A Canada wide organization is encouraging and inviting people to help take care of their local lakes.
The National Lake Blitz is an annual citizen-science program that encourages the widespread monitoring of lakes using simple tools. This will be third year this event is being held. It encourages residents to learn about the various environmental effects that lakes can have on their surrounding ecosystems, as well as what factors can have a harmful impact on lakes.
Those who sign up for this program will receive a Lake Blitz Standard Kit. These kits contain various tools that can help keep track of the health of a lake. The tools include a thermometer, tape measure, field guide, and datasheets. Living Lakes Canada will provide free online training on how to conduct lake monitoring using the kit, from data collection to data entry.
The Yellowknife area is home to approximately twenty lakes. The Great Slave Lake happens to be the second largest lake in Canada, and the deepest lake in North America with a depth of 616 metres.
The lake monitoring season will run from May to September, and all the data collected will be uploaded to the Lake Blitz Observation Map, which can be viewed in real-time. Volunteers will also receive a monthly newsletter and will be invited to monthly online workshops featuring expert guest speakers who will present on a range of topics relevant to lake monitoring.
Registration is open now, and runs until May 1st, or until the Lake Blitz Kits run out. More information, as well as the registration site, can be found by clicking here.
