Announcement and Call for Presentations & Posters

9th International Lake of the Woods Water Quality Forum

When: March 7-8, 2012

• March 7 will feature focused working groups and meetings of collaborative groups working in the watershed.  The Foundation Reception and Poster Session will take place the evening of March 7.
• March 8 will feature a full day of symposium presentations.  

Where: Rainy River Community College, International Falls, MN.

Overview: Professional symposium intended for researchers and resource managers working and/or interested in research and management activities related to the Lake of the Woods and Rainy River Basin.

This year’s Special Session “Climate Change: From Impact to Adaptation” will feature keynote speakers:

• Dr. David Pearson,  Laurentian University
• Dr. Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota
  

Abstract Deadline: January 13, 2012.  Please submit the following to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Presenter Information:  Name, Research Organization or Agency, Mailing Address, Telephone, Email, Brief Bio

Submittal Information:  Author(s), Presentation or Poster, Title (or area of research), Abstract

• The Foundation will be presenting an award for the best student poster with the award presented during the Foundation reception and poster session, evening of March 7.

Registration: Online registration will open in December.  Registration cost is the same as last year ($50). Register by February 10, 2012 to get the "Early-Bird" Rate of $40.  Major credit cards accepted for online payment of registration fees. If you prefer, you may choose pay later options during registration (Pay at door, Mail in payment, Purchase Order) but please complete the online registration.

Contact For More Information:

• Todd Sellers (866) 370-8891 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Nolan Baratono (218) 283-2240 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Andrew Paterson (705) 766-2951 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

2012 Organizing Committee:

• Todd Sellers, Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation
• Nolan Baratono,  Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Andrew Paterson, Ontario Ministry of Environment
• Matt Julius, Minnesota St. Cloud State University
• Kelli Saunders, Kelli Saunders Environmental Management
• Ryan Maki, Voyageurs National Park
• Tim Pascoe, Environment Canada
• Jesse Anderson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Kelly Sjerven, Rainy River Community College

Proceedings of the previous Forums are available at:
www.lowwsf.com/press-a-events/water-quality-forum/proceedings.html

Please pass this first announcement and call for papers on to others who may be interested in attending or presenting at the Forum.

I hope to see you at the 9th International Lake of the Woods Water Quality Forum, March 7-8, 2012 in International Falls!

Todd Sellers
Executive Director
Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation
(866) 370-8891 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The International Joint Commission will hold public hearings August 15-20 on the final report of its International Lake of the Woods and Rainy River Watershed Task Force.  The Task Force Report to the IJC makes recommendations on how the United States and Canada could work together to better manage water quality, water quantity, and related issues in the international Lake of the Woods and Rainy River watershed.

Our Foundation will be appearing at these hearings and making submissions aimed at improving upon the recommendations contained in the Task Force report.

It is the position of our Foundation that the Task Force Recommendations are a good starting point for building an international watershed framework for the future but by no means do they go far enough. Read our full response here  LOWWSF Submission To IJC Hearings

In summary:

• They provide a launching point for further defining an effective watershed governance model for our basin. 
• We strongly support the Task Force recommendation to create a new IJC International Watershed Initiative Board with pollution authorities for Lake of the Woods. 
• However, this needs to be developed further to define a cohesive and unified governance model for our basin. Effectively we need and orchestra leader and this should be the proposed new International Watershed Board.
• More can and should be done to simplify, unify and integrate existing structures and mechanisms into a cohesive and unitary coordination framework for water management. 

The Foundation will be appearing at these hearings to make submissions to improve upon the recommendations in the Task Force Report. 

The Task Force Report and recommendations for the future of Lake of the Woods can be dowloaded here. 

Please attend and make your voices know -- this is your "one in a hundred years" chance to be heard and make sure that the IJC gets it right for the next 100 years!

The IJC Commissioners will hold hearings at the following dates and locations:

Efforts to restore Lake of the Woods water quality and the role of the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation are highlighted in Ontario Environment Minister John Wilkinson's Annual Report on Drinking Water  for 2010.

About the Kallemeyn Award

The Kallemeyn Award recognizes outstanding professional achievement in scientific research or resource management in the Lake of the Woods and Rainy River watersed. This award is named in honour of its first recipient, Larry Kallemeyn, USGS (retired), who throughout his career, made significant contributions to scientific understanding, resource management and collaborative and cooperative approches in the watershed.

The Larry Kallemeyn Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated in the Lake of the Woods and Rainy River watershed:

• outstanding professional achievement in scientific research or resource management
• significant contributions to collaborative and cooperative approaches to research or resource management

The Award is presented by the Foundation at the International Lake of the Woods Water Quality Forum when there’s a deserving recipient as determined by the selection committee.

The selection committee consists of researchers and resource managers from both Canada and the United States and a representative of the Foundation's board.  The selection committee reviews peer nominations annually. Where a deserving recipient is identified, the Kallemeyn award is presented by the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation at the International Lake of the Woods Water Quality Forum.

Previous Recipients

• 2011 - Tom Mosindy, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
• 2010 - Nolan Baratono, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• 2009 - Bev Clark, Hutchinson Environmental Services, Ontario Ministry of Environment (retired)
• 2008 - Larry Kallemeyn, USGS Voyageurs National Park (retired)