HELP RAISE $10,000 FOR NEEDED EQUIPMENT FOR OUR 'FIELD PROGRAM' AT IISD EXPERIMENTAL LAKES AREA!

Donors can help with as little as $5!

This GivingTuesday, IISD-ELA wants to celebrate and promote Canada’s culture of giving. We are asking the public to make a donation today to support freshwater science, your gift will be designated to our 'Field Program' for equipment needs for our upcoming 2019 IISD-ELA Research Season.

Did you know that IISD-ELA has research equipment available at no additional costs for visiting students and scientists to use when working at our facility?  In addition to supporting our research, your gift will help us provide much needed general use equipment for students and partners doing work at our site.

We Need Your Help to Reach our Campaign Goals - How it Works:

The IISD-ELA 2018 GivingTuesday Online Campaign projected fundraising goal is $10,000, which would be a 122% increase from last year’s campaign revenues of $4500. 

IISD-ELA has secured Stantec as our '$2500 Corporate Matching Challenge Campaign Donor' which means every online donation you make towards our campaign is now doubled!  $1 + $1 = $2.  Our organization is so very grateful for Stantec’s outstanding partnership and support!

Here are some examples below on what your generous contributions will support:

LAKE SAMPLING EQUIPMENT:

Oxygen Temp Sensor: (approximate cost: $1500)

The Oxygen Temp Sensor is used to measure dissolved oxygen and temperature in lakes.  This is important to monitor because if temperature increases in a lake, the solubility of oxygen and other gases will decrease. This means that colder lakes and streams can hold more dissolved oxygen than warmer waters. If water is too warm, it will not hold enough oxygen for aquatic organisms to survive.

Temperature Loggers: (approximate cost: $60)

Temperature Loggers record water temperature on our lakes. This data is important for determining the daily and seasonal patterns of lake temperatures and for estimating evaporation.

Flow Metre: (approximate cost: $10,000)

Flow Metres are used to measure water levels at lakes and discharges (volume of flow) in streams or lake outflows. This data lets us calculate volumes of lakes, water budgets, and runoff rates.

FISH CREW EQUIPMENT

Trap Nets: (approximate cost: $3000)

Trap Nets are efficient, passive methods of collecting lots of fish in a short period of time without harming them. Trap nets capture fish of all sizes and can be very heavy when they are full. The fish that are caught will be weighed, measured, some will be tagged, and then released back into the lake.

Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags: (approximate cost; $5 each, a minimum of 300 tags required for the field season)

These 9mm PIT tags are about the size of a tic tac that can be injected into the dorsal muscle of fish. Once scanned, these PIT tags give fish unique identification numbers that are used to determine capture frequency, population estimates and ensure accuracy within our datasets.

Rain Gear: (approximate cost: $200)

These WetSkins® Comfort Zone rain suits are perfect for any important outdoors science adventure! Whether we encounter rain or shine, working on lakes means we just can't escape getting wet. IISD-ELA staff and students use rain jackets and bib pants on a daily basis to keep ourselves dry in the field. Help keep us happy and dry by donating today!

GPS: (approximate cost: $300)

The handheld GPS device is vital in helping us track and relocate spots across our 58 lakes.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

We regard IISD Experimental Lakes Area as a precious scientific asset to be protected for future generations, and our organization is so very fortunate to have you as a part of our IISD-ELA family. We look forward to continuing this journey together in protecting our most valuable resource-water.