Hello? Dr. Waterline? New and useful answering service in the works!
We are pleased to announce the inauguration of “Ask Dr Waterline,” a column in which our team of experts will respond to your burning questions about lakes by throwing cool, soothing information all over them. We will consider any general scientific and environmental, agency and policy, or aquatic health and treatment questions about lakes in Washington and Idaho, and maybe even some that don’t quite fit into those borders! If we are not familiar with a problem at a specific lake, we will try to connect you with someone who is.
News from the Board: Spring 2021
by Rob Zisette, WALPA Board President
The WALPA board meets on the first Tuesday of each month at noon. We try to summarize the current activities of six committees and several special projects in one hour. Please contact President Rob Zisette if you would like to attend a meeting.
Calling all prospective board members!
The WALPA Board is looking for new members! It’s that time of year when we urge members to join the board to support our great work and help shape WALPA’s direction. A general Board member commitment is two years with a second term added if desired. Board members agree to attend one or two monthly meetings and the annual fall conference. We are looking for individuals from diverse backgrounds — industry, non-profits, advocacy, government agencies, the private sector, academia, or other!
Virtual panel on “Careers in Freshwater” attended by regional students
by Lara Jansen, Oregon Lakes Association
On April 8th, the Oregon Lakes Association (OLA) and the Washington Lake Protection Association (WALPA), in partnership with Portland State University, hosted a virtual panel on “Careers in Freshwater.” The session, organized and moderated by OLA’s student director Lara Jansen, focused on the wide range of work being done in freshwater science and management in the Pacific Northwest.
Join us in person for the 34th Annual Conference in Richland this fall!
by Jen Oden, WALPA President-Elect
WALPA will return to the east side in 2021 to host its 34th annual conference in Richland from October 20-22. Please join us at the newly remodeled Holiday Inn Richland on the Columbia River. This year’s theme, It Takes a Village, was chosen to highlight the collaborative nature of our efforts to understand, protect, and restore our lakes.
Lake monitoring program persists through the pandemic
by Wafa Tafesh, Water Quality Planner, Science and Technical Support Section, King County Water and Land Resources Division
The 2020 Lake Stewardship monitoring season was unusual to say the least. When routine annual monitoring was supposed to start in May, we were already two months into lockdown amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic. At King County Water and Land Resources Division, along with many other office and on-site workers, we were directed to work from home. All over the country, large gatherings were banned and events were postponed or canceled. We all started using video call applications and Zoom fatigue set in faster than we expected.
Underwater videography proves useful for lake-wide mapping of littoral habitat
Julian D. Olden, University of Washington
The littoral zone – referring to the nearshore area of lakes where sunlight penetrates to the bottom surface – is a well-recognized hotspot for life. By virtue of its shallow, warm and light-filled waters, the littoral zone supports vibrant plant communities that in turn provide important habitat for fishes, invertebrates and shorebirds. These same attributes also attract human life to littoral zones to swim, paddle, fish, and engage in a variety of other recreational activities.
Join the Secchi Dip-In!
The Secchi Dip-In is an annual event involving water quality volunteer monitors nationwide. Equipped with their Secchi disks, volunteers have been gathering environmentally important information on 7,000 waterbodies — lakes, rivers, and estuaries — for more than 25 years. Although the Dip-In is held in July, volunteers are welcome to monitor water quality and submit data year-round!
