Halls Lake Benthic Invertebrate Baseline Health Assessment

Halls Lake Benthic Invertebrate Baseline Health Assessment

Ian McBain

Halls and Hawk Lake Property Owners' Association (HHLPOA), Sam Perri

David Beresford, Trent - Department of Biology

#4921

2020

online

Halls Lake, Haliburton County

Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, Water Science

This project is a part of a larger program aimed at determining the health of Haliburton County’s lakes through the use of benthic macroinvertebrates. The Halls and Hawk Lake Property Owners Association (HHLPOA) was interested in determining the health of their lakes through the collection and analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates; small, spineless organisms that live on the lake bottom. After consultation with the HHLPOA, Ian McBain sampled the selected sites along the shoreline of Halls Lake, identified any benthos down to order, then analyzed the data using internationally recognized indices. While this project is still in its preliminary phase and many years of data are required to determine the health of the lake with any certainty, Ian’s analysis showed that Halls Lake is of adequate health but could likely improve further. A continuation of this project will take place during the Fall of 2020.