Protecting Lake Windermere’s Rare and Beautiful Habitat Invermere, BC

Our project is a partnership of all levels of government and community, with an emphasis on the protection and enhancement of the quality of Lake Windermere. http://www.wildsight.ca/

This project has been fully funded by LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics and individual donors.

"Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children's lifetime. The health of our waters is a principal measure of how we live on the land." — Dr. Luna Leopold

Lake Windermere is located in the Rocky Mountain Trench in Southeastern British Columbia. It is part of a globally significant wetland habitat, which includes the headwaters of the Columbia River, the largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America. Lake Windermere is the most heavily-used body of water in the entire Columbia Valley. This shallow widening of the Columbia River is a water recreation “playground” AND a source of drinking water.

But the lake’s ecology has suffered setbacks in recent decades: its population of burbot fish has collapsed; more than half of its shoreline has been degraded; and pollution — including gas, sewage and invasive plants — is on the rise. We started the Lake Windermere Project (LWP), a five-year program, in 2005 when it became apparent that development in the region was having significant impacts on the water quality of the Upper Columbia River. Our project is a partnership of all levels of government and community, with an emphasis on the protection and enhancement of the quality of Lake Windermere. Our project is being used as a template for lake stewardship in BC, across Canada and with our international partners in the Living Lakes network.

We have completed the science, public outreach and education components, and are now ready to transition stewardship of the lake and it's watershed over to the community. To facilitate the transition we created the Lake Windermere Ambassadors Committee. The committee is a group of dedicated citizens representing business, local government, recreation, second homeowners, local residents, and youth.

Lake Ambassadors help the Lake Windermere Project do its work. With their support, we can continue crucial water-quality monitoring and water stewardship work. Ambassadors also help us ensure that the official lake management plan is respected by everyone.The committee's mandate is the protection of the lake in perpetuity. They will direct future water quality monitoring based on the findings of LWP, and encourage implementation of policies benefiting the health of the lake. Your support will help us to establish this important committee.

The LWP has created a remarkable resource for the community. Water quality monitoring equipment, an extensive library and knowledge on monitoring protocols and analysis are available for citizen based stewardship training. Funding is required for stage one of the transition to the Lake Windermere Ambassadors. This will include workshops and a reference document that will serve as training tools for the community so that they can continue water quality monitoring and delivering water stewardship programs. The outcome will be empowering the Lake Windermere Ambassadors and community to look after the health of the Columbia River Headwaters.