BBLA has been supporting and promoting Citizen Science initiatives on Big Basswood Lake for approximately 23 years. We continue to particpate actively in the FOCA Lake Partner Program has built a network of volunteers to sample water from over 550 lakes across Ontario. Testing includes phosphorus levels, calcium and water clarity which we submit to the program for analysis and recording in their data base.. Volunteers over the years have consistently submitted water samples and secchi disk This citizen science program represents the largest and longest standing one of this kind in North America. FOCA partners with the DESC. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks coordinates this program.

For a very comprehensive report on the lake partner program, please click on and review this link with a detailed report on the program.

We have been montoring the lake partner data base over the summer and many of you that checked it out may have noticed that it is missing the 2021 data. We have been in touch with FOCA and are informed that they have fallen behind in data recording because of the pandemic. We will continue to monitor and report when the information is caught back up.

In the meantime, Bobby Swain and Laura Foley have continued to diligently record secchi disk readings. The data for this year so far is:

East Basin

Date (DD/MM)	Time (24 hour)	Secchi Depth	Secchi Disk hits bottom	Comments (water temperature, pollen, weather conditions)
24-May	13:00	10.5	No	some pollen - light wind
15-Jun	15:00	11	No	clear and calm
20-Jul	16:00	11.5	No	cloudy and calm
15-Aug	16:30	11.5	No	cloudy
10-Sep	10:30	12	No	sunny

West Basin

Date (DD/MM)	Time (24 hour)	Secchi Depth	Secchi Disk hits bottom	Comments (water temperature, pollen, weather conditions)
24-May	13:30	10	No	some pollen - light wind
15-Jun	15:30	10.5	No	clear and calm
20-Jul	16:30	10	No	cloudy and calm
15-Aug	17:00	11.5	No	cloudy
10-Sep	11:00	11.5	No	sunny