Effects of removal of Lake Kathleen Dam

The dam creating Lake Kathleen on the Maple River was removed in fall 2018. The removal of the dam provides an unparalleled heuristic opportunity as well as unique research opportunity for longitudinal time-series observations spanning dam removal. The riverine systems input and output to the dam have been subject to study by researchers and classes at UMBS for several decades. Three to four years prior to dam removal instructors of aquatic classes selected common observations sites and developed SOPs for a detailed limnological, aquatic and terrestrial organismic and biological community studies to span dam removal, and developing collaborations with local, regional, and tribal NGOs that are collecting additional data and interfacing with stakeholders. These detailed studies will be continued for several years following dam removal.