Funding for OU research on lake algae blooms

[Chuck Bao]

Hey Fraggle, what is going on at the OU Biological Station? I read a letter to the editor in the local newspaper today implying budget cuts may limit research into algae blooms that devastated tourism to Lake Texoma this year. These are excerpts from the lengthy letter.


Dear Editor,

The Plankton Ecology and Limnology Laboratory, University of Oklahoma Biological Station,…conducts research on Golden Algae, assisted on the recent Blue-Green Algae testing and needs federal and/or state funding soon to continue their support for Lake Texoma and other Oklahoma fisheries...

…Lake Texoma and several other lakes in Oklahoma and other states have experienced very serious Blue-Green and/or Golden Algae blooms that impact lake use, regional economies, the ecosystem…causing major reductions in tourism, recreation and business revenue…

…The OU Biological Station Plankton Ecology and Limnology Laboratory on Lake Texoma needs help now before they lose the small and essential staff in the near term and funding in June 2012.

Ed Phillips
Lake Texoma Association

[Fraggle145]

Hey Fraggle, what is going on at the OU Biological Station? I read a letter to the editor in the local newspaper today implying budget cuts may limit research into algae blooms that devastated tourism to Lake Texoma this year. These are excerpts from the lengthy letter.

Yep our funding from ODWC runs out this year. :(

My advisor is looking around for new funding sources. So far its not looking that good. It wont really affect the Biostation as a whole, but our lab would lose 2 full time researchers and a full time technician that have about 5 years of experience built up. Would be really difficult to replace.

[Chuck Bao]

Yep our funding from ODWC runs out this year. :(

My advisor is looking around for new funding sources. So far its not looking that good. It wont really affect the Biostation as a whole, but our lab would lose 2 full time researchers and a full time technician that have about 5 years of experience built up. Would be really difficult to replace.

Dude, that is pretty devastating. The letter to the editor mentioned that Lake Texoma's rating with the Army Corps of Engineers had improved from Warning to Advisory thanks to testing by the OU Biostation staff.

I hope your advisor finds new funding. The ODWC is the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, right? How about the tourism and commerce department kick in some bucks too. For a resort community, the whole idea of being warned against swimming, but being fined if you swam is pretty hard to take.

[soonerhubs]

Yep our funding from ODWC runs out this year. :(

My advisor is looking around for new funding sources. So far its not looking that good. It wont really affect the Biostation as a whole, but our lab would lose 2 full time researchers and a full time technician that have about 5 years of experience built up. Would be really difficult to replace.

That's a shame. Sorry to hear about those cuts.

[Fraggle145]

Dude, that is pretty devastating. The letter to the editor mentioned that Lake Texoma's rating with the Army Corps of Engineers had improved from Warning to Advisory thanks to testing by the OU Biostation staff.

I hope your advisor finds new funding. The ODWC is the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, right? How about the tourism and commerce department kick in some bucks too. For a resort community, the whole idea of being warned against swimming, but being fined if you swam is pretty hard to take.

Yeah it would be nice. But it just depends what the different offices have money allocated for and how much is available. The new ODWC guy in charge of funding wants to get back to stocking and hatcheries. I dont think this is the best way to go, but I'm not in charge. I think managing our lakes effectively would be a more prudent use of funds. I mean the warnings against swimming were for their own good. I didnt think you got a fine if you did? That is news to me.


That's a shame. Sorry to hear about those cuts.

Thanks hubs. Its more the new guy wants to go in a different direction. I just dont understand why you would sink $5-6 million into developing all of these capabilities to just let them disappear. And they dont just apply to Texoma. We monitor any sample ODWC or the Corp sends us from pretty much anywhere in the state at the drop of a hat. We even have a few other agencies sending us samples to analyze for them that we charge for to help keep the lab up (not near enough to support the whole thing). Doesnt make sense to me.