Resources for volunteer community scientists for Lake Erie

Lake Erie heroes

The “Greatest Ranger of All Time,” or “GROAT,” is someone who has made a significant contribution to community-based water monitoring!

Jeff Watson joined the Lake Erie  Guardians program back in 2021 and has been a consistent tester ever since. So far, Jeff has collected 21 observations at his testing locations in Leamington, ON and made great contributions to wetland plantings in the Essex region. Thank you for all you do for water, Jeff!!

Introduction

The Lake Erie Guardians (also known as the Lake Erie Water Rangers) project is a community-driven initiative designed to enhance water quality monitoring across the Lake Erie basin, with a particular focus on the Niagara region and the western basin of the lake. Through this program, citizen scientists play a vital role in collecting data on key contaminants, including PFAS, nutrients, and chloride (road salts). By addressing critical gaps in regional water quality data, the project supports innovative pilot programs to develop and refine new monitoring methods.

This ambitious three-year project (2024–2027) is made possible through a $330,000 grant from the Canada Water Agency under the Freshwater Ecosystems Initiative. Previously, the Lake Erie program received initial funding from the Province of Ontario’s Great Lakes Local Action Fund, reflecting strong support for local engagement in tackling pressing environmental issues.

Aligned with the goals of the Freshwater Ecosystems Initiative, the program seeks to address challenges impacting water quality and ecosystem health in the Great Lakes. By empowering communities to contribute to vital scientific efforts, Lake Erie Water Rangers fosters collaboration, innovation, and a deeper connection to the stewardship of our freshwater resources.

Key objectives

• Engage community scientists in collecting baseline water quality data in the Lake Erie watershed through regular monitoring and monitoring blitzes and data collection and monitoring of winter road salt, PFAS and nutrients.
• Develop and revise standard operating procedure guides for community-based water monitoring for new measures (e.g., Peristix/nutrients, PFAS, chloride/road salts) and make available for public/citizen scientists
• Share data and results via presentations at public events, conferences and education institutions
• Standardize community-based water monitoring practices
• Publish annual Lake Erie community-based water monitoring results/reports

Join us!

Quick links

• About the Program
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Resources & Training
• Data Dashboard

About Lake Erie Water Rangers

Overview

The Lake Erie Guardians (or Lake Erie Water Rangers) program is a collaborative initiative led by Water Rangers to empower communities in protecting and restoring the health of Lake Erie and its surrounding watershed. The program engages local citizens as active participants in water quality monitoring, equipping them with the tools, training, and support needed to collect essential environmental data. With a focus on community involvement and innovation, Lake Erie Water Rangers addresses some of the most pressing water quality challenges in the region.

Program Goals and Objectives

1. Community Engagement: Recruit and train citizen scientists to monitor water quality, fostering a sense of stewardship and environmental responsibility.
2. Data Collection and Innovation: Address critical gaps in water quality data by gathering information on contaminants like PFAS, nutrients, and chloride (road salts). Test and refine new monitoring methods for improved accuracy and efficiency.
3. Support Ecosystem Health: Contribute valuable data to inform conservation and restoration efforts, including addressing harmful algal blooms, wetland degradation, and shoreline erosion.
4. Collaboration: Partner with governmental and non-governmental organizations, conservation authorities, and academic institutions to amplify the program’s impact.

Program Activities

• Volunteer science water quality monitoring: Volunteers are trained to use water testing kits and follow standardized protocols to measure contaminants, such as chloride, PFAS, and nutrients.
• Blitz Events: Community sampling events are held to gather large-scale data over a short period, providing snapshots of watershed health.
• Data Sharing: Collected data is uploaded to accessible platforms, contributing to regional and national water quality databases.
• Education and Outreach: Workshops, training sessions, and resources are provided to build public awareness about the importance of protecting freshwater ecosystems.

Regional Focus

The program emphasizes monitoring efforts in the Niagara region and the western basin of Lake Erie, areas significantly impacted by urban development, agricultural runoff, and road salt application. These regions are also vulnerable to harmful algal blooms and other ecological stresses that threaten water quality and biodiversity.

Importance of the program

1. Addressing Data Gaps: Despite being one of the most ecologically and economically vital water bodies in North America, Lake Erie faces numerous environmental challenges. Citizen scientists help fill gaps in monitoring data that are critical for effective decision-making.
2. Promoting Innovation: By piloting new methods for monitoring emerging contaminants like PFAS, the program contributes to the development of cutting-edge solutions to protect water resources.
3. Empowering Communities: Engaging local residents in citizen science fosters a deeper connection to the environment and encourages long-term conservation efforts at the grassroots level.
4. Supporting Policy and Action: Data collected by volunteers informs policies, guides restoration projects, and aids in assessing the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
5. Tackling Global Challenges Locally: The program aligns with the broader goals of the Freshwater Ecosystems Initiative, addressing global issues like climate change, pollution, and ecosystem degradation through localized action.

By uniting community members, scientists, and policymakers, the Lake Erie Guardians program is a model for collaborative environmental stewardship, ensuring that future generations can enjoy the beauty, biodiversity, and benefits of a healthy Lake Erie ecosystem.

Focus Areas:

• Road Salt Impacts
• Nutrient Monitoring
• PFAS Contaminants
• Shoreline and Wetland Conservation

Get Involved: Volunteer Opportunities

Upcoming Events Calendar: Dates for training sessions, blitzes, or educational workshops will be shared here.

How to Volunteer: Steps to join (sign-up forms, training requirements).

Types of Volunteer Roles:

• Winter Rangers : Join the winter road salt monitoring program
• Blitz Event Participant
• Regular Monitoring Volunteer
• Community Outreach Ambassador

Upcoming Events Calendar: Stay on top of dates for training sessions, blitzes, or educational workshops by joining our newsletter or checking here for updates.

Resources & Training Hub

• Volunteer Handbook: Downloadable guide covering monitoring protocols, safety tips, and FAQs.
• Training Modules:
  • Video Tutorials: How to use water testing kits.
  • Written Guides: Methods for chloride, PFAS, and nutrient testing.
  • Sample Data Sheets & Templates.
• Interactive Tools:
  • Map of Monitoring Sites.
  • Schedule Tracker for Volunteer Sampling.

All Lake Erie Guardians test locations in the Lake Erie watershed, including Lake Erie, and rivers, lakes, creeks, and streams throughout the watershed boundaries.

Visit our Choose a sample location page for detailed instructions.

We suggest looking at the Water Rangers map to see if people are testing near you to avoid duplications.

Teskit training videos and support

Becoming familiar with your testkit and the parameters which you’ll be monitoring is essential! Check out our training resources here.

Recording: The training video link is found below from our May 2023 Lake Erie Guardian training session.

Self-led refresher: testkit training videos are available in both French and English. You can check them out here anytime.

Water Rangers virtual testkit training sessions: You are invited to reach out anytime to organize a virtual training session with us. We’re always here if you have questions or need support with the testkit, data management, or anything else related to the program.

Monitoring schedules

As a Lake Erie Water Ranger, you should aim to test at 1 to 3 locations. Once you’ve decided on a location(s), you should try to test at these same locations each month. Consistency is super important. We’ll only be able to establish trends about these locations if you test at the same spot(s) month after month.

Creating a schedule you can follow is just as important as choosing a site!

We can’t say it enough: consistency is key when it comes to water quality monitoring! It’s important to test your locations at least monthly. If you or your group can commit to testing weekly or bi-weekly, even better! Also consider testing after rains and snowmelts. and participating in blitz events.

• Year round testing : With our new winter monitoring testkit we’re now testing year round! While testing weekend is the last weekend of every month, some people test weekly or after weather events. We recommend testing as often as possible, but aim for at least once a month.
• Official testing days: Our official testing days happen on the last Sunday of every month (back-up days are Saturday and Monday). Put your reminder magnet on your fridge to remember! We’ll also email you.

Blitzes

A blitz event is a coordinated effort where volunteers collect water quality data at multiple locations over a short period, often a single day. A targeted monitoring blitz focuses on collecting data for a specific parameter or event, such as measuring chloride levels during stormwater runoff from winter melts.

Blitz event schedule

• Pre-winter baseline (November): Before the first major snowfall to establish baseline chloride levels
• Post-salting events (December–March): immediately after significant salting events following snowfalls or freezing rain to assess runoff impacts.
• Thaw and rainfall events (late winter to early spring): measure spikes in chloride concentrations following thaw or heavy rains.
• Spring melt (April): during peak snowmelt to capture data on seasonal salt runoff and potential longer-term accumulation.
• Summer baseline check (June): Monitor mid-year chloride levels to observe any lingering impacts.

Managing your Lake Erie data

How you manage your test results is just as important as testing the water. Remember to get your observations off your notepads and onto Water Rangers’ data platform as soon as possible to that your data is properly managed and shared.

1. Create a Water Rangers’ user account. Visit Sharing your data for instructions.
2. Click here for guides on how to use our field app and web app for your data entry.
3. Once you’ve created your user account, join a Lake Erie Guardians group.

As a Guardian it’s important your test results are shared on our platform as part of the Lake Erie Guardians Groups. We have three active groups:

• Lake Erie Guardians
• Lake Erie Guardians : Winter Road Salt Monitoring
• Niagara Coastal

View Lake Erie Guardian’s data on Water Rangers here, and request to join the group if you haven’t already done so.