Living Lakes Canada (LLC) is an award-winning charitable water science and stewardship NGO with over 20 years of experience working with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to protect freshwater. Our mission is to facilitate collaboration in monitoring, restoration, and policy development initiatives for the long-term protection of lakes, rivers, wetlands and watersheds in Canada, and we are recognized as the lead water stewardship organization of the Canadian Columbia Basin.

Our programs are aligned with Provincial and Federal monitoring protocols and range from groundwater, lake, stream and wetland monitoring, to foreshore health assessments, biomonitoring for aquatic assessment and restoration, and water database development and data management. We facilitate cross-sector collaboration and research to support decision making for improved water stewardship; deliver water monitoring training courses to support community-based stewardship efforts; and deliver intergenerational educational programs to promote water literacy and encourage a water conservation ethic.

We collaborate with hundreds of diverse partners, including First Nations; local, provincial and federal governments; academia; industry, consultants, water stewardship groups, and other non-profit societies both nationally and internationally. Our core staff are guided by our Board of Directors and Advisory Team comprised of experts in different fields. LLC is a Steering Committee member of the Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters and a member of the BC Watershed Security Coalition, Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners, Kootenay Conservation Program, and Upper Columbia Basin Environmental Collaborative. Additionally, LLC is affiliated with the German-based Global Nature Fund’s Living Lakes International, a global network of settler and Indigenous-led organizations dedicated to freshwater conservation.

We have been the recipient of numerous awards including: Water Canada Awards: Canadian Water Steward & Non-Profit of the Year (2017), BC Achievement Foundation Community Award & Mitchell Award of Distinction (2023), Canadian Open Data Society Award (2023), Kootenay Conservation Program Conservation Leadership Award (2023), and North American Lake Management Society Appreciation Award for Advancements in Lake Management Technologies (2023).