Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society
Announcement from the Board of Directors – February 2, 2024
HIATUS IN OPERATIONS AS FoKLSS EXAMINES FUTURE VIABILITY
The Board of Directors of the Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society regrets to announce that, effective immediately, FoKLSS will be undergoing an indefinite hiatus in operations. In the coming months, we invite the Kootenay Lake community to explore with us alternative administrative and funding opportunities and to restructure how we operate to foster long-term organizational sustainability.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude for the tremendous support we’ve received over the last few months and the generous financial donations that have enabled us to conclude our 2023 work debt free. Sadly, however, due to a lack of ongoing administrative funding, it has been necessary to lay off our staff as of the end of January.
While there are no plans for project work in the immediate future, we are exploring options to restart operations. We are immensely proud of our projects completed over the past decade and the benefits they offer toward Kootenay Lake in the long-term. We would like to pursue additional wetland restoration, water-quality monitoring, beach and marina clean-ups, osprey monitoring, scientific collaborations and build on the many projects we have completed over the past decade. We are encouraging and requesting broad community involvement as we consider how best to support and deliver such initiatives going forward.
Your participation in our survey has been invaluable. This data will help guide us as we seek to establish our path for the year and beyond. As we enter this hiatus, it is our sincere intention that FoKLSS will continue to provide a voice for Kootenay Lake in the future. New ideas and fresh proposals are welcome. To lead the restructuring, we are actively recruiting new Board members to reinvigorate the organization with new ideas and to bring broader community involvement. Please participate in this renewal by contacting us at executivedirector@friendsofkootenaylake.ca. Our future operations depend on you.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to the day when we resume our impactful work together.
