The Heimans en Thijsse Foundation owns a library and an archive with books and personal documents about field biology, nature conservancy and nature education, organizes a bi-annual symposium on a recent theme in this field and awards a bi-annual prize to a person with exceptional merits for nature conservancy or nature education

Independent, scientifically sound, sustainable, specialist solutions and organization, initiating, supervising, executing, reporting and evaluation of applied research projects in the fields of ecology, water and nature management and forensic science, often in cooperation with other experts. A selection of activities:• Begeleiding onderzoek ecologische effecten effluentlozingen• Bijdragen Handboek Hydrobiologie• Redactie brochure en rapport blauwalgen (STOWA)• Maatregelplan stilstaande wateren Brabantse Delta• Natuur in Drenthe (kiezelwieren)• Ecological survey of the Lower Dnister Area• Central/Baltic GIG phytobenthos intercalibration exercise• Maximaal en goed ecologisch potentieel Antwerpse haven• Trendanalyse hydrobiologie Hollands Noorderkwartier• Monitoring vennen 1978-2006• Effectiviteit herstelbeheer vennen en duinplassen• Evaluatie herstelprojecten stadswateren Zeeland• Pilot stuurvariabelen waterkwaliteit en ecologie Rivierenland

Stichting Krijtmolen d'Admiraal is a non-profit organization to preserve the only chalk mill in The Netherlands for future generations. It is my special task to restore the open landscape around this windmill.

Stichting Waterproef is the laboratory of the water authorities 'Amstel, Gooi en Vecht' and 'Hollands Noorderkwartier'. I facilitated the start of the hydrobiological department and supervise research on biological monitoring, including the Baggernut-project

As a senior-ecologist Herman van Dam was involved in many different smaller and larger projects, often as a leader and often also as a collaborator and transferred his large expertise to junior-consultants. A selection of activities:• International expert implementation Water Framework Directive in Hungary• Expert Dutch group for Implementation of Water Framework Directive• Instructor Monitoring in WFD Turkey Project (SENTER)• Development of systems for ecological assessment of water quality (brackish water, urban water, moorland pools)• Monitoring of phytoplankton in rivers (International Rhine Commission) • System for trophic assessment with diatoms in Austrian running waters• Water quality expert in legal procedures

In this period Herman van Dam was responsible for the acquisition and performance of many smaller and larger projects, mainly funded by water authorities. The projects involved sampling, analysis and reporting of monitoring results of water chemistry, phytoplankton, phytobenthos, macrophytes and macro-invertebrates. In this period he improved his social skills in order to change from a pure science driven expert to a consultant primarily willing to serve the companies clients.

In the period at Alterra (formerly RIN / IBN-DLO) Herman van Dam acquired a widely known expertise on the ecology of diatoms and developed a system for ecological water quality assessment with diatoms, which was rewarded with the Dresscher Prize of the Netherlands Society of Aquatic Ecology. He was active in paleolimnology and monitoring of the ecological effects of atmospheric deposition on small lakes and wrote his PhD-thesis on this subject. He published regularly in international scientific journals. He was secretary of the Netherlands Working Group of Ecological Water Assessment and president of the Netherlands-Flemish Diatom Society and the 12th International Diatoms Society.

Herman van Dam was a member of a team, which prepared an Environmental Impact Assessment of an artificial recharge project in the main acquifer (Veluwe area) of the central Netherlands. He reported about the effects of expected changes in water level oscillations and water quality on terrestrial vegetation and biocommunities in small streams