March 2014

A Refreshed Website

It's spring and we thought it was time for a fresh look!

Check out our updated ALMS website. We've combined all the content from alms.ca and awqa.ca into one site and will be continually adding in new information. Please let us know if you find any bugs, typos, or missing content.

ALMS Scholarship Accepting Applications

We're are accepting applications for a $2000 scholarship until April 30. Full time senior undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at Alberta universities or colleges are encouraged to apply.

The scholarship is intended to support students in the aquatic sciences, and related disciplines, and promote the objectives of the Alberta Lake Management Society (ALMS).

Application details

Canada Water Week: Watersheds 101

It's time for Canada Water Week 2014, March 17-23, also corresponding to World Water Day on March 22. The theme this year is Watersheds 101.

A watershed is any area of land where all the surface water drains into the same place, whether it's a stream, a lake, a river, or an ocean. That means that no matter where you are, you're standing in a watershed!

There are literally hundreds of smaller sub-watersheds throughout Canada that drain into our local lakes, rivers and streams. Want to find yours? Use this handy online tool

If you are interested in attending or hosting an event, CanadaWaterWeek.com includes a simplified event registration tool, as well as lots of resources and inspiration for your 2014 events. Participants will easily find events using a new geolocating tool.

For bonus points: Complete a workbook on your watershed. Then combine the above information into your personal story of your watershed (500 words max). Share it with info@canadawaterweek.com and winning examples will be posted at
the blog site www.OurLivingWater.ca. Great exposure for your watershed, its importance and its issues!

Trumpeter Swan Status Report Published

Following a brush with extinction, Trumpeter Swans are making a comeback in North America. The 2013 status report of the Alberta population was just released and, we are happy to report, that it finds them doing quite well in our province.

The distribution and abundance of this rare species has increased and it now breeds across the Province in lakes and wetlands that provide suitable habitat. Success is attributed to careful management of breeding, staging and migration habitat. Swans need stable, shallow lakes without a lot of wave action. They also require isolation and security from human disturbance. During migration they rely on a network of wetlands and open-water sites on rivers. Kudos to the collaborative efforts by government agencies, stakeholders and citizens to provide education and necessary programs to conserve this species.

If you would like to see Trumpeter Swans in the wild, the Grande Prairie region still supports the largest numbers of Trumpeter Swans in Alberta and they host an annual Swan Festival at Saskatoon Island Provincial Park. This year it will held on Sunday, April 26.

Lakes in the News

The Edmonton Journal recently published a video of a fish-kill in the making at Lake Isle. The article that accompanies it "Alberta Fish Kill This Year Could Be Worst Ever", as well as the editorial "Fish Kill is a Signal We're Out of Balance" a few days later, are worth reading.

We believe that lake management is one of the most significant environmental stories in Alberta - certainly most visible to Albertans. We applaud the Journal's coverage and hope for more in depth stories focused on the solutions to the problems.

Events

Nature Alberta's Annual General Meeting and Conservation Issues Workshop. April 12 and 13 in Edmonton. Visit website for detailed agendas.

North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance: Educational forum focusing on municipal initiatives in the watershed, April 10th at the Executive Royal Inn, Nisku. Details and to register.

Freshwater Alliance Intensive Storytelling Workshop. Learn why and how storytelling works to move people to action. April 23, April 30, May 7 and May 28 (from 1-2 PM Eastern, 2-3 PM Pacific) webinars. Check out their other training workshops too!

The Alberta Council for Environmental Education's 2014 Earth Matters conference, April 24th - 26th in Canmore. Register by March 22nd to enter to win one of three gift cards from Mountain Equipment Co-op. Details and registration.

Alberta Water Council presents a Symposium on Exploring Water Reuse for Household, Municipal and Industrial Applications. June 25 and 26, Hotel Arts, Calgary. Details and registration. Early-bird pricing ends May 1.

Working together for Clean Water. 9th National Water Monitoring Conference. Cincinnati Ohio, April 28-May 2. Details and registration.

Stay Connected

780.702.ALMS (2567)