Alberta Lake Management Society was formed in 1991 and works to promote understanding and comprehensive management of lakes and reservoirs and their watersheds.

LakeWatch is one of the several programs offered by ALMS. LakeWatch is a volunteer-based water quality monitoring program available to Albertans who are interested in collecting information about their local lake or reservoir. If you are interested in the program, continue reading or visit the ALMS website to learn more. 

 

Volunteers needed in the Fox Creek/Whitecourt Area

In 2015, the Alberta Lake Management Society (ALMS) is excited to bring LakeWatch, our citizen-science based water quality monitoring program, to northwestern Alberta – there’s just one problem: we need volunteers! Funding through Environment Canada will allow ALMS to conduct volunteer-based monitoring and education activities in the Whitecourt/Fox Creek region of the province. While the relationship with volunteers, which LakeWatch relies on, is one of the program’s greatest strengths (volunteers gain a basic education in limnology, learn how lake sampling is completed, take ownership of the data, and feel empowered to become stewards of the environment), it can also serve as the program’s greatest crux if the volunteers don’t exist.  

Volunteering with the LakeWatch program is simple: all you require is a boat, some time, and an interest in science and the environment. ALMS staff meet with volunteers five times throughout the summer and work together to collect lake water quality data. Afterwards, the data is compiled into easy-to-understand reports which are made available on the ALMS website.

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LakeWatch monitoring in action. Photo courtesy of ALMS   

In 2014, the Whitecourt/Fox Creek area of the province saw blue-green algae advisories issued for Shiningbank Lake, Smoke Lake, and Iosegun Lake. Are such advisories normal for these lakes or have these lakes changed over time? What is driving these cyanobacteria blooms? What can watershed residents do to help? These are all questions which LakeWatch data can help to answer.

With this project, we hope to visit lakes in the Whitecourt/Fox Creek; we hope to collect valuable lake data including information on invasive species, nutrients, cyanobacteria, and more; we hope to conduct education and outreach activities at schools and community groups; and, most of all, we hope we will find volunteers and citizen scientists to help us with this important work. 

 

If you are interested in volunteering with the LakeWatch program or you would like our education and outreach programs brought to the Fox Creek/Whitecourt area, please contact Brad at info[at]alms.ca or 780-415-9785. Volunteers are asked to contact ALMS as soon as possible or by May at the latest if they would like their lake monitored in 2015.

 

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Ross Douglas

Ross Douglas

Board Member

Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.

Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Brian Mergelas

Brian Mergelas, PhD, ICD.D

Board Member

Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market.   With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry. 

Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector. 

He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency. 

Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field. 

Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation.   As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.