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A guide to Saturday’s lakes conference — and why it matters to you
2/1/2012 12:25:38 PM
By Kelly Moore
Splash Staff Writer
Four lake associations walked into a bar, and what emerged is no joke. From an initial event held in a bar 11 years ago to talk about the trials and triumphs of lake management, a Regional Lakes Conference emerged.
"That's where the idea was sparked to get all the local lake associations together to talk about what's going on at their lake," Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District Lake Protection Manager and Water Resource Manager BiJay Adams said. "It's now geared toward citizens, lake residents and lake associations. It's not a technical conference, and we've specifically tailored this one to be for the layman and everyday lake users."
Approximately 150 of these laymen who already reserved a spot will be attending the 11th annual Regional Lakes Conference Saturday at Spokane Community College free of charge. While the event is now partly geared toward sparking ideas and looking for creative ways to solve age-old problems, it's also intended to spark interest in others with only minimal lake knowledge. Not only does the LLSWD coordinate the conference, Adams said many of the issues should appeal to residents of the Liberty Lake community.
"It's not highly technical," Adams explained. "We drop out all the data graphs and scientific plots so it's more tailored to residents. Somebody coming in not knowing a lot is going to be learning something and wanting to come back." Advertisement
Adams said he brings in speakers throughout the region to speak on varied topics, all of which others can take away new information and ideas. Every year, the program is different and provides new information on cutting-edge management techniques as well as hot topics in the world of lake management.
"You learn from what other lake associations are doing, and they learn from you," he explained. "It's kind of a give and take, sharing activity we have on lake management."
As an example, he explained a particular lake management's experience battling an invasive species could provide other lake associations valuable insight. This year, conference speakers will discuss everything from new technology to volunteer opportunities.
"That's really what these conferences are about," Adams said. "No matter how knowledgeable people are beforehand, I think everyone will leave having learned something, and they'll be wanting to come back next year to see what's on the program."
In fact, Adams said returning conference attendees are exactly what have grown the event over the years to its present size. Last year was the first time to reach the capacity of 150 ahead of schedule. Adams had to turn people away, and this year is following a similar pattern.
Adams sat down with The Splash to fill in what conference-shy residents might miss this year, and why they may look to attend next year. With a little imagination, travel through Saturday's itinerary with the following summary of sessions and why Adams believes they are important to residents of a community built around a lake.
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9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
Location: Spokane Community College Lair, Student Union Building
1810 N. Greene Street, Spokane, Wash.
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11th Annual Lakes Conference
9 - 9:20 a.m: Sign in
Organizers have worked out all the registration kinks over the last decade to ensure a smooth process.
9:20 - 9:30 a.m.: Welcome
Adams plans to warm up the crowd with a shout out to sponsors and fellow organizers.
9:30 - 10 a.m.: Changes in the plankton community in Pend Oreille Lake in the last 150 years: A paleolimnological analysis
Paleolim-what? Basically, this is fancy way of talking about a study of inland freshwaters - in this case, Pend Oreille Lake - by reconstructing how the makeup of this community might have looked in the past and changed over time.
The presentation is from the research firm Advanced Eco-Solutions. Adams said the session is intended to give a look at what lake associations really haven't been monitoring long term.
"It helps you understand what you might expect to see in the future in terms of changes in the food web dynamics of a particular lake," Adams explained.
The food web, he said, starts with the plankton community and branches out to reach fish as well as invasive species.
Why someone living in Liberty Lake might care:
"This could appeal to a wide range of people," Adams said. "It could impact fisherman. The food web depends on what type of species will be planted or what types of species game and fish agencies would try to promote for recreation. Really, though, it impacts any and all lake users in terms of water quality."
10 - 10:30 a.m.: IDAH2O: Master water stewards serving Idaho through volunteer monitoring
The day continues with information on a University of Idaho Extension Office community involvement program. Adams said Idaho has implemented an intensive volunteer monitoring program. This presentation outlines that program.
Adams said similar programs have been tried in numerous local regions, and the Spokane County Conservation District has a volunteer monitoring program it still runs.
"Volunteer monitoring is just citizens getting out and monitoring water on lakes and rivers or streams," Adams explained. "In the Spokane County Conservation District program, they would go to the conservation district to pick up the equipment and they would set up their own monitoring stations with (the district's) guidance and then collect the water."
Volunteers also document water quality parameters and then report back to the conservation district. The information is then considered to be open-source data available for everybody's use.
Why someone living in Liberty Lake might care:
A similar program has run before in Liberty Lake, though it fizzled out after public interest waned. Still, Adams said reviving the program isn't out of the question and it could appeal to many residents looking for an out-of-the-ordinary volunteer experience.
"It might just appeal to those who are interested in getting involved and like to do more than attend meetings - those people who like to be outside, involved and want to educate and learn more," Adams said. "I don't think they're all very scientifically minded."
10:30 - 10:45 a.m.: Break to thank sponsors
The conference has 27 sponsors this year making the event free to anyone interested in attending. Many of the sponsors are local lake associations or lake property owners associations, but others include businesses like Avista, Inland Empire Paper and Inland Water Pest Control and Consulting.
Every sponsor will have the opportunity to set up a table and, during the break, attendees can pick up more information on each entity.
Why someone living in Liberty Lake might care:
"We wanted to keep it free so that we could appeal to citizens," Adams explained. "We're really tailoring to those individuals who really don't have the funds or desire to attend a large conference where registration can be $300 to $500."
10:45 - 11:15 a.m.: Do you know your lake? The Loon Lake Story
During the third breakout session, those who manage Loon Lake will share what they've done and what they've learned - their trials and triumphs.
The Loon Lake Land Conservancy was incorporated in 2002 as a non-profit corporation to acquire property and conservation easements in the watershed and oversee the property interests. It works together with the Loon Lake Lake Management Association to preserve watershed quality.
Why someone living in Liberty Lake might care:
"They have the management association, but there's also Loon Lake Land Conservancy, and I believe they also have a property owners association," Adams explained. "There's a lot of overlap, and they've worked together to do a lot of things."
Residents, as well as management entities may learn new ways to work together to protect the things they like most about Liberty Lake.
11:15 - 11:45 a.m.: Hayden Lake project - floating treatment wetlands
Adams said the Kootenai Environmental Alliance is planning to implement floating wetlands for uptake of nutrients in Hayden Lake within the next year.
The idea is similar to a floating dock with wetland plants floating inside it consuming nutrients in the water. Adams said they've been tried on golf courses before with some success.
Why someone living in Liberty Lake might care:
"That's new technology that is coming forward, and everyone is interested to learn if that's going to be a success or not and how it'll work," he explained. "If Hayden Lake is doing something like that and we can learn more about it and it's good, maybe we can try it here. That is an example of what I meant when I was talking about learning from each other and getting ideas from other lake management entities."
11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Lunch
Attendees may choose between veggie or meat lasagna and thanks to event sponsors, it's free.
12:15 - 12:45 p.m.: Beaver as agents of water storage and restoration
The discussion of beaver populations throughout the region is planned as a sounding board for area agencies and residents to fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of the critters.
Adams said The Lands Council, who will lead the discussion, has also been active in beaver relocation and using beavers as agents for water storage.
"It's something we all can definitely learn from," Adams said. "There are other lake associations where beaver dams have blocked their outlets causing lake flooding. If you ask that group, they absolutely hate them. Then you have other associations where they are beneficial and doing things like restoration of wetlands - which is how they're viewed in Liberty Lake. We might be more on the side of loving them."
Why someone living in Liberty Lake might care:
"It's a pretty hot topic and can be very controversial," Adams explained. "This one directly hits home to Liberty Lake because we have a lot of beaver activity up here. … There are some trees along the lake that have been lost because of the beavers. On the flipside of that, there are some residents who enjoy their company and what they're doing for our watershed."
12:45 - 1 p.m.: Dessert Break
It's as awesome as it sounds - free assorted desserts.
1 - 1:30 p.m.: Update on Coeur d'Alene basin natural resource restoration team
Adams explained a restoration effort going on in the Coeur d'Alene basin to repair damages from mining activities.
Why someone living in Liberty Lake might care:
"We'll discuss the role that has on water quality - not just the Coeur d'Alene river system, but also Coeur d'Alene Lake and the migration of those trace metals down into the Spokane River and beyond," Adams said. "It's in the Spokane River, so it does have effect on the Liberty Lake region."
1:30 - 2 p.m.: Education and outreach needs assessment for the Coeur d'Alene Lake Management plan
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality will report on the results of a phone and doorbelling campaign where they gathered people's perspectives of what they thought about mining and the Coeur d'Alene Lake and water quality. They also asked what residents needed or desired from the lake.
Why someone living in Liberty Lake might care:
"It's always interesting to see those in programs because we've done a number of education surveys and things," Adams said. "It's always nice to get an idea for how people feel about things, and maybe we'll queue in some questions we might want to use in the future."
As the conference comes to a close, attendees will have time to ask questions, gather information and leave feedback for the next conference.
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