Frequently Asked Questions: Ways to Give

IISD Experimental Lakes Area is the world’s freshwater laboratory—a natural research laboratory made up of 58 small lakes and their watersheds.

As one of the world’s most influential freshwater research facilities, we conduct experiments on real lakes and ecosystems—one of the only places in the world you can do this.

Over the last 5 decades, we have conducted research projects to explore the impacts of—and solutions to—algal blooms, climate change, agricultural runoff, contaminants such as mercury and estrogen, oil spills, and a growing list of threats to freshwater supplies.

We are located on Treaty 3 territory, the traditional land of the Anishinaabe Nation and the homeland of the Métis Nation. This land is in a sparsely populated area of northwestern Ontario in Canada, approximately 300 km east of Winnipeg, Manitoba and 100 km west of Dryden, Ontario.

IISD Experimental Lakes Area was originally created as a response to the growing concern surrounding algal blooms on the Great Lakes, specifically Lake Erie. In 1966, the Freshwater Institute was established in Winnipeg by the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. They appointed J.R. (Jack) Vallentyne as Director and W.E. (Wally) Johnson as Head Scientist to address the problem of eutrophication. In 2006, two new staff and student residences were constructed on-site and were named after the founding scientists, Vallentyne and Johnson.

In partnership with the governments of Canada and Ontario, a section of land and water was designated as the Experimental Lakes Area. The Experimental Lakes Area officially opened in 1968 with David Schindler as Leader of Experimental Lake Investigations, a position he held until 1989.

In 1991, Dr. Schindler was awarded the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, the highest award in limnological research, for research into excess nutrification and acidification of freshwater lakes. Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten Dr. Schindler in our growing list of named residences! The Schindler cabin is a small, off-grid cabin on the north shore of Lake 239, only a short canoe trip away from camp.

In 2014, the International Institute for Sustainable Development assumed control over the Experimental Lakes Area from the Government of Canada under three new agreements to ensure the facility’s long-term operation. IISD Experimental Lakes Area celebrated 50 years of groundbreaking scientific research in 2018.

• Take a look at our ELA 50 Then and Now photo essay to see how we did science then and how we do science now!
• Click here to see a timeline of IISD-ELA’s history.

A good way to learn about what happens at IISD Experimental Lakes Area is to follow the work we are doing through our newsletter (check out how to subscribe here). When you’re in between newsletter reads, take a look at blog posts that members of our team have written about our work and the science it is based on.

If you have a more targeted question, we encourage you to reach out to a member of our team. For a list of everyone, look under the “About” section in our top banner bar or click this link. Each member of our team is very friendly and, even if they can’t answer your question, will do their best to help.

There are many ways to be involved with what’s happening at IISD Experimental Lakes Area.

If you’d like to start with something a little more hands-off, we have plenty of interesting and informative content available on our website (this one, right here!).

For some brief introductions to freshwater research (like, what even is fresh water?), we recommend perusing our Back to Basics Suite for answers to the necessary, and sometimes very challenging, basics of the research we do here. Our “How We Do” videos offer a primer on the nuts-and-bolts of IISD Experimental Lakes Area (and sometimes offer it in English, French, and Ojibwe). Finally, for a catch-all way to stay up to speed on IISD Experimental Lakes Area, subscribe to the quarterly newsletter.

If you’d like to jump right into IISD Experimental Lakes Area, we also have options for directly engaging with us and seeing where all the science (read: magic) happens. One of the best ways to do this is to book a tour, presentation, or video call to learn more about our research and research facility. Follow this link for more information about visiting. We also encourage Canadian high school students to check out our day trips and overnight stays.

Learning on-site is another way to immerse yourself in all that is IISD Experimental Lakes Area. To engage the next generation of freshwater stewards, we offer field courses to both university and high school students. To read more about field course options and how to access hands-on learning, start on our website here.

For more on getting involved with IISD Experimental Lakes Area, we suggest exploring our “Education & Outreach” section of the website (accessible through the search or the drop-down menu).

IISD Experimental Lakes Area is a not-for-profit, and any work we do is thanks to the generosity of other people who love fresh water. If you’re interested in offering this kind of support, check out our donor page. To find out how to make donating work for you, we encourage you to talk to our philanthropy officer, Erin Bend, about the different options.

If donating just isn’t in the cards for you right now, start helping us by telling your friends, family, and dog about the great work we do at IISD Experimental Lakes Area. There are many ways to be lake friendly!

Looking for a more direct connection? Here’s a short directory to help get you started:

Inquiries from media or regarding communications – Sumeep Bath, Editorial and Communications Manager

Potential scientific collaborations or projects – Vince Palace, Head Research Scientist

Outreach and educational opportunities – Sarah Warrack, Junior Outreach and Education Manager

Engagement with First Nations communities – Dilber Yunus, Indigenous Relations Manager

Gifts and donations – Erin Bend; Manager, Philanthropy

For more general information about IISD Experimental Lakes Area, here’s our about page, or check out a list of everyone on our team.