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Long term perspective <br />One can gain a much better perspective when reports are studied from the 1980's, 1950's <br />or better yet the 1920's. When I read such older reports about Lake Owasso, I sometimes <br />get the message "the sky is falling". We have a tendency as humans to exaggerate and <br />sometimes over react, especially to current circumstances most fresh in our minds. <br />In taking a long term perspective there are two conditions I am sure we could agree on <br />that have tnily and drastically changed from decades ago: <br />1) Two invasive species CLP, and EWM, are present in the Lake Owasso. In the <br />case of EWM since June of 2000 when I took the first sample down the DNR for <br />confirmation. In the case of CLP I am not sure if anyone knows when it was <br />introduced into Lake Owasso, just that it seems to have come to North America in <br />the 1920's. <br />2) Enormous development around the lake where pervious surface area has been <br />substantially reduced by development. Needless to say our natural filtering <br />mechanisms are a fraction of that in the past. <br />These conditions should serve as the foundation to focus energy where it has the greatest <br />impact. Whether I read water quality studies from professional journals like the Journal <br />of Environmental Quality, the Journal of Environmental Engineering, Water Quality <br />Resource Journal of Canada, Aquaculture Research Journal, North America Journal of <br />Aquaculture or from general publications like National Geographic, Nature, and Science, <br />there is an overwhelming number of papers discussing the effects a watershed has on a <br />given body of water. <br />This is why I believe the real source (and solution) to water quality rests in the activities <br />(stress) that is placed on the greater watershed. As gravity would have it, the root cause <br />(and solution) to water quality lies upstream, literally upstream from a water body. <br />Settling ponds, catch basins, grass clippings, leaf removal, pet waste, non pervious <br />surface area, rain gardens, winter salt deposits, etc., etc., etc., and all the other watershed <br />issues should be the real focus of attention. <br />A question I would pose for the GLWMO is why are we not following mainstream <br />research in focusing the lion's share of attention on the stress (abuse) placed on the <br />greater watershed? Instead there seems to be a current fixation on activity within the <br />lake. <br />Sincerely, <br />Joe Bester <br />President -Lake Owasso Association <br />