John Gates, data manager for the Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society (OLWQS) has been awarded for his outstanding volunteer work with the society.
“Today, the dedication and attention to detail of our volunteer data manager John Gates was recognized by the BC Lake Stewardship Society who awarded him their prestigious 2021 Outstanding Volunteer Award,” said OLWQS President, Birgit Arnstein.
This is a role Gates has filled for a number of years. After each scheduled sampling of Osoyoos Lake, he extracts current data sets, checks for anomalies, and then transcribes the instrument data. He then produces a report for each sampling site for OLWQS and shares them with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. These reports are publicly available and can be found on the OLWQS website.
During the spring through the fall, OLWQS members sample the lake twice monthly. Gates volunteers 3-5 hours of his time every second week through the monitoring season to keep the data management activities associated with lake sampling running smoothly. “This is a significant volunteer effort as the data management function is separate from the fieldwork performed by volunteers,” the OLWQS says.
Gates, a retired chemical engineer, developed and maintains a comprehensive binder of technical documentation for sampling procedures used by OLWQS sampling crews. This material includes sampling procedures for both water chemistry and zooplankton.
He also provides training each year for OLWQS members on the correct use of the water sampling equipment and data collection. As well, he maintains the Society’s sensitive, expensive testing equipment. “He is a key member of the OLWQS and his work is invaluable,” the society says.
The Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society was founded in 1991 by community members to help promote public awareness of the lake, covering issues such as conservation, pollution, and lake management. It is a non-political, non-profit, charitable organization run entirely by volunteers. Society members collect water sample data annually, from April through October.
The extensive data set collected by the OLWQS since 1991 has significant value and has been used in reports by the BC Lake Stewardship Society and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. John Gates has been the steward of this data set and plays a critical role in maintaining the quality of data collected by the OLWQS.
“Volunteers are the glue that binds our organization to continue its important work as a steward of Osoyoos Lake to help ensure that our children’s children continue to enjoy the beauty of our lake as much as we do today,” Arnstein says.
“We couldn’t be prouder or more appreciative of the work John Gates has done. Like John, all of our volunteers continue to make a difference every day to both protect and love our beautiful Osoyoos Lake.”
