KLAS announced that Anna Burke has been hired as program manager, serving as the main point of contact for KLAS to the community. Her focus will be on communications within the area, including website enhancement and maintenance, publishing newsletters, and program promotional activities.

Burke received a Bachelor of Science from Montana State University and a Master of Environmental Science fromTaylor University. As part of her graduate work, she spent the last eight months conducting an internship with the National Environmental Education Foundation in Washington, D.C., gaining experience in programadministration and environmental education.

Burke is passionate about water quality issues and helping communities protect their water resources. Her interest has taken her as far as Guatemala, where in 2009 she spent a month assisting communities with developing water acquisition and purification systems.

“I am excited to work with the community and to continue developing what is already a strong, successful program,” she said.

“Anna’s skill set and experience will allow KLAS to reach additional community members with messages about valuing and caring for our local water resources,” says Nathan Bosch, KLAS director. “K-12 environmental educational activities are another passion of Anna’s that makes her a great fit for KLAS.”

Burke will also be employing her research experience in upcoming years as KLAS conducts applied research studies on lakes and streams around Kosciusko County.

KLAS has received a $150,000 grant to conduct a two-year study on toxin levels in Kosciusko County lakes. The research will be used to determine if, where and when potentially high concentrations of blue-green algae and E. coli will appear in lakes. The grant was awarded by the K21 Health Foundation, based in Warsaw, Ind.

The goal of this study is to proactively protect county residents and tourists from potentially hazardous health conditions in county lakes. Exposure to and ingestion of toxin-producing blue-green algae and E. coli can lead to skin irritation, gastrointestinal ailments, liver disease, kidney disease and even death. These agents already exist in area lakes at varying levels. KLAS will perform a more scientific investigation to create models that will predict potentially dangerous levels of toxins.

KLAS will collaborate with the Kosciusko County Health Department and the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis during this study. In addition, support will be provided by the Tippecanoe Watershed Foundation, the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, and the Indiana Clean Lakes Program.

KLAS has also received a $25,000 grant to launch a series of environmental field days targeting 2,600 students throughout Kosciusko County. The grant was awarded by the Dekko Foundation, headquartered in Kendallville, Ind.

KLAS will expand its current educational offerings to include approximately 1,000 children primarily at the fourth grade level and an estimated 1,600 adolescents primarily at the ninth grade level over the next two years. Field day curriculum will include hands-on and investigational science experiences focused on environmental stewardship,ecology and water quality, with specific regard to protecting the bodies of water in Kosciusko County. Thesessions will be held at Camp Crosley YMCA in North Webster, Ind.

“Kosciusko County is home to more than 100 natural lakes, including the largest, Lake Wawasee, and deepest,Lake Tippecanoe, natural lakes in Indiana,” said Dr. Nathan Bosch, KLAS Director and Assistant Professor of Environmental Biology at Grace College. “With state science education statistics declining, we are excited to partner with county schools to educate thousands of area students and teachers about some of the greatest natural resources in Kosciusko County.”

The Camp Crosley field day experiences will be coordinated through Warsaw Community Schools, Wawasee Community School Corporation, and other private and home school educational organizations.

When temperatures climb and the summer sun beats down, conditions are ripe for lakes to produce harmful algae blooms, some of which can be harmful to pets and humans. Harmful algal blooms (HAB) are blue-green algal blooms containing toxins or other noxious chemicals, which can pose harmful health risks.

Why is this a concern? People or animals may develop skin irritation or upper respiratory problems from exposure to HAB, and in extreme cases, dogs and other animals have even died after drinking lake water containing these toxins.

Severe blue-green algal blooms typically occur on lakes with poor water quality (high in nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen), and look like green paint, pea soup, or a thick green cake. HAB often result in extremely low water clarity (less than 1 foot). When these conditions are present, people should avoid contact with the water and they should prevent animals from swimming in or drinking the water. Scientists do not yet know what causes some blooms to produce toxins while others do not, so the safest course of action is to avoid contact with all blue-green blooms.

Visit the KLAS website to learn how to protect yourself for harmful algae blooms.

ISDH News Release-The Indiana State Department of Health has issued the 2010 Indiana Fish Consumption Advisory. In addition to fish consumption advisories for Indiana waters, the advisory includes information on the health benefits and risks of eating fish, suggested serving sizes, frequently asked questions, and what to do if you catch a fish in an unlisted waterbody.

The advisory is mostly based on fish tissue samples. It is important to note that a fish advisory on a body of water does not necessarily mean that the water is unsafe for other recreational activities. If the water posed a hazard to human health, there would be a separate advisory issued for recreational activities such as swimming or skiing.

This year, the Indiana State Department of Health has included several new waterbodies, many with unlimited consumption advice. There is also a 2010 Safe Eating Guidelines Table that can be used as an overall guidance for most of Indiana's inland waters, to be used by all members of the family. Additionally, the Indiana State Department of Health has listed other resources of information from DNR, Purdue University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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To see if your lake is included in the advisory you can go to the Lakes section of the KLAS website, locate your lake and look for advisory information in the Fast Facts section. If there isn’t advisory information listed, your lake wasn’t included in the sampling.

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