LSM Citizen Stewards and Maine Lakes: Collaborative Approaches for Sustainable Systems

Presented by Firooza Pavri, PhD Freshwater resources provide vital societal and ecosystem services. Keeping our lakes and ponds healthy for future generations will require that we strive to gain a more nuanced understanding of the complex factors that influence their well-being. Historically, models aimed at identifying which Maine lakes may be most vulnerable to ecosystem decline have rarely considered the role that private citizens may play in the process. However, local citizen stewardship efforts such as water quality and invasive plant monitoring, watershed surveys, and other citizen-driven conservation and management efforts can be a major factor in determining the long-term resilience of an aquatic ecosystem. In this webinar, Dr. Pavri will share her recent research looking at the important role that citizen lake scientists and other lake residents play in protecting Maine waters for the future, and how we can use this information to more clearly determine lake vulnerability.