Success Stories
Thank you for making a big difference.
“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
Project Profile
This project has been fully funded by LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics and individual donors.
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.
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.
We have completed the science, public outreach and education components, and thanks to Small Change Fund donors, 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 now 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 direct future water quality monitoring based on the findings of LWP, and encourage implementation of policies benefiting the health of the lake. Your support has helped us to establish this important committee. Thank you.
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) in 2005 when it became apparent that development in the region was having significant impacts on the water quality of the Upper Columbia River.
This project was a partnership of all levels of government and community, with an emphasis on the protection and enhancement of the quality of Lake Windermere. The project is being used as a template for lake stewardship in BC, across Canada and with our international partners in the Living Lakes network.
Wildsight works to maintain biodiversity and healthy human communities in Canada's southern Rocky Mountain region. We are focused on three core areas: The southern Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, the Rocky Mountain Trench and the Purcell Mountains. This ecoregion provides critical genetic connectivity for western North America's wildlife populations.
