Living Lakes launches biodiversity photo challenge

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Living Lakes Canada has a contest made for shutterbugs

This summer, Living Lakes Canada will hold its first ever Lake Biodiversity Photo Challenge to help raise awareness on the health of Canadian freshwaterlakes. Participants can snap photos of their favourite lakes for chances to win prizes from Kicking Horse Coffee, and Lush. Submissions will be accepted until July. 31.

Living Lakes Canada is a national non-profit organization based in B.C.’s Columbia Basin that is working towards the long-term protection of Canada’s fresh water with the mission to normalize water stewardship through community-based water monitoring.

“Living Lakes Canada is thrilled to announce the Lake Biodiversity Photo Challenge. We want to provide Canadians with a fun and engaging opportunity to visit their local lake and take notice of things they may not always be aware of,” said Georgia Peck, program coordinator with Living Lakes Canada. “Biodiversity is all around us, you just have to look for it!”

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Canada is home to more than two million freshwater lakes, but Living Lakes says a lack of regulation makes it hard for their organization to have a good understanding of how the lakes have changed over time.

The photo challenge is part of the Living Lakes Canada’s inaugural National Lake Blitz program, a community based program aimed at improving lake monitoring. The initiative provides Canadians with water monitoring tools to help document the impacts of climate change on their local lake.

Photos can be emailed to akeblitz@livinglakescanada.ca, via the online submission form at lakeblitz.livinglakescanada.ca or by using #LakeBlitzPhoto on social media. One winner will be chosen in three categories, including most biodiverse, public favourite and most impactful.

“Lakes are subject to impacts such as shoreline development, changing nutrient levels, and water levels. Photos provide reference points that can help determine the scale at which human activity or natural occurrences are impacting these water bodies. These issues, combined with the impacts of climate change, make community-based water monitoring efforts like photo documentation even more important,” said Nicole Trigg, communications director for Living Lakes Canada.

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