Living Lakes Canada (LLC) received a their second grant from the Sleeman Better Water Fund to support its work protecting freshwater in Canada. Their approach brings together community science, Indigenous knowledge, and research to help keep Canadian lakes and watersheds healthy, especially as climate change has increased pressure on these fragile ecosystems.
As climate-related events like wildfires and floods become more common, LLC have been working to protect water and strengthen community resilience. With help from the Sleeman Better Water Fund, LLC has expanded several key programs in 2025, including: The Community-Based Water Monitoring Fund, The Water Hub (an open-access database), The Foreshore Integrated Management Planning program and the National Lake Blitz, a volunteer-led biodiversity monitoring project.
By mid-2025 National Lake Blitz had over 500 volunteers collecting water and biodiversity data from lakes across Canada! Through this collaborative and nation-wide program they have submitted more than 500 data points, including 163 bird and 65 fish sightings. This data is adding valuable information that is being used to grow a national dataset that supports both local conservation and global research through tools like iNaturalist. This year, LLC is also making the program easier for more people to join, especially youth and seniors, so the volunteer numbers are expected to continue to grow and grow.
The grant also supported work LLC has been doing in their home province of British Columbia, where LLC and the Okanagan Indian Band are co-leading shoreline habitat assessments. By combining local Indigenous knowledge and values with Western science, LCC have been helping to set a new standard for community-led, climate-smart water protection. LLC continues to share easy to understand water data with governments, researchers, and the public, helping everyone make informed decisions that protect our freshwater for the future.