Concurrent Session C. Understanding Lake Tipping Points

Morning Session

* 2 Training Contact Hours are available for this session.
* 2 AICP CM credits are available for this session.

Maine’s lakes underpin local economies and provide healthy drinking water for thousands of Mainers. Lakes and watershed lands anchor quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Given their importance, it is concerning that Maine scientists feel these fragile resources may soon reach a point which could trigger precipitous change. Maine lakes and other waters would benefit from a broad-based and comprehensive approach to identifying “tipping points” and from the implementation of science-based policies before further damage is done.

There is a robust and multi-disciplinary community of academic researchers, state and federal agency staff, and NGOs that, if brought together in a working partnership, could be a powerful force for change. The challenge is to define specific components of a strategy and facilitate a collaborative effort to protect Maine’s waters for future generations. This session will explore research, collaborations, and initiatives that are underway or are essential to create.

Session Co-chairs:
Peter Lowell
Executive Director, Lakes Environmental Association

Dr. Ben Peierls
Research Director, Maine Lake Science Center

Speakers:

8:30am – 8:55am

A Partnership Approach to Understanding and Addressing Lake Tipping Points

Peter Lowell, Lakes Environmental Association; lakes@leamaine.org
Ben Peierls, Lakes Environmental Association; ben@leamaine.org
Linda Bacon, Maine Department of Environmental Protection; Linda.C.Bacon@maine.gov

pdf
Updated
1.18.19

The lake “tipping points” concept emerged from observations that lake water quality can suddenly and dramatically deteriorate given the “wrong” mix of conditions. A movement is underway in Maine to better understand those conditions and increase advocacy for lake protection. Both Social and Physical Sciences are being utilized in a multifaceted approach to 1) expand lake monitoring, 2) answer specific scientific questions about lake vulnerability, 3) explore characteristics that motivate stakeholders, 4) educate lake users, watershed residents, and municipal officials, and 5) enact policy changes that align with scientific knowledge of how lakes work. This process will empower lake advocates, stimulate research, and promote protection policies at all governmental levels. For long-term sustainability, standards and behavior may need to change to adequately protect the State’s freshwater resources. The challenge is matching science with policy before more Maine lakes pass their tipping points.

This emerging movement is called “The Maine Lakes Collaborative” because of the rich partnerships being developed. Its evolution, initiatives and issues will be described. One anticipated product of the Collaborative will be a dynamic, living document to guide long-term protection of Maine’s lakes by providing a powerful action plan for the myriad groups, agencies, institutions, and individuals working for lake sustainability. Another partnership outcome will be the creation of several science hubs like the newly-created Maine Lake Science Center which is working to improve water quality monitoring through new field measurements and expanded analytical capabilities. These regional hubs will facilitate and oversee specific efforts relevant to Collaborative goals.

9:00am – 9:25am

Maine Lake Vulnerability Index: The Past to the Future

Linda Bacon, Maine Department of Environmental Protection; Linda.C.Bacon@maine.gov
Steve Norton, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, UMaine; norton@maine.edu
Aria Amirbahman, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UMaine; ariaa@maine.edu
Jeremy Deeds, Maine Department of Environmental Protection; Jeremy.Deeds@maine.gov
Firooza Pavri, Director, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine; Firooza.Pavri@maine.edu

pdf
Updated
1.18.19

Lake vulnerability has different meanings for different people and programs. This talk will focus on attributes that make a Maine lake susceptible to eutrophication. Maine is blessed with approximately 2,700 lakes and ponds greater than 10 acres in size. Over the past half-century, some lakes (e.g., Sebasticook Lake, China Lake, Lake Auburn) have rapidly transitioned or ‘tipped’ from oligotrophy or mesotrophy to eutrophy seemingly overnight. Hydrology, sediment geochemistry, historic/current watershed characteristics such as land-use and population, all play a role in this process. A new lake vulnerability index must combine these attributes such that lakes near critical transitions can be identified and prioritized for protection.

Maine’s leadership in lake protection began by establishing classification standards that prohibit new discharges into lakes, promoting fishable/swimmable designated uses, enacting statewide shoreline standards, requiring permits for activities that disturb the land near water and upland development, which all have provided a good foundation. Modeling of lake vulnerability based on hydrological characteristics provided a basis for review of development, and with the addition of town growth data, yielded the Lakes Most at Risk list under the Stormwater Law. Current research is providing insight into geochemical controls on sediment phosphorus release, approaches to evaluating human impact, and, what motivates stakeholder stewardship engagement in the protection of Maine waters. This talk will review how our understanding of lake vulnerability has evolved and what will be incorporated in the Lake Vulnerability Index Version 2.0.

9:30am – 9:55am

Crossing a Threshold into Solutions-oriented Research: Strategies for linking interdisciplinary science with policy action for lake resilience

Bridie McGreavy, Assistant Professor of Environmental Communication, University of Maine; bridie.mcgreavy@maine.edu
Linda Silka, Senior Fellow at the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine; lndsilka7@gmail.com

pdf
Updated
1.18.19

The Maine Lakes Collaborative is a network of organizations that formed in response to pressing challenges related to lake sustainability in Maine, New England, and beyond. In lake-dominated landscapes, the biophysical issues related to land use, erosion, invasive species, habitat degradation, and water quality decline can be immediately obvious. A milfoil-infested or algae-dominated lake is a highly visible marker of ecosystem degradation. These types of biophysical issues command our attention as we grapple with how to effectively mitigate impacts, restore the system, and prevent similar declines in other lakes. Our governance institutions, including agencies such as the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Health and Human Services, also have missions that focus attention on biophysical threats, such as run-off and septic waste. However, as groups seek to identify policy solutions to land use, water quality, and related issues they quickly encounter the vexing challenge of dealing with the human dimension. We know that what we observe in the water is connected to actions people take on land, but how do we account for and change these actions for lake sustainability? How do we approach lakes as integrated social-ecological systems in both research and in policy? What does an integrated, resilience-focused approach mean for the science we conduct, the people we involve, and the policies we pursue?

This talk addresses these questions and draws on our experiences working in related social-ecological systems across New England where we have identified and implemented strategies for advancing interdisciplinary science to support policy action for decision making related to shellfishing, dams, wetlands, and toxins. We will sketch out a potential research agenda that treats social science and biophysical science as integrated and essential to creating a dynamic and enriched understanding of lake systems and policies that promote lake resilience.

10:00am – 10:25am

Developing and Implementing Effective Policies to Protect Lakes

Colin Holme Lakes Environmental Association; colin@leamaine.org
Garrison Beck, Director of Water Conservation, Midcoast Conservancy; garrison@midcoastconservancy.org 

pdf
Updated
1.18.19

Towns are responsible for implementing many lake protection laws and internal municipal politics and personalities play a critical role in how these regulations are administered. Similarly, the level of implementation of state regulations designed to protect surface waters also changes based on the political objectives, funding and staff time constraints.

Local and state regulations also receive varying levels of support based on overall community acceptance and support. Even with similar administrative frameworks, those laws that appear overly onerous to the general public are often enforced less stringently than regulations that have strong public backing. This simple truism should not be overlooked when crafting new laws, pursuing violations of existing laws or in communication with the public or officials.

If lake advocates want a strong framework for protecting the state’s water resources then three things are needed: Easily understandable and accessible regulations, tools for regulators to monitor compliance and strong public support.

This talk will focus on methods to build this framework and possible hurdles that lie ahead. Potential ways to improve state and local regulations will be discussed as well as the effectiveness of some common standards. Avenues for developing community support on lake related issues are another critical component of successful policy initiatives that will be discussed.