The Christina Lake Stewardship Society (CLSS) is currently facing financial difficulties.
Brenda LaCroix, CLSS' co-ordinator and project manager, stated that due to cutbacks from the B.C. Gaming Commission, the stewardship has only received 20 per cent of its usual funding.
The B.C. Gaming Commission cut out the environmental factor and has only provided CLSS with funds towards education.
“We still have a shortfall of 55 per cent and that’s just the core funding to run the office, to have an assistant during the summer and to run the educational programs,” she said.
"The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary provides us with 25 per cent of core funding to run the office," LaCroix added. "They also support us in other projects, including the North Bay Buoy project."
Along with education programs and workshops, CLSS, a non-profit charitable organization, works to promote habitat restoration. It also collects environmental data and works on the stewardship of water quality, biodiversity and the natural resources surrounding Christina Lake.
“We do field projects and water quality sampling and fish numerations and liaison with different levels of government,” stated LaCroix. “We aim to inform the public as much as we can.”
Several projects the stewardship has been involved in include the Christina Lake Tributary Study, Fish and Fish Habitat Inventory and the Watershed Management Plan.
“Our overall mission statement is for conservation and to maintain the quality and health of the Christina Lake watershed,” she said.
“The biggest component to utilize that is our educational program.”
In addition to monitoring Christina Lake, CLSS cares for Sutherland, McRae and Sandner Creeks and conducts annual enumerations for the streams and shore spawning kokanee.
In partnership with the B.C. Ministry of Environment, the society performs the water quality monitoring and sampling program.
The community can donate to the society to keep the lake healthy, LaCroix pointed out.
“The (community) can also get a hold of their local MLA or MP and say that this is something that is really important to the community,” she added.
“The more people that write in or phone in to support the stewardship, the better to keep this going.”
For more information on the CLSS, contact LaCroix at 250-447-2504 or email clss@shaw.ca.