Connect to your local lake: Join the 4th Annual National Lake Blitz
By Contributor
Lakes are integral to communities, providing essential resources and serving as recreational and cultural hubs. We live along their shores, explore their fresh waters and admire the diverse wildlife. Yet, increasing climate and other impacts highlight the need to monitor and protect these vital ecosystems. This summer, Living Lakes Canada invites you to dive into volunteer lake monitoring with the National Lake Blitz.
Starting March 1, 2024, anyone interested in deepening their connection to their favourite lake can register as a Lake Blitz volunteer. Join hundreds of people across Canada in measuring air and water temperature, and documenting shoreline habitat, wildlife, invasive species and environmental concerns at their chosen lakes between May and September.
“I was starting to think about climate change and how I needed to take some personal action, and I didn’t really know what to do,” said Teresa Wright, a Lake Blitz volunteer who monitors Kootenay Lake, B.C. “Being a Lake Blitz volunteer made me feel happy to be part of a community that was also taking care of our lakes.”
Each volunteer receives a free Lake Blitz Standard Kit containing a thermometer, tape measure, field guide, and datasheets. Living Lakes Canada will provide free online training on how to monitor your local lake, from data collection to data entry. The Lake Blitz Level 2 Kit is available for purchase, allowing enthusiastic volunteers to measure additional parameters including pH and water clarity. Volunteers will also be invited to join the Lake Blitz Speaker Series featuring experts from various water-focused fields including Ross Reid, a popular online science educator also known as Nerdy About Nature.
All the lake data that you’ll help to collect this year can be viewed on the Lake Blitz Observation Map or downloaded from the Living Lakes Canada Water Hub, an open access database for water and water-related data. The Lake Blitz data is also available from DataStream.
Building on last year’s success, where 223 active volunteers monitored 209 lakes, collecting 1,613 data points, the National Lake Blitz is seeking more volunteers across the Prairies, Atlantic Canada and the Territories in 2024.
Registration closes April 26th or when the supply of standard Lake Blitz Kits runs out. Don’t miss out! Join Living Lakes Canada in getting outside this summer and help protect the lake you love.
To learn more and to register, visit LakeBlitz.LivingLakesCanada.ca or contact the Lake Blitz team at LakeBlitz@LivingLakesCanada.ca.
