Shallow Lakes Forum VII: Enhancement Planning & Case Studies
April 5, 2010
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Keynote Speaker: Dr. John Downing of Iowa State University
John Downing is a professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, and the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University. He is also an adjunct professor at Itasca Community College where he is helping create a water quality technology program, has opened a certified water quality lab, and started a lake monitoring and diagnostic program. His research interests include limnology, aquatic ecology, terrestrial ecology, microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, population conservation, and whole ecosystem restoration and management. John is a past member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, current candidate for ASLO President, an invited member of the North American Nitrogen Center, has advised many policy-makers and citizens groups concerning water quality management, and is a frequent consultant to firms and boards regionally, nationally, and internationally. He received his BS from Hamline University (St. Paul, MN), his MS from NDSU (Fargo, ND) and his PhD from McGill University (Montreal, Canada). He was formerly a professor at McGill University and the University of Montreal where he was Director of the Laurentian Biological Station. He has been at ISU since 1995 and runs the Iowa State University Limnology Lab, has run the state Lake Survey since 2000, and is the principal source of diagnostic-feasibility studies for the State of Iowa.
www.public.iastate.edu/~downing/
limnology.eeob.iastate.edu/lakereport
See the full conference agenda here.
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You are invited!
Shallow Lake Forum VII: Enhancement Planning & Case Studies
The development of solid and objective management plans for Minnesota's shallow lakes is not a new concept; however, the reality has been that these shallow systems create very difficult and often times contentious management scenarios. Shallow Lakes Forum VII is designed to provide participants an opportunity to visit with professional resource managers and learn from real project successes and obstacles. This conference will focus on the lessons learned from real projects. Professional resource managers with real-world experience implementing projects will discuss the common impediments and solutions to these impediments, when implementing projects. In additional to technical impediments, the legal issues associated with altering lake water levels and land rights will be discussed.
A one-hour open question and answer period will bring a new twist to the forum this year. A panel of resource managers will be available to answer technical, legal, land use, and similar questions you may have about shallow lakes.
Shallow lakes in Minnesota have been deemed one of our most at-risk habitat types and as we develop these areas, we need to do our best to utilize the best planning processes that we have at our disposal. We hope you will join us for this workshop on creating and implementing shallow lake management plans.
Who should attend?
The 2010 Shallow Lakes Forum is geared toward anyone that has an interest in, or may be responsible for, shallow lake management planning and/or plan development and implementation. We anticipate that this year's forum will be most beneficial to natural resource planners, lake association members, local government officials (such as planning and zoning staff, water planners, and elected officials), and conservation-minded citizens looking to engage in and/or enhance local lake management planning processes. Although geared to shallow lakes, much of the workshop could readily be applied to other types of waterbodies and watersheds as well. Hope to see you there.
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Why should I attend the Shallow Lakes Forums?
Minnesota's shallow basins are an important component of our prairie pothole region ecology. As such, shallow waters are an important component to watershed function including water quality, wildlife population, and surface hydrology trends. Shallow basins are ultimately impacted to a greater degree by our activities on the land that deeper waters - therefore, through our own actions, many deepwater wetlands and shallow lakes have disappeared or are degraded beyond functional capacity. Learning to better manage these shallow systems is critical to their sustainability. These forums help us educate ourselves about the impacts that we have on our watersheds that subsequently influence the health of our shallow basins and how to manage them better.
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Forum participants will:
1) Improve their understanding of how shallow lake functions are influenced by land use practices and drainage,
2) Obtain knowledge about the value of shallow lakes in our water quality management efforts (including the future
of shallow lakes in the TMDL arena),
3) Learn about management tactics that could benefit the health of our shallow lakes, and
4) elevate understanding and awareness about shallow lake water quality, how what happens on the land impacts
the water, and what shallow lake water quality trends mean to society, the economy, and the environment.
Forum Sponsors will:
1) Gain a better understanding of the values different stakeholders place on their shallow lake resources,
2) Improve modes of communication among shallow lakes stakeholders, and
3) Have an opportunity to facilitate a meaningful dialogue about the future of shallow lakes AND land management,
policy, and development strategies.
Why are shallow lakes an important issue?
Shallow lakes are critically important for a variety of reasons, including:
1) the sustenance of fish, invertebrate, and wildlife populations,
2) the provision of economic benefits to local economies,
3) the creation of a range of recreational opportunities,
4) the protection of water quality, and
5) the reduction of flooding impacts.
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