5th Annual Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium to be held Thursday, January 9th
We are excited to share that the Algal Bloom Action Team is once again hosting their annual Virtual Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium. This marks the 5th year the team will host the symposium focusing on emerging harmful algal bloom or HAB research, education and outreach.
The symposium is from 9AM – 4:30PM CT on Thursday, January 9th and is free to attend. This year’s event will focus on three sessions: prediction, prevention and treatment, human dimensions, and monitoring and treatment. The full agenda is now available and can be viewed here.
The event, which is sponsored by the Illinois Water Resources Center, the Indiana Water Resources Center and the North Central Region Water Network, will feature research on Lake Superior, Lake Erie, inland reservoirs, and more.
The work presented is diverse in topic as it is in landscape. Two presentations will discuss how agricultural conservation practices or treatment of subsurface ag drainage water can impact harmful algal blooms, while other presentations will focus on community risk perception, public health response and investigation to HAB-related illness, and collaborative partnerships to improve water quality.
Many water-professionals are getting questions about HAB detection with rapid test-strips or HAB monitoring using drones – to help educators answer those questions the symposium will also feature talks focusing on research into the efficacy of each monitoring and detection method.
The event is hosted by the Algal Bloom Action Team – a collaboration of water professionals, researchers, and educators from the national network of Water Resources Research Institutes, the North Central Region Water Network, and Cooperative Extensions from the 12 states in the North Central Region of the United States. The group was formed in 2018 to better share harmful algal bloom resources across states and create and compile applied harmful algal bloom outreach materials that can be used by water professionals when working with landowners, companies, and communities. The team has developed a series of factsheets and FAQs that educators can use in their outreach with communities, landowners, and producers, and hosts a bimonthly webinar series on a range of HAB research and educational topics. All their resources can be found at northcentralwater.org/habs. Register today and join us on the 9th!