PLEON LAKE SCHOOL
PLEON's Lake School is an immersive, hands-on, field-based lake stewardship course targeted toward members of community associations tasked with managing their community's lakes. Participants will learn lake ecology basics, gain hands-on experience monitoring water quality, practice interpreting data, discuss emerging threats to PA lakes, and join a network of regional lake associations facing the same challenges.
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Topics include:
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New in 2025!
Concurrent sessions diving deeper into specific topics of interest such as sensor options, data management, fish and fish stewardship, DIY aquatic plant surveys, community engagement, and more!
A session on the science behind commonly used management strategies such as aeration, nutrient remediation, dredging, etc.
Concurrent sessions diving deeper into specific topics of interest such as sensor options, data management, fish and fish stewardship, DIY aquatic plant surveys, community engagement, and more!
A session on the science behind commonly used management strategies such as aeration, nutrient remediation, dredging, etc.
The cost of 2025 Lake School is $300 per person. On-site lodging is also available and can be reserved during registration (space is limited).
Lake School curriculum builds day to day. However, it is possible to register for a single day. Details when you register!
Lake School curriculum builds day to day. However, it is possible to register for a single day. Details when you register!
Tentative 2025 Lake School Schedule
SESSIONS ARE DESIGNED TO BE ENGAGING, INTERACTIVE, AND HANDS-ON. MANY WILL INVOLVE BEING OUT ON LAKE LACAWAC IN SMALL ROW BOATS. THIS IS A TENTATIVE SCHEDULE AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Friday, May 165:00: Registration
5:30: Dinner 6:30-9:00: Welcome and Keynote |
Saturday, May 177:30: Breakfast
8:00-12:00 Chemical & Physical Properties of Your Lake
1:00-5:00: Building a Lake Food Web
7:30-9:00: Biology Lab!
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Sunday, May 187:30: Breakfast
8:00-12:00: Aquatic Plants and Invasive Species 12:00: Lunch 1:00-3:15: Concurrent Sessions
4:45 Exit Survey |
2025 Lake School Instructors
Dr. Beth Norman is the Director of Science and Research at Lacawac Sanctuary. She has over 15 years of experience working in Appalachian freshwaters and extensive experience in field sampling and laboratory analysis. Her areas of expertise include nutrient cycling and aquatic biogeochemistry. She has been the PLEON Director since 2018.
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Dr. Elizabeth Carroll is an assistant professor of Biology at Holy Family University and is a member of the PLEON Science Advisory Group. Her areas of expertise include aquatic plant ecology and identification, nutrient influences in aquatic ecosystems, and macroinvertebrate identification. She developed and leads PLEON’s Ecology of Aquatic Plants workshop.
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Dr. Janet Fischer is a professor of Biology at Franklin & Marshall College and is a member of the PLEON Science Advisory Group. Dr. Fischer has over 30 years of experience conducting research in lakes in the Poconos, Wisconsin, and the Canadian Rockies. Her areas of expertise include zooplankton ecology, behavior, and phenology as well as the effect of climate change on lake ecosystems.
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Dr. Sarah Princiotta is an aquatic microbial ecologist with training in phycology. She received her B.S. and Ph.D., both in biology, from Temple University. Following her graduate studies, Dr. Princiotta served as the Director of Research and Education at Lacawac Sanctuary Biological Field Station (Lake Ariel, PA). She completed postdoctoral work on plankton dynamics along a land-use gradient at Hancock Biological Station (Murray State University, KY).
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Dr. Kiyoko Yokota: Dr. Yokota is an associate professor of Biology at State University of New York (SUNY) Oneonta and the President of the North American Lakes Management Society. Her areas of expertise include environmental assessment, phytoplankton ecology, and lake food webs. She is a Certified Lake Manager and leads the NALMS Professional Certification Program.
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Benjamin Harris is a current graduate student at Bard College's Center for Environmental Policy. He is studying environmental education and is especially interested in community engagement, aquatic ecology, and freshwater ecosystem management.
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Other Lake School Developers and Instructors
Dr. Kristin Strock is an associate professor of Environmental Science and Chair of the Environmental Studies Department at Dickinson College. She has established a career exploring issues that are critical to effectively managing freshwater resources and has published on lake response to changes in climate and atmospheric deposition, algal ecology, food-web interactions, watershed biogeochemistry, and freshwater resource management.
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Lauren Knose is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Biology at Miami University of Ohio. She is the Student Director of the North American Lakes Management Society and a member of the PLEON Science Advisory Group. Her areas of expertise include cyanobacteria dynamics, harmful algal bloom detection and response, and phytoplankton ecology. She developed and leads PLEON’s Harmful Algal Bloom workshop.
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For more information about Lake School or other PLEON programs, contact Dr. Beth Norman: [email protected]
