We Are Proud of Our Programs and Partnerships
Working with local community organizations, residents, and other non-profit societies, the BCLSS has implemented a variety of programs to provide education and training to expand lake stewardship throughout British Columbia. Through our unique programs, including the BC Lake Stewardship and Monitoring Program, LakeKeepers, and the BC Lake Stewardship Engagement Initiative, we are proud to be empowering stewards to ensure our provincial lakes are clean and healthy.
The BCLSS developed the BC Lake Stewardship and Monitoring Program in partnership with the BC Ministry of Environment to allow for greater collaboration with lake stewards.
The BCLSS LakeKeepers training course and manual provide an in-depth understanding of lake ecology and management.
Through the BC Lake Stewardship Engagement Initiative, the BCLSS will enhance and strengthen the provincial lake stewardship sector.
The NALMS Secchi Dip-In is an international event during which volunteers collect a snapshot of the water quality from their favourite lake.
The BCLSS partners with other organizations that share our vision of clean, healthy lakes. Collaboration leads to a larger impact, further strengthening watershed stewardship throughout the province.
If you would prefer to pay by cheque or e-transfer, please use the PDF form below.
The BC Lake Stewardship Society (BCLSS) encourages you to submit your abstracts for our 2023 Annual Conference to be held in Victoria, BC, September 23–24, 2023.
We would particularly like to encourage stewardship groups to share their achievements and projects.
Submission Guidelines
Abstracts for poster sessions are also accepted. Poster presentations are typically a storyboard on 32×40 inch matt board but material and size are at the discretion of the presenter.
1.5 Day LakeKeepers Workshop
Since 2009, the BCLSS has offered LakeKeepers workshops to provide training and support for lake stewardship with an emphasis on lake water quality monitoring. Workshops are held throughout the province thanks to our generous partners and funders: Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Real Estate Foundation of BC, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
The BCLSS LakeKeepers 1.5 day training course provides participants with a greater understanding of lake ecology and health. Human impacts to watersheds and lakes are also covered. This knowledge increases the ability of citizens to steward their lakes, as they are equipped with a better understanding of the watershed and potential land-use impacts. Regionally based LakeKeepers courses also create peer-to-peer learning opportunities through networking and can address issues and concerns specific to the location. Optional modules, such as Watershed Assessment and Aquatic Plant Surveying are available and can selected by course participants.
The workshop consists of one day in class that includes hands on training to use lake monitoring equipment, followed by one – half day at a lake where participants apply a variety of lake ecology and water quality monitoring techniques
Topics covered in the course may include:
Coming soon: 3 Day Lake Ecology & Monitoring Course
We are in the process of developing a course aimed at environmental professionals that has been certified by our highly qualified board of directors. The course will provide an in-depth overview of lake monitoring and lake ecology. Participants will be assessed on their knowledge of the material presented throughout the course through study questions and a final quiz. Participants will also need to demonstrate field proficiency with the sampling procedures covered in the course. A certificate will be issued upon successful completion of the course.
Please contact info@bclss.org for more information about the LakeKeepers Workshops.
The LakeKeepers manual is a comprehensive guide to lake stewardship and ecology in British Columbia. Anyone concerned or even curious about our provincial lakes will find this manual useful and informative. It is an educational resource, lake monitoring training guide, and toolkit for developing successful community stewardship initiatives.
The 2022 version of the manual is now available by clicking on the adjacent image. If you have any comments on the manual, please let us know, as we will be updating it on an annual basis.
The BCLSS invites anyone with an interest in lake conservation to become a member of the society, so that we can work together to strengthen the stewardship sector and keep lakes clean and healthy, for generations to come.
Good water quality is important for aquatic life and wildlife that rely on lakes for food and habitat, and to people, who use lakes for drinking water, fishing, boating, swimming, other recreational uses, and for the natural beauty they offer. There is an increasing need for individuals and groups throughout the province to take on a greater role in stewardship activities and water quality monitoring as citizen scientists. Collection of lake data by citizen scientists is important for the protection of lake water quality. Volunteer-collected data provides valuable baseline and background information, that helps us examine and understand what is happening in aquatic environments and observe long term trends.
The BCLSS and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV) recognize the importance of citizen science and assists individuals and local groups with taking on a greater role in caring for lakes through the BC Lake Stewardship and Monitoring Program (BCLSMP). This program was launched in 2003, in partnership between BCLSS, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV), and volunteers. Visit the new BCLSMP website.
Under the BCLSMP, volunteers are provided with training, equipment, and support to facilitate the collection of water quality data and observations from lakes in BC. The program is unique in that it gives dedicated volunteers the knowledge and tools to become stewards of their favourite lake. It also promotes community-based involvement and extensive collaboration efforts.
LEVELS OF STUDY
This program includes five different levels of monitoring. The level of study that is chosen is based on the volunteer commitment, resources available to the region, and the specific concerns for the lake itself. The BCLSS currently manages all provincial Level 1 programs while ENV manages all Level 2 & 3 programs.
After three years of monitoring, the data collected by volunteers from each lake will be summarized into a lake-specific report by the BCLSS. It is important to note, however, that a minimum of 12 equally spaced samples taken throughout the spring/summer seasons are required in order to conduct meaningful data analysis. The lake reports are reader-friendly and will describe the trends in the lake parameters that were monitored. The report will also provide the residents and seasonal users of the lakes with an idea of potential changes in water quality and will identify any problems associated with these changes. Where possible, the reports will make recommendations for further lake monitoring and assessment. Please refer to our library page to view lake reports already completed.
Monitoring activities include:
Level 1 studies can be conducted on any lake of interest and are managed by the BCLSS.
For the Level 1 Study, full monitoring procedures can be found here and the field form can be found in PDF or Excel formats.
For the Level 1 Study + Lake Profiles, full monitoring procedures can be found here and the field form can be found in PDF or Excel formats.
3-year commitment. 1 hour or less per week.
Monitoring activities include Level 1 study program plus:
Level 2 studies are only available for select lakes and are managed by ENV. Learn more about the Level 2 program here.
3-year commitment. 1 hour or less per week.
Monitoring activities include all Level 2 study program activities plus:
Level 3 studies can be conducted on any lake of interest and are managed by ENV. Learn more about the Level 3 program here.
3-year commitment. 1 to 2 hours or more either a bi-weekly or monthly cycle.
Monitoring activities combine Level 1, 2, or 3 studies plus:
Provides great value in prioritizing short and long-term management strategies for rehabilitation and protection of aquatic systems.
Level 4 studies are required to be led by the community and can involve multiple levels of government (i.e., municipal, regional, and provincial). Contact ENV about the Level 4 program.
Long-term, multi-year commitment.
Monitoring study activities include:
Level 5 studies are the most comprehensive lake monitoring studies and can be very time intensive and expensive. Specific criteria are required to undertake a Level 5 study. Requires community to lead the project with the involvement of multiple levels of government (i.e., municipal, regional, and provincial). Contact ENV about the Level 5 program.
Long-term, multi-year commitment.
The Secchi Dip-In takes place during Lakes Appreciation Month, July 1st to 31st. This is an international effort of the North American Lake Management Society during which volunteers collect a snapshot of the water quality in their local lake. Volunteers from across North America have participated in this event for over twenty-five years, gathering important environmental information about their lakes. The BCLSS has been a collaborator of this event in BC since 2002!
The Secchi disk is one of the most basic tools for evaluating water quality of lakes. It measures water transparency (clarity) which is a good indicator of the impacts from human activity on the land surrounding a water body. If transparency is measured through the season and from year to year, trends in transparency can be observed. It can serve as an early warning that activities on the land are affecting water quality.
Father Pietro Angelo Secchi, scientific advisor to the Pope, was asked by Commander Cialdi, head of the Papal Navy, to develop and test a new water transparency instrument in the Mediterranean Sea. This instrument, now named the Secchi disk, was first lowered from the papal steam yacht l’Immacolata Concezione (The Immaculate Concenption) in the Mediterranean Sea on April 20, 1865.
The typical Secchi disk used in lakes is an 8-inch disk with alternating black and white quadrants. It is lowered into the water until the observer can no longer see it. The depth of disappearance, called the Secchi depth, is a measure of the transparency of the water.
Transparency decreases as the amount of particulate materials – such as algae and suspended sediment – increases. In other words, the water becomes less clear when there is more algae or sediment suspended in the water. The amount of algae that grows in a lake is affected by the amount of nutrients coming from sewage treatment plants, septic tanks, and lawn and agricultural fertilizer, as well as suspended sediments washed from construction sites, agricultural fields, urban storm runoff, or churned upward from bottom deposits. Determining water clarity is the first step in assessing the health of a lake.
The BC Lake Stewardship Society organizes the provincial Dip-In and submits the data to the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). You can explore historical Dip-In data on the Water Quality Portal.
If you would like to participate in the Secchi Dip-In, please contact marie@bclss.org. Put your lake on the map!
The BC Lake Stewardship Society recognizes the increased need to focus on education and communication to advance stewardship throughout the province. The BC Lake Stewardship Engagement Initiative (BCLSEI) is an educational program developed in 2019 to improve the capacity of lake stewards and to complement our other well-established programs and services.
In 2018, the BCLSS led the development of the Integrated Lake Monitoring Framework (ILMF), in partnership with Living Lakes Canada, for the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. This framework outlined the need to expand and enhance the volunteer lake stewardship sector and also verified that the volunteer lake stewardship sector required more training and diverse support. These needs can be addressed by increasing awareness and offering education and training opportunities. The needs identified in the report included:
The BCLSS aims to fulfill these needs of the volunteer lake stewardship sector through the BC Lake Stewardship Engagement Initiative (BCLSEI), an educational program offered through meetings, presentations, and workshops. The diverse curriculum of this program is based on the needs and requests of communities being visited and can include general lake science, information on lake stewardship and citizen science, general support and advice for lake stewards, increasing awareness on lake related issues such as aquatic plants and invasive mussels, and assistance with operating a stewardship group, including information on fundraising. The BCLSEI can be adapted to incorporate more technical components such as procedural and safety training for lake monitoring and auditing of monitoring to ensure high quality data is being collected.
Virtual meetings are an integral component of the BC Lake Stewardship Engagement Initiative in response to the COVID pandemic. Virtual meeting educational topics range from general lake science (including lake-specific science), how to purchase and use a dissolved oxygen meter, and how to take Secchi and temperature readings.
Meeting with provincial lake stewards under the BCLSEI has reinforced the importance of personalized assistance. Face to face meetings are complemented by ongoing support and outreach offered by the BCLSS through follow up emails, phone calls, and virtual meetings. Additional support is provided through educational resources, informational monthly newsletters, and sharing of any other relevant contacts or resources. This ongoing support is critical as it continues to motivate lake stewards and citizen scientists, which, in turn, ensures that lakes receive the care they need to remain healthy. Feedback from program participants has reinforced the value of this support.
The initial success of this program demonstrates that personalized contact with those that have concern for and care about our local lakes is invaluable. We aim to continue to empower individuals and groups through this program, so that they can take on a greater role in lake stewardship.
If you are interested in having the BCLSS provide a personalized presentation, please contact us.
Water Rangers
BCLSS is a Water Rangers Ambassador!
Water Rangers has carefully designed, educational water test kits that anyone can use. They are an excellent way for community groups and schools to collect and share water quality data from lakes and streams.
The BCLSS has been using these kits with a number of school groups as well as for monitoring Como Lake in Coquitlam with the Burke Mountain Naturalists. They are very well put together, easy to use, and fun! Water data can be entered right into the Water Rangers app and are graphed immediately in the dashboard so that you can see the results over time.
To learn more about these educational test kits and to purchase one through the BCLSS, please click here.
Living Lakes Canada Lake Blitz
This citizen science project was born out of the continuing need to increase water stewardship and help Canadians understand climate change impacts on the health of our lakes, rivers, wetlands, streams, and groundwater.
Participating in the Lake Blitz is simple and fun! For more information and to get involved, please go to the Living Lakes Canada Lake Blitz website.