Reflections from IAGLR: the power of community
As the program coordinator for the Lake Winnipeg Foundation (LWF), I recently attended the International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) in Winnipeg with my team. It was incredible to be a part of so many inspirational conversations. The variety of presentations was amazing to see, and the organization of the event was something else – a new talk started every 20 minutes for four days straight!
Community science in action
I spent most of my time in two sessions that felt especially relevant to me: Community Science in Action and Community Monitoring Full Circle.
Seeing the volume of diverse community-monitoring initiatives underway in Canada and around the world was eye-opening. Before joining LWF, I was aware of community-based monitoring, the idea that regular folks could volunteer to collect data, but I always thought of it more as a cool way to get people involved. Working daily with the Lake Winnipeg Community-Base Monitoring Network (LWCBMN) has really changed my perspective. I’ve realized that community-generated data isn’t just a passion project; it’s filling critical data gaps.
LWCBMN has given me a front-row seat to what a dedicated, engaged network of volunteers can achieve. It’s shown me the full circle of community science.
Our volunteers don't just collect water samples, they generate rigorous, high-quality data that informs high-level policy and environmental decisions. Seeing this data move from local rivers and streams into conversations that advance LWF's mission has show me the value of community-based monitoring.
It’s incredibly inspiring to see individuals step up and say, "I'm concerned, and I want to help make a difference.” In being true to their own values, they’ve connected with a network of like-minded people – and together, they’re creating real change.
I’ll admit I was also pleasantly surprised to hear a few government folks state or reiterate that “community science is a must-have, not a nice-to-have”. That really cemented the crucial importance of our monitoring group and the many community-based monitoring networks out there.
Valuing our 'insider knowledge'
As the days went on, a common theme emerged across many presentations: many organizations are actively struggling with the “people-side” of these projects – specifically, how to recruit, retain, and engage volunteers.
Volunteer engagement is an aspect of my job that I live and breathe daily, and I began to realize I was sitting on what some might consider “insider knowledge”. Before IAGLR, I knew our strategies were important to LWCBMN, but I didn’t realize there was such a widespread gap or need for this knowledge across other organizations.
I was happy to share some insights with a few attendees on the ways in which we recruit our volunteers and the additional steps we take to keep them engaged. I’m leaving the conference thinking about how LWF can better share our foundational successes – and the challenges we’ve overcome – to help others build thriving networks of their own.