Mississippi Lake Ecological Modelling Project
The MLA, in partnership with the MVCA and Queens University is undertaking an Ecological Modeling project. The resulting 3D model will facilitate simulation of future states of the lake with respect to blue green algae growth. Factors such as temperature and nutrient concentration will be varied to see the impact. These ‘forecasts’ will allow a fact based approach to determining the importance of policy changes such as land use or septic re-inspection that will hopefully mitigate the impact and reduce the growth of blue green algae.
Here is the press release that announced the project launch issued by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority.
Invasive Aquatic Species Monitoring
In concert with Watersheds Canada and Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists (MVFN), MLA is undertaking a series of surveys to better catalog the state of vegetation in the lake, and to detect at the as soon as possible when various invasive species are introduced.
In addition to the cataloging effort, this project will address options for removing invasive species (where practicable) and will coordinate efforts to disseminate information on how to prevent invasive species from taking root in the first place.
Lake Map showing the locations of Invasive Species detected to date
2018 Invasive Species Survey - including consolidated 2016-2018 results
Fish Habitat Creation
In addition to aquatic vegetation and natural objects (ledges, rocks, etc.) in the lake, which provide suitable habitats for fish, the MLA is working at creating artificial habitats to place in the lake. These are akin to the artificial reefs that have been created in ocean coastal waters, and which have proven to be tremendously successful in supporting and increasing fish populations.
There's something very Canadian in listening to the haunting call of the Loon. Besides music to our ears, the Loon also provides a very good gauge of the water quality of the lake. No Loons...? Not Good! So, keeping track of the Loon population is a good way to supplement and corroborate water quality assessments from other projects.
For many years now, the MLA has been conducting an annual count of the Loon population on the lake. This project aims at improving our methods and volunteer participation, and compiling a more thorough account of populations, habitats, and behavior. For a brief history of the Loon Survey on Mississippi Lake have a look at this article.
See the latest report here: