Upgrading the VLMP

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy has been doing some upgrading to its Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP) over the past year.  One of the first things we did was change the name.  To better represent all the groups and individuals we work with, and better align with our partner BCLSS’s program, the VLMP has been renamed to the BC Lake Stewardship and Monitoring Program (BCLSMP).

In addition, Ministry staff have been working to construct a new BCLSMP webpage to replace the VLMP webpage that was created in 2018.  We kept all the good things about the old page, like our amazing mapping portal showcasing all the lakes that have had volunteer programs, but we did some spring cleaning and removed some of the outdated materials that are no longer relevant.  We have organized everything into three streams of information to help visitors better navigate the page and find the information they are looking for.  We’ve also updated all our information so everything is current, and we added some fun new tools including video training guides, a glossary of terms and an online data submission tool our wonderful volunteers can use to streamline how data is received.  We’ve also added a “Volunteer Highlights” page, to highlight lake stewardship activities and groups, and recognize all the incredible things that people are doing to protect our freshwater resources.  There is also a “Latest News” banner where we can post updates and other information about lakes and lake stewardship.

Please visit www.gov.bc.ca/lakestewardshipmonitoring and let us know what you think!

Article submitted by Kirsten McNeill, Aquatic Stewardship Coordinator, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy