As IISD-ELA continues its second research field season, connecting and collaborating with organizations in the region surrounding the site has become a key goal. On July 22, IISD-ELA welcomed representatives from the Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association (LOWDPOA) to IISD-ELA for a tour of the field station.

 

Coming from Kenora with a convoy of cars bouncing down the gravel road into IISD-ELA, 24 members of LOWDPOA arrived, eager to learn about freshwater science, environmental research and whole-ecosystem experimentation. Over the course of the day, the visitors received an intimate look at the work conducted by our researchers.

 

The LOWDPOA is an organization with over 4,000 members, dedicated to sustainability in the Lake of the Woods region. LOWDPOA aims to foster environmental sustainability through communal actions and responsibilities, so that future residents of the region can continue to enjoy life on the lake. With such goals in mind, members of LOWDPOA set out to learn more about what really makes IISD-ELA’s research into freshwater and approach to sustainability issues unique.

 

On arrival, the LOWDPOA members were divided into groups and taken to different stations around the research facility. The first station consisted of a tour of IISD-ELA’s world-class labs. Along the way, visitors spoke with researchers about everything from fish surgery to the ongoing research on nanosilver.

 

Next, they learned about some of the methods used by IISD-ELA researchers to gather information about lake ecosystems. On the shore of Lake 240, researchers demonstrated how to sample for zooplankton (small organisms living in the water column); test water clarity, temperature and oxygen levels; and even how to catch fish for research using a large net called a seine.

 

The final station of the tour was a visit to our meteorological site. Continuously operating since 1969, the meteorological site monitors temperature, wind, precipitation and air quality, among other environmental factors. The group learned about the different tools used to collect meteorological data, and what long-term monitoring can tell us about changes to our environment.

Todd Sellers is a past president of LOWDPOA and was a graduate student at the Experimental Lakes Area (as it was known then) from 1992–1995. Now the executive director of the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation, he was happy to have the opportunity to return on this tour.

 

“Much has changed,” says Sellers, “but a lot hasn’t.” After spending the day touring the research station, Sellers noted that, above all, the research team’s dedication to their work remains. “The heart and soul of ELA is the passion of the research community,” he says.

 

As the day came to an end, the group packed up their cars and began heading back to Kenora. Along the way, they stopped at Lakes 626 and 627 to hear about IISD-ELA’s research on climate change. Here, water flows to Lake 626 have been reduced to mimic conditions that might be seen with climate change, enabling researchers to study effects on available habitat for coldwater fish species, such as lake trout, among other topics. Afterwards, the LOWDPOA members continued home, filled with thoughts on sustainability and the importance of environmental research.

 

We would like to thank the representatives from LOWDPOA for visiting IISD-ELA!