BC Lake Stewardship Society works to protect our lakes

Posted February 2006

The BC Lake Stewardship Society (BCLSS) is a registered non-profit society dedicated to the preservation and protection of British Columbia’s lakes. A chapter of the North American Lake Management Society, the BCLSS envisions clean, healthy lakes that provide quality habitat for aquatic life, wildlife, and people throughout B.C. Its mission is to act as a resource, communication, and information network among scientists, environmental professionals, lakeshore stewardship groups, lakeshore residents, the public, and government agencies to preserve, protect, and restore lakes in British Columbia.

BCLSS trains, educates, and provides technical support to lake stewardship groups interested in protecting lakes in their community. The society provides lake monitoring programs, educational materials, and workshops with other stewardship groups in the province.

BC Lake Stewardship and Monitoring Program (BCLSMP)

The BCLSS launched the BCLSMP in the spring of 2003, in partnership with the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (now Ministry of Environment, MoE). The program trains lake stewards at various levels of water quality data collection so they can monitor lakes of interest. Once water quality data has been collected from trained individuals, the information is summarized into a six- to eight-page brochure that is distributed to members of the community. These brochures emphasize the concerns for each lake and demonstrate the significance of community participation.

As not all lakes will have three years of data collected by the end of the project (2006), it will be extended. Possible expansions to the program, for 2006 and beyond, include aquatic macrophyte mapping, sediment core reporting, and the development of extensive LakeKeepers training course(s).

LakeKeepers Manual

In conjunction with the BCLSMP, the BCLSS board of directors volunteered considerable time, and recently, completed the LakeKeepers manual, a comprehensive guide that: 1) provides advice to individuals and groups wishing to form stewardship groups, 2) explains the issues associated with water quality, and 3) ensures standard techniques for water sampling and data collection.

For more information about the BCLSS, visit www.bclss.org.