Osoyoos Lake water conservation group seeking more volunteers with specific skills

Photo: Neil Bousquet

The OLWQS works with other organizations to encourage watercraft owners to keep their watercraft free of invasive species such as Zebra and Quagga mussels that would be detrimental to Osoyoos Lake.

Want to be a citizen scientist?

The Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society is seeking more members who share the goal of keeping Osoyoos Lake pristine and beautiful for generations to come.

The organization has been in operation for more than three decades, gaining the respect of both local and provincial governments for collecting data relating to Osoyoos Lake water quality and promoting best practices to keep the lake safe from pollution.

"Today, however, the organization is at a crossroads," explains President Birgit Arnstein.

"Our many long-time, hard working volunteers are burnt out from exhaustion from doing all the work without input from new members with fresh ideas, energy and enthusiasm to ensure that the organization lives on to preserve the integrity of Osoyoos Lake for our grandchildren's children."

The organization is short on volunteers, and those that remain are overworked.

"It's not just the skills for a management team, we need to engage others with a broad range of skills to assist us moving forward. Not just adults, but teenagers, students, moms, dads, retirees, business owners and others who have skills sets needed today such as social media, website development, designers, writing, editing, accounting, special event management, fundraising, public speaking and applying for grants, to name a few," Arnstein says.

Anyone interested in getting involved can learn more and get in touch with the organization online here.