29 Jun Register for Friends of Kootenay Lake’s CABIN Training Program
Register here
Note: Due to limited spaces, those who register will be contacted by our team to determine their ability and interest in continuing to monitor throughout the fall. Only those who can commit to at least one follow-up field day will be selected for the program.
This summer the Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society (FOKLSS) will be launching their latest citizen science water monitoring program on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. This is year one of a three-year monitoring program that will involve a 2-day workshop and subsequent fieldwork in watersheds surrounding the West Arm.
Citizen Scientists will attend a 2-day workshop on the CABIN (Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network) protocol, co-hosted by Living Lakes Canada. This program will offer an opportunity for passionate water stewardship advocates to develop the skills to monitor their watershed. This program will also assist FOKLSS in obtaining valuable data on stream health on the West Arm.
Assessing the health of a stream can be done by counting the number of insects living in it — specifically, benthic macroinvertebrates (the backboneless bugs that are generally visible to the naked eye that live on the bottom of streams).
In Canada, a national protocol called CABIN (Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network) has been established that collects benthic macroinvertebrates and uses their counts as an indicator of a water body’s health.
Living Lakes Canada (LLC) is the only Canadian NGO trained by Environment and Climate Change Canada to train community groups, professionals, industry and First Nation communities in the CABIN methodology, which is the most widely used national protocol to assess the health of streams.
Friends of Kootenay Lake is one of many grassroots organizations joining a network of environmental professionals training everyday people to be active stewards in their watersheds. This free CABIN training is a great opportunity to grow your skillset, especially for environmental students or professionals who want to keep their skills relevant.
Workshop Details:
Each workshop will be a full day, hands-on learning event. Volunteers will get a chance to practice all four phases of this protocol:
- gathering benthic invertebrates using a kicknet,
- sample water quality upstream of kick site,
- measure stream width and depth to determine discharge,
- determine stream slope using stadia rod.
This workshop will give citizen scientists the skills to help our staff gather data on 6 streams in Kootenay Lake’s West Arm watershed. This data will complement our previous lake-wide study where volunteers and our team gathered open-water quality data on the West Arm.
If you have always wanted to make a difference in your watershed, register today for our limited spots.
Previous experience in stream monitoring is an asset but not required.
COVID-19 Hazard Assessment & Risk Management:
Our staff will be equipped with all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as hand sanitizer, gloves, and disposable masks will be readily available.
The social distancing of 2 meters will be maintained throughout the workshop and equipment will be thoroughly sanitized throughout the day.
We encourage volunteers to bring their own mask if possible and to not attend the workshop if you have been exhibiting symptoms.
For how to reduce the spread and know the symptoms please click here
For more details and information contact Camille at info@friendsofkootenaylake.ca