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. Photo,Neil Bousquet
Are you interested in being a Citizen of Science or have the skill sets that include Social Media, PR, Advertising, Fundraising, Special Events, Financial or Public Education?
For more that three decades, the Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society (OLWQS) has gained the respect of provincial and local governments and environmental organizations for its outstanding work collecting data about the quality of water in Osoyoos Lake as well as teaching and promoting best practices to help keep one of Canada’s most beautiful lakes pristine for our grandchildren’s children to experience and enjoy many generations from today.
The OLWQS has also gained credibility with thousands of people who live, work or visit the south Okanagan to experience and enjoy the multitude of benefits presented by one of Canada’s warmest lakes.
“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.”
Adds Arnstein, “We have to be honest with ourselves, it’s too much for the same few people to keep undertaking the enormous amount of energy and commitment it takes to keep an organization like ours afloat. 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.
We encourage you to reach out and connect with our organization – we’ll show you how you can make a difference in keeping Osoyoos Lake beautiful for your grandchildrens’ children.
About Osoyoos Lake Quality Society
The Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society (OLWQS) was founded in 1991 by community members to help promote public awareness of the lake, covering issues such as conservation, pollution and lake management. It is a non-political, non-profit charitable organization run entirely by volunteers.
For more information or interviews contact: Ms. Birgit Arnstein, President, OLWQS (250) 408-5460 (cell) OLWQS4INFO@GMAIL.COM WWW.OSOYOOSLAKE.CA
OLWQS volunteers help educate the public about the importance of keeping Osoyoos Lake free of harmful chemicals. Photo, Neil Bousquet
OLWQS volunteers are award winners like John Gates (right) who received a Volunteer of the Year award from the BC Lake Stewardship Society for his data collection skills Photo, Neil Bousquet
OLWQS volunteers host public events to educate citizens about the importance of keeping all watercraft used on Osoyoos Lake clean of invasive species that will cause great harm. Photos, Neil Bousquet
OLWQS has a research pontoon boat with hitech instruments that record water quality data that is used by governments and other environmental organizations to keep Osoyoos Lake pristine. Photo, Iain Fraser
Our extremely hard working Board of Directors provides the leadership and skills to keep our organization on track so that it can continue to have the resources to monitor Osoyoos Lake’s water quality. Photo, Neil Bousquet
