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Show • access conflicts and boundary enforcement $ 25,000/ year • pollutant concentration in wetland sediments $ 10.000/ year Total $ 82,500 first year $ 67,500/ year The following monitoring actions are not a necessity but would contribute to a better understanding of human- caused impacts to the GSL system and how the system responds to the impacts. These monitoring actions and tools include: • satellite imagery $ 15,000/ year • grazing transects $ 5,000/ year • discharges to lake and tributaries ( gauge reading) $ 8,000/ year • discharges to lake and tributaries ( gauges) $ 28,500 one- time cost • recreation trends $ 10,000/ year • air pollution effect on visibility and wildlife $ 50.000/ year ( one FTE1 Total $ 116,500/ first year $ 88,000/ year Environmental monitoring and research is the key to developing sustainable resource allocation and in implementing effective management strategies. It is challenging to manage GSL for multiple- use and sustainability without a well developed, accurate, reliable and focused database. Decision- making is currently based on the best available information. Without existing data and monitoring resource allocation and decisionmaking would be haphazard. Managers are fortunate that there is data available on lake level, water quality and salinity. ( SRC, unpub.) However little information is currently available that monitors or evaluates ecosystem function and health. GSL ecosystem management and decision making would benefit from additional monitoring and research. A well- designed monitoring and research program would be of great value in assessing trends that will drive GSL ecosystems beyond it's natural range of variability, improve management effectiveness and our understanding of the behavior of GSL ecosystems. ( SRC, unpub.) Success in developing good baseline information depends upon well- designed research, state- of- the- art systematic monitoring, analysis and reporting and available funding. Monitoring parameters must be spatially and temporally representative to identify trends and assess the state of the environment. Monitoring is most useful when it is designed to answer the right questions. The planning team has identified, developed and prioritized monitoring and research objectives. ( See " Monitoring and Research Table.") This information will be presented to the state legislature with a request for funding. It is impossible to bridge all gaps in information and understanding due to the dynamic nature of the lake and its environs, the various time scales involved in ecosystem function and degradation and limited funding available for research and monitoring. It is more important to focus on the quality of data rather than the quantity. Some of the identified gaps in information include: 249 |