Mayor Sue McKortoff signs the order proclaiming May 21 to be Osoyoos Lake Appreciation Day. The event is organized by the Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society to raise awareness of the lake and water issues. At left is Lyn Motkoski, a member of the committee for the event, and at right is Birgit Arnstein, president of the OLWQS. (Richard McGuire photo)
We swim in it, boat on it, admire its beauty and, indirectly, we drink from it.
But do we take Osoyoos Lake for granted?
The Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society (OLWQS) is planning an Osoyoos Lake Appreciation Day for May 21, the Saturday of the long weekend, to celebrate the lake and raise awareness of its fragility and need for protection.
OLWQS was formed in 1991, making this its 25th anniversary.
Since 1992, it has been testing water in five areas of the lake as well as providing public education about it.
Osoyoos Lake Appreciation Day promises to be a mix of family fun, celebration and also information.
A band from Trail, Route 33, will be performing danceable music at Gyro Park, where the other action is also happening.
The event runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
There’s a kids zone with face painting by the Osoyoos Royalty and featuring a bouncy castle.
Visitors will also have a chance to visit the boat the OLQWS uses for its water tests and they can see the testing equipment and how it works, said Birgit Arnstein, president of OLWQS.
There will also be speakers and information displays informing people on a range of aquatic issues ranging from invasive species like mussels and milfoil, the salmon fishery, water quality, water conservation and numerous other lake-related topics.
The Town of Osoyoos has stepped on board. Last Friday, Mayor Sue McKortoff issued a proclamation designating May 21 as Osoyoos Lake Appreciation Day.
“I strongly encourage all residents of Osoyoos and area to continue to support the activities of the Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society,” the mayor’s proclamation stated.
And the mayor handed over a cheque of just over $3,000 to help fund the event, using money from the provincial government’s Resort Municipality Initiative.
The town always gets involved in events like this, McKortoff said, adding that she’s also involved as a director on the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB), a body representing the regional districts and municipalities of the Okanagan, and she’s a member of the Osoyoos Lake Board of Control under the Canada-U.S. International Joint Commission.
She’s also passionate about water.
Among the speakers at the event are Anna Warwick Sears, executive director of OBWB, with a background as a biologist and in watershed planning.
Also speaking will be Richard Bussanich, a fish biologist with Okanagan Nation Alliance, who is a walking encyclopedia about the sockeye salmon migration and fishery.
Arnstein said the event will also feature the unveiling of an information sign about the lake matching the round information signs scattered around other points of interest in Osoyoos. That sign is located by the walkway north of the museum opposite the north end of White Sands.
Also scheduled are greetings from Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band, McKortoff, and dignitaries from Oroville and Tonasket, WA, including Arnie Marchand, an Oroville fixture.
A 25th anniversary cake is being donated by Buy-Low Foods, Arnstein said, and it will be cut by Judy Dallas, wife of OLWQS early member and driving force, Lionel Dallas, who died in December.
Arnstein hopes that people attending the event will also attend the OLWQS annual general meeting on May 27 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Sonora Community Centre.
“We are always looking for new volunteers and board members,” she said.
OLWQS has a website at osoyooslake.ca and also a Facebook page.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
