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FEDERATION OF ONTARIO COTTAGERS ASSOCIATIONS 13 zooplankton 300 lakes benthos 50 lakes and crayfish 100 lakes. In 1996 the Ministrys Self-Help Program evolved into the Lake Partner Program LPP that expanded in the early 2000s through partnerships with FOCA and the Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association. In partnership with FOCA the LPP provides a province-wide volunteer- based monitoring program that focuses on the water quality of Ontarios recreational lakes. The LPP is one of the largest volunteer sampling efforts of this kind. Looking Ahead Collectively observations made by DESC and partner-agency staff indicate that climate change is affecting Ontarios lakes and these effects are evident in the long-term data. Because of the complex interplay of multiple factors that determine individual lake responses DESC monitoring and reporting efforts focus on the interacting impacts of multiple stressors. This multi-stressor approach is anticipated to identify emerging issues before damage is irreversible. Ultimately these data will provide the basis for the development of scientifically sound policies that protect our inland waters. Lake Partner Program Sampling Each year approximately 600 volunteers i.e. lake stewards monitor nearly 550 inland lakes at over 800 sampling locations including lakes with multiple basins.About 85 of the volunteers sample lakes on the Canadian Shield and these volunteers collect one water sample in the spring each year. The remaining volunteers sample once a month during the ice-free season for lakes off the Canadian Shield. Volunteers are also asked to make a minimum of six monthly water clarity observations using a Secchi disk. Water samples are sent to the DESC water chemistry laboratory for analysis using state-of-the-art methods. The chemical and Secchi-disk results are used by members of the public partner agencies government and academic researchers to assess and report on water quality in lakes across Ontario. A bit about Ontarios Lakes Ontario boasts about 250000 lakes. About half of Ontarios inland lakes are less than 10ha in surface area. Roughly 95 of Ontarios lakes are less than 1km2 with Lake Superior being the largest lake in Ontario. The water quality and ecology of Ontarios inland lakes reflect watershed geology and vegetation but human settlement land-use change climate colonization by non-native species and chemical pollutants modify these influences. Ongoing research on these interacting stressors has uncovered a number of surprises. For example calcium concentrations in Shield lakes are decreasing. Decades of acid loading coupled with logging have depleted watershed stores of calcium and further decreases are predicted. Laboratory studies by partners working at DESC have shown that calcium loss is an important stressor for many aquatic species especially when less calcium is combined with lower food availability and the warmer temperatures that are predicted in future climate change scenarios. Phosphorus an important nutrient in lakes is also decreasing. Less phosphorus means a decrease in algal production but surprisingly in inland lakes a decrease in phosphorus can increase the frequency of short-term population explosions of some species such as harmful algal blooms. The complex and dynamic nature of inland lakes requires continued monitoring and research to better inform management actions and ultimately to protect these lakes for the future. Committed volunteer samplers in the Lake Partner Program are an important part of this ongoing effort continued on p. 15