Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society has provided a platform for a broad array of stakeholders to collaboratively learn about Kootenay Lake and its many values, identifying potential threats to the lake’s social and ecological values, conducting scientific inquiry into these issues, and proposing solutions. We’ve encouraged a broader and deeper understanding of the lake’s ecosystems and strived to build cooperative relationships among Kootenay Lake communities.
Kootenay Lake is a large, long, narrow, ultraoligotrophic lake bordered by the Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges in southeastern British Columbia. The lake connects numerous quaint mountain communities and holds immense cultural, spiritual, ecological, economic, and recreational value. History has shown that without diligence on the part of local people, the values that lakes provide can be lost over time. Climate change, droughts, fires, development pressures and the cumulative impacts from shoreline development, increasing recreational demands, impacts from industrial and/or hydro-electric development, all present challenges for protecting the lake’s many features and values.
Communities can play an active role while many decisions affecting Kootenay Lake are made by various governments, agencies, and utilities. The Friends of Kootenay Lake has benefited the lake by bringing a grass roots perspective to how these organizations collaborate and exercise their responsibilities.
