2025 May Newsletter

Greetings friend,

It’s good to be back.

Well, I never really left. I’ve been more so hanging around in the background, dipping my toes in clean ups every now and again and staying updated about the amazing things FoKLSS has been up to through social media, news articles, word of mouth, etc.

My name is Joelle, and from 2021-2023 I was FoKLSS’ Outreach Coordinator. I eventually moved on to other things, but now, two years later, I am here sharing an awesome newsletter with you as a Board Member of Friends of Kootenay Lake!

It was too hard to stay away.

Like you, I feel dedicated to improving the health and stewardship of Kootenay Lake. It’s the heart of our community, and together we can take small steps that bring us closer to a lake that will thrive for future generations.

I’m really excited to be sharing two months worth of news with you! With summer just around the corner, there is so much going on and so much to look forward to. While this isn’t my official reintroduction to this community (that’s coming next month), I just wanted to say hi, again. And if we haven’t met yet, I look forward to getting to know you soon.

For the love of the lake,
Joelle Burnie
Board of Director

A clean-up I joined last spring at Cottonwood Falls. I’m the tall one in the middle, stoked to be there 🙂

Our Friends in Community

Generous Folks Support Outreach & Stewardship Initiatives!

Back in April we participated in Earth Week Nelson hosted by the West Kootenay Climate Hub.

To kick off the week, we participated in a beach clean-up organized by L. V. Rogers (LVR) ATLAS class. These students took action to protect our local environment, removing a boat load of garbage before rising water levels could carry it into Kootenay Lake—helping to protect the water, wildlife, and ecosystem.

But the stewardship didn’t stop there. The ATLAS class has committed to ongoing care of Troupe Beach, recognizing its importance as a community and environmental asset. In addition to their cleanup initiative, the students also demonstrated strong leadership and initiative through a successful Ski Wax fundraiser this March. As part of their leadership project, they raised $2,000, half of which they proudly donated to support the ongoing outreach and stewardship initiatives at FoKLSS.

A huge shout-out of appreciation goes to Graeme Marshall and the L.V. Rogers (LVR) ATLAS class for their incredible efforts during Earth Week!

Likewise, Virtue Tea donated 1% of their profits to Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society in honour of Earth Day. They are a great local company based in Nelson, and we’re grateful for their support.

Community Comes Together to Clean Up the Nelson Dog Walk

On Saturday, April 26, 2025, we hosted our first community beach cleanup at the Nelson Dog Walk and Cottonwood Creek area, thanks to our dedicated volunteer Grace Sabo.

Volunteers collected a significant amount of garbage along the beach and creek, including a shopping cart, plastic containers, cans, Styrofoam, shoes, clothing, and glass. Beach cleanups like this one help protect wildlife, prevent pollution, and contribute to a healthier environment for Kootenay Lake and our entire community.

A huge thank you to the community members who donated their time and effort to the cleanup, and extended special thanks to the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP), Columbia Power, Kootenay Co-op, and our other funders for supporting for the event.

CLEAN UPS COMING SOON!
Keep your eyes open over the next couple of weeks for upcoming beach cleanups happening around Kootenay Lake! The month of June will be full of clean ups and other ways to get involved, so make sure you check out our events calendar and follow us on social media to find out when these events are happening.

Tackling Invasives at Harrop Wetland!

Volunteers have been busy out at Harrop Wetland! Back in April, eight volunteers helped remove staples, tape, stickers, etc from flattened cardboard boxes, to prepare cardboard barriers to help control Reed Canary Grass, an invasive species threatening the Harrop Wetland’s biodiversity. Big thanks to the Sunshine Bay Riding Club for allowing us access onto their property to facilitate the drop off and to Harrop Hall for the lovely outdoor pavilion!

Photo: Volunteers gathered together at the wetland after breaking down cardboard boxes for hours!

Our Team is Growing!

Raine Freeman: Stewardship & Education Program Coordinator

We are excited to welcome a new member of our team, Raine Freeman. Raine will be working for us this summer as the Stewardship and Education Program Coordinator!

Raine was born and raised here in Nelson BC, and graduated this May with a diploma in Selkirk’s Applied Environmental Science and Planning Technology. She’s a certified plant nerd, enjoys hiking, photographing flowers, and collecting vinyl records. She’s thrilled to be joining the team at FoKLSS and can’t think of a better way to spend the summer than supporting the stewardship of, and reciprocity to, the beautiful water that surrounds our home in the Kootenays. Raine is also passionate about revitalizing Indigenous languages and is currently learning N’sÉ™lxcĚŚin’ (Nsel-cheen) which is the Sinixt dialect of Interior Salish. She’s spent an accumulated 3 field seasons learning about native plants, ecosystem restoration, horticulture, organic farming, bee keeping, and community education through Elkroot Conservation Farm and Georama Growers. She may be quiet when you first meet, but after a short time you will find her loudly passionate about caring for her community, ecosystem health, and supporting people’s connection to the land.

Lily Feeback: Board of Director

Lily first joined FoKLSS as a volunteer in June 2024, organizing beach cleanups, and later joined the board continuing the stewardship projects!

Lily was born and raised in the Kootenai Valley of northwest Montana. Here, she spent her childhood floating and fishing on the Kootenai/y River, boating, cliff jumping, and swimming in the Koocanusa Reservoir. Now, living here in Nelson, she feels incredibly grateful to still be able to touch the water that connects her to her roots. The Kootenai/y holds a special place in her heart, and she’s honored to have the opportunity to advocate for its health and future through her work with FoKLSS.

As a hydrologist, she may be biased, but water truly is everything! Healthy watersheds are the foundation of healthy communities and ecosystems. We’re fortunate to live in a region blessed with pristine water sources and beautiful mountain landscapes—treasures that are becoming increasingly rare. It’s easy to take the ecosystem that Kootenay Lake supports for granted, but it’s more important than ever to appreciate and protect it. She encourages everyone to get out and explore their watershed, learn about its vital role, and take steps to care for this special corner of the world. Together, we can ensure that future generations will enjoy it as much as we do today!

Did you know...

Did you know...

When you become a member of Friends of Kootenay Lake, you are supporting ALL life in and around Kootenay Lake- eagles, kokanee, western toads, dear, black bears, and shoreline plants like Bush Penstemon (pictured on front).

Bush Penstemon is a native species to BC and can be found peaking through rock outcrops high above the shorelines of Kootenay Lake.

So many species depend on healthy lake, which means they depend on people like us to step up and support stewardship education projects that build knowledge and resilenceny!

Can you step up and become a member?

Events

THIS SATURDAY!

We are recruiting volunteers to help with invasive plant (Bull Thistle and Reed Canary Grass) management at the Harrop Wetland. The plan is to lay out some benthic barriers along with cardboard and mulch on top of the invasive plants. We will also be planting up some snowberry and thimble berry roots and constructing a temporary deer fence around the new plantings.

Huge thank you to BC Gaming Grant and Eco Canada for supporting this project!

AGM COMING SOON…IN JUNE!

We are in the works of planning our 2025 Annual General Meeting! We don’t have the specific date yet, but it will be sometime in June.

Make sure to keep your eyes on our events calendar and social media for a finalized Save The Date!

Milkweed Monitoring for Monarchs with Kootenay Native Plants Society

Are you interested in learning how to monitor monarch butterflies and contribute to conservation efforts? The Milkweed Monitoring for Monarchs initiative is looking for volunteers to help track monarch eggs and larvae on Showy Milkweed this summer. Join us for a field-based training workshop on Milkweed Monitoring for Monarchs on Saturday, June 22, from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Montrose Hill! Hosted by the Kootenay Native Plant Society, this hands-on session will teach participants how to identify monarch eggs and larvae on Showy Milkweed using the Monarch Larva Monitoring Program (MLMP) protocol.  More information and to register:  https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/milkweed-and-monarchs-monitoring-training

More Lake News

Update on the International Kootenay Lake Board of Control

The International Kootenay Lake Board of Control (IKLBC) held its annual meeting on May 7 and 8 th in Nelson. This included the annual public event on the evening of May 7 with opportunities for questions from the attendees.   In addition to the public meeting the Board also met internally to discuss future plans for initiating a review of the 1938 Order that sets the annual regulation targets for Kootenay Lake and a review of a draft report on the potential for changing hydrologic conditions to affect continued implementation of the Order. The meeting included a field trip to familiarize new members of the Board to the outlet of Kootenay Lake at Grohman Narrows and the Corra Linn dam. Members also visited McDonalds Landing where they discussed issues surrounding lake levels and shore-spawning kokanee. The Board had an on-site informative presentation by Dr. Joanne Siderius from the Kokanee Nature Centre and retired fisheries technician Gary Munro. While at McDonalds Landing the Board took the opportunity to learn about recent habitat restoration project that the Friends of Kootenay Lake had completed at that site.

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 681, Nelson, BC, V1L 5R4

Email: info@friendsofkootenaylake.ca

Phone:  (250) 777-2744

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