Dr. David Schindler to Speak at Greater Sudbury Watershed Alliance’s Blue Green Algae Information Night – December 7th  - 7 PM  Vale Cavern at Science North

The Greater Sudbury Watershed Alliance is very pleased to announce that fresh water scientist Dr. David W. Schindler, the Killam Memorial Professor of Ecology at the University of Alberta, will be the key note speaker at their Cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae) Information night to be held December 7, 2011 at 7 pm in the Vale Cavern in Science North. In addition, Laurentian University professor Dr. Charles Ramcharan, will present his research findings on Ramsey Lake and phosphate readings and Mr. Allan McDougal from the Sudbury District Health Unit will speak to the role of the Sudbury & District Health Unit regarding Blue Green Algae.

The focus for the evening will be to educate city residents, particularly waterfront homeowners about cyanobacteria, commonly known as Blue Green Algae. A question and answer period will follow the presentations. This year was a particularly bad year in Sudbury as nine lakes fell to cyanobacteria blooms, almost a third of all the lakes in the province who experienced these blooms.

The Greater Sudbury Watershed Alliance is very pleased to have Dr. Schindler accept our invitation to speak at this year’s event. Dr. Schindler is the scientist credited with making the breakthrough discovery as to the primary cause of cyanobacteria blooms, which is now widely recognized to be phosphates. Dr. Schindler has done exemplary work in Northern Ontario, including the Experimental Lakes Region which he founded north of Thunder Bay, in which many ground breaking experiments were conducted over a nineteen year period. Dr. Schindler said Sudbury caught his attention recently when he heard of our recent city wide ban on lawn fertilizers that contain phosphates. This phosphate bylaw was presented to council by the GSWA this past summer.

The event is free and open to the public.

We thank the Wallace family, Long Lake Stewardship and several city councillors for supporting the event.

Stephen Butcher

Chair

Greater Sudbury Watershed Alliance