I love lakes. I always have. In large part that is because I have spent summers at a lake all my life.  Darby Nelson, the author of For Love of Lakes, describes the uplifting sensation that he feels when he nears a lake and gets the scent of the lake.  I feel that too no matter what lake I am near. About fifteen years ago, I became aware that 'my' lake was changing and not in a positive way. That started me on a steep learning curve to find out everything I could about lakes and to network with others who were experts on lakes and those who were also seeing the same deterioration in 'their' lakes. This experience has given me a great appreciation of lakes and this has become even more enhanced after reading Nelson's unique introduction to the world of lakes.

 

Book Review by Margart Glaford, ALMS Director. 

Nelson, Darby. For Love of Lakes. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2012. 255 Pages. 

 

Nelson, an aquatic ecologist and college instructor, relates that people, in general, seem to love lakes in that they flock to lakeshores on nice days, they swim in them and do water sports on them, and many people pay large sums of money for residential lots on them.  He voices a paradox though, in that, although these people 'love' their lakes, they not only allow but also participate in the lake's deterioration.  Throughout the book he proceeds to shed more light on this paradox while at the same time leading the reader through a fascinating account ofthe formation, geology, anthropology, botany, zoology, ecology and human perception of lakes... Read more about For The Love of Lakes

 

  

Book Review by Bradley Peter, LakeWatch Coordinator

Schindler, D.W. and J.R. Valentine. The Algal Bowl:

Overfertilization of the Worlds Freshwaters and Estuaries. University of Alberta Press, 2004. 348 Pages.

not have to be a scientist to understand the material; in fact, the first four chapters do a great job of thoroughly explaining many basic concepts in limnology - everything from thermal stratification to trophic cascades. Later chapters explore topics such as the history of the phosphate detergent controversy, whole-lake experiments on over-fertilization, paleolimnology, and, perhaps of most interest to Albertans, methods for recovery from eutrophication. Taking all of this information in can make the issue of eutrophication seem rather complicated, yet the message at the end of the book is quite clear and simple: in order to manage eutrophication we must limit the amount of phosphorus entering our lakes. To do this, we require informed decision making, and reading The Algal Bowl is certainly a great way to become informed. 

Both books are recommended to anyone who wants to know more about lakes and the causes of cultural eutrophication. Also, these books would make a great Christmas gift for those with a passion for lakes. Both are available from major booksellers.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Alberta Water Quality Awareness 2012. Over 1700 people, including students, families, and landowners, collected water quality results from 255 sites across Alberta as part of this province-wide education and awareness event. 

 

Much of this effort was done by groups hosting an AWQA event. We'd like to spotlight the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance's Lake Days: 

 

"This Spring and Summer the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance, with the support of

AWQA Sampling at a Lake Day Event. Photo: Red Deer River Watershed Alliance

RDRMUG's (Red Deer River Municipal Users Group), hosted Four Lake Days within our watershed to promote AWQA. We went out to four different areas within our watershed, working with communities to build awareness of water quality issues..." Joey Temple, Outreach Coordinator 

To read more and see more photos click here! 

 

This year's Participant Summary Report is now available and includes sampling results, photos, and commentary. Click Here to Download PDF (5.5 MB). Note: if you have difficulty downloading the PDF and would like to be mailed a hard copy, please email us with your contact information and we'd be happy to mail you one. To download the maps by themselves and for additional maps specific to the major watersheds please visit awqa.ca.

Under ice video: Posted November 22, 2012 by John Acorn

Iced Under

Help to recognize, celebrate and inspire environmental excellence in Alberta. Nominate an individual or group for an Emerald Award.     

Also, Earth Day Canada offers cash awards to environmental leaders, groups, or small business who foster meaningful, long-term community awareness and action through its Hometown Heros Program.

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