Dr. James Sutherland

Professional Experience: 

Independent Contractor, Council of Science Advisors, LGA

Biography: 

Beginning in the early 1970s with the International Biological Program, Jim spent the next 5 decades working at Lake George to protect water quality and to advocate for continued and focused monitoring that identifies sources of contaminants entering the lake and the remedial measures to correct these issues.  Following his retirement from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2005, Jim continued to be involved with water quality research, first on Nantucket Island (Massachusetts) and presently with LGA and The Lake George Waterkeeper.  Jim has been a member of the LGA Council of Science Advisors since 2013 and currently is involved in the following research:  the New York State Department of Transportation Road Salt Reduction Project (partially sponsored by the Lake Champlain Sea Grant Program), the West Brook Conservation Initiative Stormwater Improvement Ponds Project, the Bolton Bay Water Quality Assessment Project, the Finkle Brook Watershed Assessment Project, the Village of Lake George Wastewater Treatment Plant Assessment Project, and the Bolton Wastewater Treat Plant Woodchip Bioreactor Project (partially sponsored by the Lake Champlain Sea Grant Program).  Jim earned a B.S. degree in Biology and an M.S. degree in Limnology at The State University of New at Buffalo and a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology and Limnology at The State University of New York at Albany.

Dr. James Sutherland

Research Interests/Expertise:

  • Stormwater runoff
  • Harmful algal blooms
  • Tributary water quality
  • Water quality monitoring program design
  • Effect of acidification on biological communities in the Adirondacks.

Active Memberships:

  • NALMS (North American Lake Management Society)
  • NEAPMS (Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society) – Founding member; Honorary member

Notable Publications:

  • Sutherland, J., RJ Turcotte, E. Molden, V. Moriarty, M. Kelly, M. Aubel, and A. Foss. 2020. The detection of anatoxin-a (ATX) on glass fiber filters during a harmful algal bloom. (In review).
  • Shaw, W.H., T.M. Michelena, J.W. Sutherland, C.W. Boylen, and S.A. Nierzwicki-Bauer. 2020. Zooplankton recovery from acidification in Adirondack lakes, New York, USA. (In preparation).
  • Sutherland, J.W., S.A. Norton, J.W. Short, and C. Navitsky. 2018. Modeling salinization and recovery of road salt-impacted lakes in temperate regions based on long-term monitoring of Lake George, New York (USA) and its drainage basin. Sci. Total Environ. 637-638, 282-294. 
  • Michelena, T.M., J.L Farrell, D.A. Winkler, C.A. Goodrich, C.W. Boylen, J.W. Sutherland, and S. A. Nierzwicki-Bauer. 2016. Aluminum toxicity risk reduction as a result of reduced acid deposition in Adirondack lakes and ponds. Environ. Monit. Assess. 188, 636-648.  
  • Swinton, M.W., L.W. Eichler, S.A. Nierzwicki-Bauer, J.L. Farrell, J.W. Sutherland, M.R. Kelly, and C.W. Boylen. 2016. Groundwater attenuation of summer stream temperatures favors deeper intrusion depths into Lake George, NY. Hydrol. Res. 48: 177-190. 
  • Sutherland, J.W., F.W. Acker, J.A. Bloomfield, C.W. Boylen, D.H. Charles, R.A. Daniels, L.W. Eichler, J.L. Farrell, R.S. Feranec, M.P. Hare, S.L. Kanfoush, R.J. Preall, S.O. Quinn, H.C. Rowell, W.F. Schoch, W.H. Shaw, C.A. Siegfried, T.J. Sullivan, D.A. Winkler, and S.A. Nierzwicki-Bauer. 2015. Biotic recovery from acid deposition 20 years after the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Environ. Sci. Technol., 49(5), 2665-2674.