MnSTA
Newsletter Volume 54 No. 3 A Quarterly Publication of the Minnesota Science Teachers Association Inc.
Steve McComas, The Lake Detective, to Keynote 2018 MnCOSE
The Minnesota Conference on Science Education (MnCOSE) will be held on November 9th and 10th at the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center. The keynote speaker will be lake detective, Steve McComas. McComas, owner of St. Paul-based Blue Water Science has developed a uniquie niche advising lake associations, city governments and other relevant agencies of lake and pond management issues. His aquatic experience and expertise makes him the one and only Lake Detective. McComas, who holds M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota and Aquatic Ecology from Texas Christian University, founded St. Paul-based Bluewater Science in 1985, after several years of designing water plans for a Chicago consulting engineering firm. He garnered his first lake-sleuthing business by mailing fliers to lake association in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Gradually he carved out a niche in smallscale, lake and pond management and improvement techniques, such as dredging and plant removal. He has collected his lake management ideas in two books, Lake Smarts and The Lake and Pond Management Guidebook. Several years ago, McComas was hired to investigate the phenomenon of holes in the ice that appeared at several Minnesota lakes. He hypothesized that the cause was groundwater surges “with enough velocity to melt the ice.” In lake science, McComas says, “ we’re finding that if we can better understand the biology of a lake, we can make lake improvements that are usually
Spring 2018
more cost-effective than building sedimentation ponds or other expensive structures. We can manipulate biology.” Along with rough fish removal, McComas recommends adding barley as a carbon source for microbes in the lake which helps reduce phosphorus and algae growth. Udai Singh, a Ph.D. water quality specialist for the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, says MaComas “has made some important contributions to understanding lake ecology. He has been a pointman to educate the public about invasive, aquatic species. He is a consultant, but, at heart, also a scientist. He is always gathering information, compiling and putting out data for other people to see and draw inferences. He is both a trained engineer and ecologist, which makes him a very unique individual. He is a real assest to the Midwest.” In the land of 10,000-plus lakes, there will always be mysteries to solve. He will enlighten our MnCOSE participants with his expertise.
MnCOSE keynote speaker, Lake Detective Steve McComas