activity affects our fresh water. Now we are exploring the impact of everything from plastics to antidepressants on freshwater lakes, and have teamed up with researchers across Africa to protect the African Great Lakes. If you want to learn more, or are interested in partnering with us on new or existing research, visit iisd.org/ela.

  @IISD_ELA  @ExperimentalLakes MEMBER NEWS

KUDOS

Congratulations to the following IAGLR members on their accomplishments.

CATHERINE FEBRIA (Great Lakes THOMAS HOLSEN, BERNARD He also was appointed a member of Institute of Environmental Research, CRIMMINS, Sujan Fernando, Costel the Province of Ontario’s Wastewater University of Windsor), DONNA Darie, and Philip Hopke, (Clarkson Surveillance Implementation Table, KASHIAN (Wayne State University), University), JAMES PAGANO (SUNY which oversees provincial monitoring and Scott Mundle (GLIER) for Oswego), and Michael Milligan for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in aid coordinating the inaugural binational (SUNY Fredonia) for a $6 million of public health. #GLIERTRUST graduate seminar five-year grant awarded by U.S. EPA series for grad students at the through the Great Lakes Restoration RENE SAHBA SHAHMOHAMADLOO University of Windsor and Wayne Initiative to continue and enhance (University of Guelph) for a successful State’s Transformative Research in the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Ph.D. defense (January 2021). Urban Sustainability program. Surveillance Program. Thank you GLIER, UNIVERSITY CASEY GODWIN on receiving SARAH LAROCQUE (University OF WINDSOR for gifting IAGLR the 2021 University of Michigan of Windsor) for a successful Ph.D. memberships to six students Research Faculty Recognition Award. defense (December 2020) and now participating in the inaugural This honor recognizes the impact (February 2021) working at Fisheries #GLIERTRUST graduate showcase. of Godwin’s research in applied and Oceans Canada in the Great What a great way to support new biogeochemistry in the Great Lakes. In Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and scientists and the association! addition, Godwin and JOHN HARTIG Aquatic Sciences as an aquatic (GLIER, University of Windsor) will science biologist. serve as co-chairs of the 2021 State of the Strait Conference focused on R. MICHAEL MCKAY (GLIER, contaminated sediment remediation University of Windsor) for his in the Detroit and Rouge rivers, and appointment to the International Brianna Ellis will serve as a University Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Submit kudos to of Michigan Rackham Fellow. Board – Science Priority Committee. > [email protected]

WELCOME NEW IAGLR MEMBERS The following members joined IAGLR between February and April 2021. Welcome to IAGLR!

Felipe Arzayus Rupert Kindersley Salia Sheriff Justin Barker Brendan Llew-Williams Aubree Szczepanski Amber Beecher Kamazima Lwiza Graceanne Tarsa Ryan Bergstrom Elizabeth McKay Matthew Thorstensen Kory Bertrand Luke Moslenko Teresa Tokasz David Burden Madison Myers Smita Tyagi Sara Burilo Gabriel Okunade Kavita Varma Delaney Demro Will Otte Luwen Wan Reagan Errera Tim Papakyriakou Lauren Weller Spencer Gardner Morgan Piczak Shasha Yang Calvin Hitch Taylor Sasak Ben Young Elaine Ho Michael Schmidt Kathleen Zawrotniak

14 IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 MEMBER NEWS

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT We’ve randomly selected several of our new members to introduce themselves. Below and on the next page are their stories.

Delaney Demro ESRI’s ArcGIS Survey123, we developed ronmental science M.Sc. Candidate; SUNY College of Envi- a survey instrument where users report because I want ronmental Science and Forestry stream conditions, recreational uses, and to create in- About my work upload photos. After receiving a survey, creasingly I am currently a graduate student at SU- we performed the same assessment on convenient NY-ESF in Syracuse, New York. I am pur- location and collected water samples for and af- suing a master's degree in environmental analysis. We hope to validate the use of fordable science with a concentration in coupled community-sourced data to inform and pathways for natural and human systems, researching optimize stream monitoring efforts across the general under Dr. Andrea Parker and Dr. Valerie the state. public to live more Luzadis. My thesis centers around the Why IAGLR? sustainably, whether that be through con- Community Recreational Evaluation of As a graduate student, I always try to necting with nature or reducing individu- Environmental Quality, or CREEQ Proj- explore ways to expand my professional al impacts. After finding a love for science ect, and is sponsored by the New York network. Because I was presenting at this and policy, my career path could take State Department of Environmental Con- year’s conference, I saw joining IAGLR as many forms, through research, consult- ing, or planning. Regardless, I am excited servation. This project applies a commu- a great opportunity to connect with other to broaden my knowledge of Great Lakes nity science (or citizen science) approach freshwater researchers, enthusiasts, and research and connect with other research- to compare public perceptions and recre- advocates! I will be graduating this Au- ers at future conferences. ational usability of streams to biochemical gust and will continue on to a multidis- measures of stream water quality. Using ciplinary career. I decided to study envi-

Patricia Ann Owl to bring knowledge to the table in fear of on in the Great Lakes, but also to interact Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation disappointment of government. There I with the IAGLR community. I hope to began to understand the need to connect attend conferences and present my work About my Work the spirit of the water to the framework to other Great Lakes scientists. IAGLR Ahnee and of research by sharing in Traditional also provides many opportunities for the greetings Knowledge. I’ve been working in my Anishinaebe to advance education and for kinaahwi- home community as a tourism manager, me to connect spirit and science through iyah (every- writing curriculum for the environmental my ambition to share my knowledge cer- one). I am keepers and developing land-based train- emonies. pleased to ing that incorporates Traditional Knowl- be welcomed edge. I also am a part of the gdaakiimon to this circle (lands management) team that asserts of research and jurisdiction over Crown land access and environmental protections for the Great employs environmental protection un- Lakes, IAGLR. I was introduced by a dear der their natural laws in the Sagamok friend, who has helped me in so many Anishnawbek territory in the Robinson ways. My name is Waskwo-nengi-gun- Huron Treaty. I am very honored to work emengwonot-kwe (Woman who brings with Elders in sharing the natural law When you join IAGLR, the light), and I am an Anishinaabekwe and stewardship practices of my people. endow (Indigenous woman) Ojibwa. I’ve you join a community Further to embracing my culture and had the privilege of working closely with identity, I am interested in obtaining a the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of people devoted to master's degree in environmental sustain- under the Chiefs of Ontario as a senior ability at the University of Waterloo. I am environmental communication analyst. understanding the interested in water resources management It was an honor to assist in restoring and and governance. Thank you for this op- world’s large lake protecting the waters of the Great Lakes portunity to connect and bridge Indig- through this contract. The agreement ecosystems enous views and natural law. provided a framework for identifying binational priorities and implementing Why IAGLR? iaglr.org/membership actions that improve water quality. In- I joined IAGLR not only to help advance digenous peoples / First Nations struggle my knowledge of current research going

IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 15 MEMBER NEWS

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Michael Schmidt to better understand nitrate lag time in of my work in M.Sc. Candidate; Teaching Assistant, Trent groundwater. My thesis examines nitrates the Journal of University in groundwater in Lake Ontario water- Great Lakes I am currently in the first year of my mas- sheds. The first chapter explores existing Research. ter's degree in the Environmental and Life datasets and the relationships between ni- Moreover, I Sciences Graduate Program at Trent Uni- trates and other parameters (e.g., land use/ want to con- versity. I am also a member of the Quinte land cover data, overburden, groundwater tinue a career Farm Research and Stewardship Collab- geochemistry). I presented these find- of research orative. My research is currently focused ings in a poster during the IAGLR 2021 focused on on nitrate contamination in groundwater. conference. My second chapter will seek groundwater and I am curious about how interactions be- to better characterize groundwater nitrate biogeochemistry within the Laurentian tween shallow groundwater and surface contamination in areas draining into the Great Lakes region. Next step: Ph.D. water impact nitrate levels. I also want Bay of Quinte. I hope to publish the results

Luwen Wan Graduate Research Assistant, College of Natural Science, Michigan State University IAGLR APPRECIATION About my Work AWARDS I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Depart- During the Annual Business Meeting on May 26, ment of Earth and Environmental Sci- IAGLR recognized the following indiviuals for their ences at Michigan State University. In service to the association: our collaborative Hydrogeology Lab, I am working closely with Dr. David The IAGLR Board of Directors Appreciation Hyndman and Dr. Anthony Kendall to Award went to JENNIFER BOEHME, International quantify the nitrogen and phosphorus de- Joint Commission, MARY GINNEBAUGH, retired from Wisconsin Department of Natural livered to the U.S. Great Lakes coastline with Resources, JESSICA IVES, University of a Spatially Explicit Nutrient Source Estimates and Windsor, SARAH LAROCQUE, University of Flux, aka SENSEflux, model. This model will also be used to esti- Windsor, RICHARD OGUTU-OHWAYO, African mate the contributions of different nutrient sources and pathways. Lakes Network, SCOTT MCNAUGHT, Central This work is funded through an interdisciplinary NASA project Michigan University, and PAUL SIBLEY, University that aims to better understand historical and present-day drivers of of Guelph. They have faithfully served on the change in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. I am excited to be involved IAGLR board and completed their terms of service. in this project and am enjoying working with researchers from mul- The IAGLR Committee Chair Appreciation tiple universities – the Great Lakes Wetland Ecohydrology Science Award went to SARAH LAROCQUE, University Team. In addition to this project, my dissertation will use remotely of Windsor, and FRANCINE MCCARTHY, Brock sensed data and machine learning approaches to detect tile drain- University, outgoing Awards Committee co- age, which is a commonly neglected but important nutrient pathway chairs; RICHARD OGUTU-OHWAYO, outgoing to the Great Lakes. With this data product, I will be able to simulate International Committee chair, and PAUL SIBLEY, the effects of tile drainage on the fate of nutrients and transport outgoing chair of the Conference and Nominations across the U.S. Midwest region. committees. Why IAGLR? The IAGLR Conference Appreciation Award I joined IAGLR mainly because my research is focusing on the went to IAGLR 2021 Conference Site Chair NOEL Great Lakes Basin. Early this year, I had the opportunity to give an URBAN and IAGLR 2021 Program Co-Chairs oral presentation at the State of Lake Ontario Conference (virtu- JUDITH PERLINGER and GORDON PATERSON, ally) hosted by IAGLR. After the pandemic, I would like to engage all of Michgan Technological University. in more IAGLR events, interact with other scholars, and connect The JGLR Outgoing Associate Editor with scientists, managers, and stakeholders who share an interest in Appreciation Award went to DAVID (BO) Great Lakes research and communication. I also hope my research BUNNELL, US Geological Survey, LEE can enrich the IAGLR science community and benefit Great Lakes GRAPENTINE, Environment and Climate watershed management. Change Canada, and JOE MAKAREWICZ, SUNY Brockport.

16 IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 MEMBER NEWS

IN MEMORIAM David B. Baker scientific process and the data do his talking,” Davis said. “And 1936–2021 that process and data eventually won folks over and led us to the greater understanding and knowledge of the natural world we have today. The Heidelberg lab is his legacy to the people of Ohio.” A former Heidelberg lab director, Ken Krieger, a colleague and friend of Baker’s for 43 years, described him as “truly a remarkable man, both as a scientist-educator and community member.” Krieger notes, “He left a positive impact on everyone who interacted with him, both professionally and personally. His contributions to water quality science and to individual lives will be long lasting.” Ellen Ewing, who recently retired after more than 40 years as one of the lab’s employees, said he “never stopped trying to learn and understand.” by Tom Henry, The (Toledo) Blade and IAGLR’s 2014 Jack Vallen- tyne Award recipient. Read more about Dave in this tribute, written by Ken Baker. Credit: The (Toledo) Blade

IAGLR has lost a great friend in David Baker, who died of pneumonia on April 16 at age 84. The founder of Heidelberg University’s renowned National Center for Water Quality Research, Deborah Swackhamer 1954–2021 Baker was aptly described by University of Toledo Lake Erie Center Director Tom Bridgeman as the “father of tributary monitoring.” That lab contains the longest continuing dataset on water quality samples in the Great Lakes region, dating back to 1974. Such sampling results are used in a variety of ways, including the emerging science of predicting algal blooms based on agricultural inputs, precipitation, and other factors. Baker remained a fixture at Great Lakes conferences, especially those focused on western Lake Erie, throughout the two decades after his retirement in 1999. He was known as much for his affable, kind demeanor, and his willingness to help young or other lesser-experienced people as he was his highly cited, peer- reviewed science. Heidelberg University President Rob Huntington hailed Baker as “an environmental pioneer” in a statement following the sci- On April 23, the Great Lakes scientific community lost a luminary. entist’s death. He is mentioned prominently in a 250-page online Dr. Deborah Swackhamer passed away after a short battle with book about the lab. cancer. Her work in the Great Lakes began early in her academic “I don't think he ever saw anything at the lab as work,” Laura career, publishing work on PCBs in Lake Michigan sediments in Johnson, Heidelberg’s current NCWQR director, said. “I think he 1983. She continued exploring organic contaminant dynamics saw it as who he was.” in the Great Lakes with pioneering work aboard submersibles In a letter, Jeff Reutter, retired Ohio Sea Grant and Ohio State through the National Undersea Research Program, and work University Stone Laboratory director, told IAGLR the half-century of aboard the USEPA’s R/V Lake Guardian with the Lake Michigan field data generated by the Heidelberg lab Baker created is “the Mass Balance and the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring Program. Her most, or one of the most, valuable datasets on nutrient loading in work did not end in the field or laboratory. She was a staunch the world” and that it allows the Great Lakes scientific community advocate for policy to protect the Great Lakes, serving on the “to be a leader in understanding the drivers for nutrient loading Science Advisory Board to the International Joint Commission and harmful algal blooms - issues that have become global prob- (2000-2013), the US Environmental Protection Agency's Science lems.” Advisory Board (2003-2012) serving as chair from 08-12 and Founded in 1969 as River Laboratory, the NCWQR was chairing the EPA's Board of Scientific Counselors from 2015 until renamed the Water Quality Laboratory in 1974. It got its current 2017. Deb’s involvement in IAGLR will be long remembered by its name following passage of a U.S. House of Representatives reso- members. She served on the Board of Directors for 1989-92 and lution in 2004. had numerous students receive IAGLR awards during her career Steve Davis, who has spent more than 40 years in northwest mentoring the next generation of advocates for our Great Lakes. Ohio as a watershed specialist for the U.S. Department of Agri- A scholarship has been created in her memory. Contributions may culture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, said Baker’s be made at z.umn.edu/Deb-Swackhamer. findings initially drew skepticism from the ag community. “But Dave persevered because he was at core a scientist and let the by Matt Simcik, University of Minnesota

IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021 17 IAGLR Board of Directors Andrew Bramburger President Jean Adams Vice President Edward Verhamme Past President Lizhu Wang Treasurer Katie Thomas Secretary Alfred Otieno Achieng Evie Brahmstedt Paris Collingsworth Susan Daniel Alexander Duncan Donna Kashian Trevor Pitcher Neil Rooney

Rene Shahmohamadloo Science for Society!

Lakes Letter is published quarterly by the International Association for Great Lakes Research, a scientific organization made up of researchers studying the Laurentian Great Lakes, other large lakes of the world, and their watersheds, as well as those with an interest in such research.

Edited by Paula McIntyre, IAGLR Communications Director, with assistance from Jessica Ives, Lakes Letter Editorial Team

TAKE ACTION

18 IAGLR LAKES LETTER | SPRING 2021