2020 Summer Webinar Series

Presented by Matt Scott and Lloyd Irland; aired Friday, June 5

~Link to the recording~

Maine is fortunate to have some of the clearest and cleanest lakes in the nation, several thousand of which are in public domain. However, all of our lakes are vulnerable in varying degrees to a growing number of anthropogenic-based threats. We are part of the problem, and we have the ability to be the solution, as well. Matt Scott and Lloyd Irland share their experience and perspective on where we are, how we got here, and what can be done to ensure that our lakes will remain healthy for the enjoyment of future generations.

Matt Scott, Aquatic Biologist, Emeritus; Maine DEP, Past President of the North American Lake Management Society, is the founding father of Maine’s “Lakes Program”. He was the first biologist hired through the Maine DEP in the early 1970’s, at which time he established a lake-focused research and protection unit that soon gained widespread recognition and respect. Matt was the driving force behind the formation of the first statewide citizen lake monitoring program, which continues to this day as Lake Stewards of Maine. He currently lives in Belgrade and is a member of the Lake Stewards of Maine Advisory Board.

 

Lloyd Irland, PhD; Research Scientist, Author & Consultant has served in Maine state and local government, as a consultant, and an author writing on a range of topics concerning Maine’s natural resources. He has recently advanced the research regarding changes in the phenology of ice cover on Maine lakes.  He has been involved in these lakes for many years, serving on the Belgrade Planning Board, the Wayne Comprehensive Planning Committee and select Board, and its Conservation Commission. He is also a member of the Lake Stewards of Maine Advisory Board. Lloyd is currently writing a book on Maine’s wildland rivers, and he lives on a tributary to Androscoggin Lake in Wayne.

Lindsay Papa will be a senior at Colby College next year and is currently a summer intern with Lloyd Irland. She has assembled much of the data used in this presentation.

The Influence of A Warming Climate on Aquatic Invaders in Maine Lakes

Presented by Roberta Hill; aired Friday, June 12 at 4pm

~Link to the recording~

A warming climate will not be beneficial to our lakes. Aquatic invaders that are presently not able to survive in Maine will likely benefit from warmer lakes. Roberta Hill will discuss how the phenomenon of climate change may change our lakes as we know them.

Roberta is an aquatic ecologist and environmental educator. She has been active in the field of lake protection and community outreach in Maine for thirty years and has been instrumental in the creation and development of some of Maine’s most successful and long-standing lake education programs. 

Currently the Invasive Species Program Director for Lake Stewards of Maine, Roberta is the originator and coordinator of LSM’s internationally recognized Invasive Plant Patrol (IPP) program, through which close to 5,000 individuals (volunteers, professionals, agency personnel, students, teachers and others) have been trained to screen Maine waterbodies for the presence of invasive aquatic plants. Roberta is the principal author of the Maine Field Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plants and co-author of Citizens’ Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plant Management.

Metaphyton in Maine Lakes: What Is It? Should We Be Concerned?

Presented by Scott Williams; aired Friday, June 19 at 4pm

~Link to the recording~

For more than a decade, public anecdotal observation has suggested that metaphyton, aka green cotton candy-like filamentous algae, has been increasing in Maine lakes. But is it – and if it is, should we be concerned? Citizen scientists can play an important role in answering these persistent questions.

Scott Williams is a Limnologist with more than four decades of experience working on the assessment and protection of lakes and ponds throughout Maine. During this time, he has advised numerous local and regional lake associations, community watershed planning groups, conservation commissions, town planning boards, land trusts, and other entities focused on the protection of Maine’s aquatic resources. 

Scott has been the Executive Director of Lake Stewards of Maine since the program transitioned from state government to an independent nonprofit organization in the mid-1990’s. He is past-President and long-time Science Advisor to the Congress of Lake Associations and the Maine Lakes Society, and former co-chair of the Maine Council on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. He was a founding member of Maine’s Task Force on Invasive Aquatic Species and has served on numerous technical advisory committees in the development of lake water quality protective standards for Maine’s lakes.

Under Scott’s leadership, Lake Stewards of Maine has grown and diversified. The organization has served as a national and international model, known for its effective and creative approaches used in engaging, training, and supporting volunteers.

His work has been recognized by the US EPA, the Maine Legislature, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the North American Lake Management Society, which presented him its Technical Excellence Award in 2000.

Citizen Stewards and Maine Lakes: Collaborative Approaches for Sustainable Systems

Presented by Firooza Pavri, Ph.D.; aired  Friday, June 26 at 4pm

~Link to the recording~

Freshwater resources provide vital societal and ecosystem services.  Keeping our lakes and ponds healthy for future generations will require that we strive to gain a more nuanced understanding of the complex factors that influence their well-being.  Historically, models aimed at identifying which Maine lakes may be most vulnerable to ecosystem decline have rarely considered the role that private citizens may play in the process.  However, local citizen stewardship efforts such as water quality and invasive plant monitoring, watershed surveys, and other citizen-driven conservation and management efforts can be a major factor in determining the long-term resilience of an aquatic ecosystem.  In this webinar, Dr. Pavri will share her recent research looking at the important role that citizen lake scientists and other lake residents play in protecting Maine waters for the future, and how we can use this information to more clearly determine lake vulnerability.

Firooza Pavri, PhD, is the current Director of the Muskie School of Public Service and a Professor of Geography at the University of Southern Maine. She is originally from India and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in the Midwest, at the University of Toledo and Ohio State University, respectively.

Firooza teaches and conducts research in the area of environmental geography, with a focus on society-environment interactions, natural resource conservation and policy, sustainable development, and geospatial technologies, including remote sensing. Some of her recent research has been in collaboration with researchers from the University of Maine to assess the vulnerability of Maine lakes to water quality decline. Her part in this project considers the role of lake associations and stakeholders in data collection, monitoring, and conservation management vis-à-vis lake stewardship. 

She is also a member of the Lake Stewards of Maine Advisory Board.