Living Lakes Canada named finalist in 2024 Land Awards for Freshwater Science
Twenty-one projects leading the way in sustainable, equitable, and socially just land use and real estate are finalists for the 2024 Land Awards hosted by the Real Estate Foundation of BC (REFBC). This biennial awards program recognizes outstanding projects and leaders that protect the lands and waters we love and create sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities. In the Fresh Water category, Living Lakes Canada’s Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework (CBWMF) is a finalist.
“Alongside other esteemed finalists, we’re honored to be recognized for our efforts to implement a comprehensive water monitoring network to support adaptive water management”, said Kat Hartwig, Executive Director with Living Lakes Canada.
In response to documented data gaps throughout the Canadian Columbia Basin, Living Lakes Canada launched the CBWMF in three pilot areas in 2022 to collect data and track climate impacts on freshwater in this region. The framework has expanded over the past two years to monitor five hydrologic regions covering 12,500 square kilometres, with the long-term goal of filling data gaps in the entire Basin region. The project’s pioneering approach, which emphasizes stakeholder engagement and prioritizes monitoring based on scientific and community criteria, was recently published in the Water International journal as an open access article.
In 2010, Living Lakes Canada was awarded the inaugural REFBC Land Award for the Lake Windermere Project, a collaborative effort between regional Rights holders and stakeholders to steward Lake Windermere in the East Kootenay, BC after the burbot fisheries collapsed. This five-year project ( 2005-2010) launched Living Lakes Canada as a water program. Now, 14 years later, the water science and stewardship work spearheaded by Living Lakes is being recognized by REFBC.
“We’re excited to celebrate remarkable leaders and organizations forging better relationships between lands, waters, and people,” said Mark Gifford, CEO of REFBC in a recent press release. “By sharing success stories from across BC, we hope to build bridges and inspire lasting change.”
The REFBC will reveal the winners in the five project categories, as well as the recipients of the Land Champion and Emerging Leader award at the 2024 Land Awards Gala on June 13 in Vancouver. Learn more about REFBC’s 2024 Land Awards.
