PSU Magazine Spring 1995

info rmation we need. We're at a crucial stage. ome of the e lakes need additional tudy or re toration programs." Among the lakes studied are the T enmile Lakes just south of Reedsport, which comprise the most heav ily used O regon Coast recreational lake area. O ther key tudy areas includ C ullaby Lake south of A toria, Woahink Lake south of Florence, Lake of the Woods east of Medfo rd , Wallowa Lake in northea t Oregon, Dev ils Lake north of Lincoln C ity, and Trillium, Cast and Mirror Lakes near Mount Hood . "We'd like to have more lakes in eastern Oregon monitored, but that's been limited by travel time from Portland and the fact that there are more lakes and lake users on the west ide of the state," Sytsma ays. Volunteer include retired college pr fe ors, choo lteachers, and ex-truck drivers. "The level of interest in protecting a lake is usually tied to the number of peop le using it," says Richard Petersen, P U biology professor and C itizen Lake Watch project upervisor. "Many of the volunteers live on or near the lake they moni tor. They have an intense per onal interest in the lake ." Volunteers-and Syt ma himself– monitor a lake's clarity and water temperature on a regular basis. They also collect water and vegetation samples, and make deta iled ob ervation of a lake' color, general appearance, and u·e by waterfowl. Volunteers also observe human activities near a lake (su h as development, timber harvesting, or road building) that could have a direct impact on a lake's water quality. "The volunteers also have been a big help in expanding public education in this area. The unusual thing i that the citizens themse lves have been promoting things to improve water quality," Peter en says. Some volunteers, fo r example, are trying to convince lake-area res idents to hook into loca l sewer ystem , which can greatly improve a lake's water quality. T he mm t commonly '<pan ed problem, according to Sytsma, is aquatic weed that hinder fishing or boat use. lncrea ed weed growth can result from eutrophication, a condition in which nutrients and sedi– ment may accumulate in a lake, caus– ing non -native plants to compete fo r pace and oxygen with other plant or animal spec ies. Out-of-state boats and motors occa ionally transplant un– wanted non-native plants into O regon 's lakes. State official are espec ially on the lookout for hydrilla, a highly inva ive aquatic we d. As far as is known, hydrilla ha n 't invaded Oregon yet, but the weed has been reported in California, and it could just be a matter of time befor the nox ious plant find its way to O regon. The O regon Department of Agriculture ha given a one- time, $1 7 ,000 grant to P U o that Sytsma and voluntee r can watch fo r hydrilla and come up with a statewide contin– gency plan should the weed become a problem in O regon. 'The C itizen Lake Watch program provide us with a nice opportunity to have volunteers make ob erva tions so we can detect hydrilla," says Denni l aacson, upervi or of the agriculture department's nox ious wee I control division. "We knew we could ea ily adapt this program to help fill our detection nee<l ." Syt ma, who e academic back– ground incl ude the tud y of aquat ic weeds, has erved a · a va luable technica l aJ vi er to state weed control and environmental quality ffic ial . Volunteer efforts al o have enabled DEQ to obtain federa l funds fo r more extensive lake studies and management plan . Volunteer Janette Cool by, for example, helped prov ide data that convinced EPA officials to allot $10,000 for a lake improvement work plan at C ullaby Lake. The work plan could lead to a more involved 250,000 C ullaby Lake restoration plan. However, the future of uch a study– and of the C iti zen Lake Watch program itse lf-could be jeopardized by new fiscal constra ints facing the EPA and other federa l agencies targeted for budget-cutting by the Republican– controlled Congress. Mark Sytsma has hundreds of algae and lake water samples that await test· ing, stored in his office in Science Building I on campus. "EPA has allocated funds fo r C itizen Lake Watch fo r 1995 , but those are on hold right now," Sytsma says. "Thi is a real crucial time fo r us." Avis Newell, lake water quality specialist fo r the DEQ, ays 1t1zen Lake Watch has become even more valuable as the state agency face taffing and fi ca l limitation - particularly when it comes to lake monitoring. "We find the Lake Watch program a real good re ource. There' not another moni toring program that' funded by the state," ewell says. For more in fo rmation about C itizen Lake Watch, contact Mark Sytsma at 725-3833, or write to Sytsma in care of the O regon Lakes Assoc iation, P.O. Box 5 6, Portland , OR 97207. D SPRING 1995 17