Relative Importance of Prevailing Research & Management Issues in Lake Erie

Session: 17. - Great Lakes Outreach and Education

Jan Ciborowski, Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Windsor, [email protected]
Jessica Ives, University of Windsor, [email protected]
Christopher Winslow, Ohio Sea Grant College Program, [email protected]
Jeffrey Reutter, Ohio State University, [email protected]
Russell Kreis, Retired, [email protected]
Chris Marvin, Environment and Climate Change Canada, [email protected]
Stuart Ludsin, The Ohio State University, Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, [email protected]

Abstract

As the shallowest, most productive and most densely populated of the Great Lakes, L. Erie is the first to be subject to novel challenges or to reflect effects of natural and anthropogenic changes. Historically, concerns have included water quality, organic pollution, the fishery, loss of natural habitat, invasive species, and chemical contamination. In 2000, the binational, collaborative Lake Erie Millennium Network (LEMN) in 2000 facilitated identification of prevailing needs by the Lake’s researchers, managers and citizenry relevant to determining and addressing basic ecosystem protection and ecological questions on the L. Erie ecosystem.  A list of >100 items relating to 38 prevailing issues in seven themes was generated; this was repeated in 2006 and 2017. In each case, over 60 experts assessed perceived importance of each issue from perspectives of aesthetics, economics, human health environmental/ecological, and societal considerations and identified spatial and temporal scale, management potential, and need for further research of each issue. Understanding of most issues has improved greatly, which has resulted in changes in perceived priority of the basic concerns. However, almost all of the prevailing needs identified in 2000 remain issues of concern. Here we we summarize the 2017 findings and report on the 2017 findings.

1. Keyword
Lake Erie

2. Keyword
regional analysis