Wading into 2023 together
Read the web version here.
Thanks to our growing network of partners and volunteers, our collaborative efforts continue to raise awareness around the need to face intensive climate impacts head-on. We look forward to another year of increased engagement and activities towards protecting our freshwater now and into the future.
Living Lakes International gathers in Peru
In December, Living Lakes Canada joined other members of the Living Lakes International network in Puno, Peru for the 16th Living Lakes International Conference. Taking place at the same time as the COP15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, this conference brought together 200 participants from 30 countries to share best practices for protecting the world’s lakes and wetlands. Attendees took in numerous presentations showcasing conservation projects around the globe. A Declaration was signed calling for urgent collective action and the creation of a World Water Fund.
2023 Lake Blitz registration opens Feb 1st
The National Lake Blitz is in its third year! Building on the success of the previous two years, we’re opening registration earlier. Starting February 1st, anyone interested in helping steward a lake they love is encouraged to sign up to receive their free Lake Blitz Kit. Lake monitoring runs from May to September. New this year, we are providing more advanced monitoring kits available for purchase for those keen to dive deeper into water science.
Identifying Water Concerns in Basin communities
The Pilot Implementation of the Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework was completed in three areas of the Basin in 2022. This project is expanding into two new regions in 2023. Eight community meetings to capture local priorities and water concerns within these new areas are being hosted between February and April (registration is required). Those who cannot attend are invited to register to receive an online survey.
Supporting First Nations through STREAM
Blueberry River First Nations have reached a landmark agreement with the B.C. Government to exercise their treaty rights and protect their traditional territory from further unauthorized industrial activity. Large-scale restoration measures to heal their lands from decades of oil and gas development will be implemented. This past fall, Canadian Science Publishing featured the STREAM partnership and Blueberry River First Nations’ participation in the project. Blueberry River First Nations has used STREAM to strengthen their monitoring capacity and put restoration projects into action. Living Lakes Canada looks forward to continuing to support Blueberry River First Nations through our biomonitoring programs.
Backcountry Lodges helping track climate impacts
The Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia Association featured our High Elevation Monitoring Program, bringing it to the attention of lodge owners in the Kootenays and beyond. To date, six lodges are helping promote the program to their guests. We’re grateful to mountaineer and photographer Pat Morrow for the use of his photo above that captures the campaign slogan perfectly: “Enjoying Fresh Tracks? Then consider helping us track climate impacts.”
College students dive into groundwater
Seventy-five students from Selkirk College in Castlegar, B.C. participated in groundwater labs hosted at the on-campus Volunteer Observation Well. As part of the hydrology class in the Selkirk College School of Environment and Geomatics, the labs encouraged students to apply concepts learned in class to a real-world setting.
Join us for our 2023 Virtual AGM
You are cordially invited to attend the Living Lakes Canada 2023 Annual General Meeting. Join us on March 9th, 2023 from 5-6:30 pm PT / 6-7:30 pm MT for an overview of the 2022 projects and vision for our future work. Once you register, you’ll be sent the link to the meeting, and closer to the date you’ll be emailed an agenda. We look forward to seeing you there!
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