Welcome to Lake Windermere Ambassadors

After three years of data collection and monitoring on Windermere Creek (April-October 2015-2017), the results have been reviewed and published by Lotic Environmental, the Lake Windermere Ambassadors, and the Columbia Basin Water Quality Monitoring Project (CBWQ). The link to these results is below. This project was generously funded by the Columbia Basin Trust and in-kind support […]

Changes to the federal Fisheries Act, in Bill-C68, are currently being reviewed by the Senate.  These proposed changes include an important amendment to include “quantity, quality and timing of water flow” in the definition of fish habitat. This is a very important and necessary modernization, that will help protect fish and aquatic ecosystems in the […]

Are you passionate about lake stewardship and conservation? Do you have experience working independently and managing concurrent projects? Is engaging your community in watershed leadership something that excites you? We are looking for another passionate water steward and community leader to join our organization. Please read the full job description below, and follow the instructions […]

    Sunday, September 23rd marks BC Rivers Day, a day to highlight the many values of rivers and increase public awareness and stewardship of rivers around the province. Here in the Columbia Valley, we are incredibly lucky to host the source of the Columbia River and to have good water quality that allows us to […]

After a hazy August caused by hundreds of wildfires burning across the province, the smoky skies have us wondering what impacts it might have on our waterways here in the Columbia Valley. The combined impacts of wildfires can have negative consequences for water quality in a watershed. Not only does the burning of vegetation and charring of […]

Letter to the Editor: The heat of last summer left us all feeling a little thirsty, including Lake Windermere. Just last year, lake levels dropped at the highest rate since the Lake Windermere Ambassadors began monitoring the watershed in 2010. Monthly averages show that 2017 had the most dramatic rate of lake level decline between […]

By: Rachel Kanan, 2018 Watershed Stewardship Assistant   If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? No one knows. However, if someone is playing “Shots” by LMFAO through their speedboat speakers near Kinsmen Beach on a busy Saturday, there will be a small […]

History After a disastrous flood of the Columbia River demolished much of the area of Trail, B.C., to Vanport, Oregon in 1948, interest in flood control grew across the West Coast. A Federal response came in 1964, in the form of Prime Minister Diefenbaker and President Eisenhower’s arrangement of the Columbia River Treaty. It served […]

A couple of weeks ago, I climbed a grassy hill overlooking Athalmer to get a better view of the lake. I was surprised to notice what normally appeared to be a dry patch of reeds and grass now rippling and glimmering in the sun.  I hadn’t realized it before when the water was low, but this was a […]

Our first excursion to sample the lake water this year was April 24th.  It was a blustery day, with very low water levels.  Too low to launch the motorboat, we embarked in a flatwater kayak to face the waves and collect Phosphorous samples! The lab results came back showing very low Total and Dissolved Phosphorous concentrations, […]