― GOT FOAM? ―
Volunteers needed to report Keuka Lake foam sightings this year
It is my pleasure to introduce our scientific consulting and research business, Global Aquatic Research LLC (GAR), to the Keuka Lake Association. During the time we’ve been working in the Finger Lakes, we have been deeply impressed by the dedication of lake associations and citizen scientists who monitor water quality, steward lake health, and drive research forward. This level of involvement has allowed us to collectively accomplish research that would otherwise be impossible.
Foam research in particular presents challenges that we must work together to solve. Our work on Canandaigua Lake has shown that foam is likely produced by material released during harmful algal blooms (HABs), and that foam has the ability to concentrate algal toxins and emerging pollutants like per- and polyfluoro alkyl substances (PFAS) at higher levels than found in the lake. Recent increases in foam observed across the Finger Lakes led us to team up with Dr. Yuxin Wang at Binghamton University. We received funding from the Water Resources Institute (WRI) at Cornell University to measure PFAS in foam on Keuka, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Seneca lakes. We will be visiting each lake once this fall to take these samples.
To successfully sample Keuka Lake foam we will need citizen scientists to report foam when they observe it. We previously developed a foam reporting tool with the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association (CLWA), where anyone with the link or the app can report a foam sighting on Canandaigua Lake. As part of our WRI project, we will be expanding this tool so that other lakes such as Keuka can report foam. Observers will be able to enter their location along with a few pictures of the foam they see and some additional information about its size and appearance. Not only will this start to provide a long-term record of foam production on Keuka Lake, but it will also help us know when to sample. There will be certain days we will have set aside to sample Keuka, and if a foam report comes in on those days we can respond.
Please stay tuned for additional correspondence in the coming months; the foam reporting tool upgrades are currently in the works, and should roll out by the end of June. As soon as that happens observers can start reporting sightings immediately. Please let KLA know your interest in being a foam observer as we are beginning to compile email addresses to roll-out the tool to. We appreciate all your help and support, and look forward to working with everyone at Keuka Lake this summer!
Richard W. Smith
Stella C. Woodard
Email: globalaquaticresearch@gmail.com
