The Lake Windermere Ambassadors hosted an event designed to tap into local knowledge and build greater awareness of watershed issues. Dr. Anna Warwick Sears, Executive Director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board, was the keynote speaker and addressed an audience of about thirty people during the December 10th event.
Dr. Sears advised residents in the Upper Columbia watershed to anticipate future water challenges before they become serious problems. Conversing with each other about water is the first step in this process.
During an open discussion, participants expressed an appreciation of water-based recreation in this region and that fact that tourists come to the area because of the lake. Their concerns related to uncertainty about future water quality, water quantity, lake levels, and how water management will affect the wetlands and the wildlife that depend on them.