Roughly 22,000 people recreated on a 7 km stretch of Columbia River between Columbia Lake and Fairmont Hot Springs in 2021 alone. In the 17 km stretch between Athalmer and Radium, the numbers were lower, but no less staggering: 4,000 to 6,000 people were recorded each year.
From paddling, to boating, swimming and floating, water-based recreation is increasing in the Columbia Valley, and as it does, so too will the impacts on aquatic species and ecosystems unless we come up with proactive solutions.
Wildsight Invermere hosted a public event on Sunday, March 30 in Radium Hot Springs with the goal of bringing together experts and the public to present research, discuss threats and ask questions, all in the interest of protecting the continued health of our Columbia Valley waterways.
Dr. Suzanne Bayley presented the above statistics during her talk on results from the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners study, which tracked recreational users on the Columbia River.
Until 2019, evidence of increased river traffic between Fairmont Hot Springs and Golden was largely anecdotal. Through this five-year monitoring project, Suzanne, Joan Gallaway and other volunteers collected data to support the claim of increased human activity, understand possible threats to wildlife as a result, investigate if motorized traffic was a concern, and look for use patterns.
Increasing water-based recreation isn’t only limited to the Columbia River, however. In another presentation, Georgia Peck of Living Lakes Canada identified trends and key outcomes from a number of projects related to Columbia Valley waterways and increased recreational use.
Pam Saunders with the Lake Windermere Ambassadors highlighted the concerning impacts of power boats on lakes, featuring findings from the Lake Windermere Recreational Carrying Capacity Study. And Biologist Rachel Darvill explored the interaction between water-based recreation and bird populations in her talk.
Other talks centered around invasive species, with Marie Veillard from Parks Canada highlighting the concerns and mitigation efforts around whirling disease, while Sgt. Dan Bartoll of the Rocky Mountain Zone Conservation Officer Service provided insight on BC’s Invasive Mussel Defence Program.
Sgt. Bartol also gave a demonstration of invasive mussel tools including the mobile wash station for boats, and his new trainee dog Kilo, a 16-month-old pure-bred German Shepherd currently learning to sniff for zebra mussels.
Flowing it Forward discussion
Following the panelist presentations, attendees were invited to ask questions and share ideas for moving forward. The discussion ranged from how to turn data into action, improvements in awareness, and the importance of engaging with wider audiences.
“The biggest impact can happen at the local level if collaboration and intent is there,” Georgia Peck answered in response to a question about boat moorings on Lake Windermere. “The squeaky wheel is tedious, but is one of the best ways to get movement and action.”
Wildsight Strategic Advisor John Bergenske spoke about the importance of speaking up as a community and continuing to pressure all levels of government.
“If we aren’t on their case, economics will overwhelm the ecosystem every time,” said John. “The most important thing we can do is organize at all the political levels, and make sure the people who are making the big decisions understand these values.”
Wildsight Invermere Branch President Tracy Flynn ended the afternoon by reminding attendees that although user groups in the region are varied, our shared love for this valley connects us.
“We’ve got a lot in common, so let’s work to make it a better world,” Tracy said.
But it was perhaps the opening words of Akisqnuk First Nation member Faro Burgoyne, encouraging attendees to rethink their relationship with water, that summarized the event’s message best.
“We all live here, we all call this home, we all use the water, we all drink it. It makes up our bodies; it sustains our life,” said Faro.
“When you… have this relationship with water, you can consider it an ancestor or family — for it does provide you with life, not the other way around. With that comes a level of respect that we have to give this water.”
