Dr. Lesley B. Knoll

Dr. Knoll at work

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Lacawac Welcomes New Science Director

      Michael Peterson, Executive Director of Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation, announced today (January 2, 2012) that Lesley B. Knoll, PhD has been appointed to the position of Director of Research and Education at the Lake Ariel center and preserve.  Dr. Knoll, who assumed her responsibilities as of the end of January, previously resided in Oxford, Ohio..

      Lacawac is a member of the Organization of Biological Field Stations and in addition to its public environmental education programs and popular nature preserve has long been a center for scientific research and education in natural and environmental sciences.  In 2011, researchers and students from nearly twenty different universities and from as far away as Russia worked and studied at Lacawac.  Dr. Knoll will be involved with various research initiatives of her own as well as coordinating the research programs and educational field projects of various other scientists using the Lacawac facility.

      “This is a very exciting time for Lacawac with so many challenges to the environment right here in the northeast and especially the Pocono’s. We are pleased that someone of Dr. Knoll’s stature has chosen to come here to the Poconos and contribute to Lacawac’s position as a vital center of knowledge, education and research,” stated Steve Lawrence, Chairman of the Trustee Board.

     Dr. Knoll graduated from Miami University with a degree in Botany, did her MS at Michigan State University in Fisheries and Wildlife and earned her PhD at Miami University in Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology.  She has taught at Miami University and received a fellowship from the EPA working on studies of precipitation patterns and carbon/nutrient input into watersheds and reservoirs. In addition she has contributed to work on major scientific papers targeting invasive aquatic species, harmful algal blooms, and on the effects of agriculture on lake water quality.

     In addition to facilitating the research and field work of visiting scientists and students from various institutions, Dr. Knoll will assist with coordinating data, facilitating research proposals and assisting local organizations in locating resources to address regional Pocono issues on a range of topics.  In addition, Lawrence indicated Dr. Knoll will play a major role in further integrating Lacawac with the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) and the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). These are key scientific groups studying and exchanging data worldwide on the effects of climate change on aquatic environments such as lakes and rivers.

 Lacawac Now A GLEON Global Study Site

    Lake Lacawac recently became a site member of the Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON; http://gleon.org). GLEON is an international, grass-roots network of scientists, communities, and educators who use lake buoys equipped with advanced sensors to answer questions related to lakes, water quality, and climate change. There are currently more than 60 member lakes and 250 individual members involved in GLEON. Individual members represent 34 countries on six continents.
    Since 1992 Bruce Hargreaves from Lehigh University has maintained weather and lake monitoring stations at Lacawac. These data will be useful for GLEON scientists. We are also installing additional sensors to Lake Lacawac mid-summer of 2012. Many researchers including Dr. Craig Williamson (Miami University – Ohio), Dr. Bruce Hargreaves (Lehigh University), Jennie Brentrup (PhD student at Miami University), and myself will be deploying a state-of-the-art profiling buoy in Lake Lacawac. Data collected from the profiling buoy will also be available to GLEON scientists.
    In June, Lacawac will be hosting a workshop for a group of international and national researchers focused on using advanced aquatic sensors. The workshop will train students, faculty, and technicians on how to use these sensors and analyze high-frequency data. We hope to have many more events and research projects related to these cutting edge, advanced buoy systems.

Turner Designs Supports Research at Lacawac

    Our thanks to Turner Designs, Inc. for their 2011 donation of an Aquafluor® field fluorometer for use by researchers working out of Lacawac BFS in measuring colored DOM in surface waters. Visit them at:  www.turnerdesigns.com/donations