What is the Blue Lakes Program?
The Blue Lakes Program is a voluntary ecolabel program that encourages participants to play an active role in the monitoring and management of the lake they love.
The program takes place over a one-year period, beginning with an initial meeting between participants and Blue Lakes staff to set realistic goals in place. Then, participants are able to work towards completing these goals over the course of the year. At the end of the year, participants will fill out a self-assessment and share about their journey in completing their goals. If participants are successful at the end of the year, they are awarded their Blue Flag to fly with pride!
For more information about the process of the Blue Lakes program, continue reading below!
What is an Ecolabel?
An ecolabel is a voluntary method of environmental certification that recognizes the adaptation of stewardship principles or practices.
An ecolabel is typically a "seal" that identifies products or services as being better for the environment than others. Some examples of ecolabels are:
Program Overview
STEP 1
Planning
The Dream Board
Participants will create goals based from selected Improvement Areas over a 30-minute online working session with our Program Admin.
All participants walk away with a Dream Board, which is a final document outlining the specific actions they will take to achieve their goals.
STEP 2
Execution
Throughout the year, participants work towards their goals by completing the actions outlined on their Dream Board.
The Blue Lakes Passport offers help to reach goals in the form of workshops, events, site visits, and educational materials participants can access to complete their goals.
STEP 3
Assessment
The Score Card!
At the end of each year, participants self-reflect and assess their progress. This is done using an interactive and tailored Scorecard.
Successful first-time participants will be awarded their Blue Flag while returning participants will qualify to continue flying their Blue Flag for another year!
STEP 4
Share and Celebrate!
Share your successes and stories with other Blue Lakes Members and lake-land communities through our annual conference and by uploading to the Blue Lakes Album!
Blue Lakes Improvement Areas
The Blue Lakes Program has a set of 7 Improvement Areas that focus on different areas to promote the health and integrity of their lake. Participants are expected to operate within 4 of the 7 Improvement Areas.
Learn more about these Improvement Areas below!
Invasive Species Management
Habitat Conservation & Biodiversity
Managing Shoreland Health
Nutrients, Sprays & Chemical Applications
Take action to prevent the spread of invasive species, which outcompete naturally occurring plants and animals, on your property.
Conserve, restore, and enhance habitat for wildlife on your property. Ensure habitat is connected both on and adjacent to your property.
Naturalize and promote the health of the most productive area on your property - your shoreland, or the area where land meets water.
Prevent harmful substances, like fertilizers, insecticides, and more, from running off from your property to your lake.
Volunteer Monitoring & Nature Connection
Reconciliation, Humility & Kindness
Outreach, Education & Community
Connect with nature by observing and recording observations and sharing knowledge with the science community.
Learn about Canada’s colonial history, the Indian Act that is still in effect today, and their effect on Indigenous peoples and take related action.
Gain and share your knowledge and expertise with others, with a particular focus on freshwater conservation.
Benefits!
- Creating important habitat for wildlife
- Increasing biodiversity
- Prevents pollutants or harmful chemicals from entering the lake
- Increased ecosystem resiliency
- Incorporates Two-Eyed Seeing, using a blend of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Western Knowledge to create best practices for protecting lake health
- Allows more data to be available for informing lake health conservation efforts
- Creates beautiful, scenic property
- Can prevent the establishment of invasive species on your property
- Can help to deter nuisance species from your property
- Can prevent potential property damage from erosion or flooding
- Can reduce insurance rates by reducing environmental and safety risks on your property
- Can increase property values
- Promotes nature connectedness, which is proven to positively affect our mental and physical wellbeing
- Can introduce you to neighbors and other lakefront property owners on your lake and beyond
- Allows you to have a more active role in the health and protection of the lake that you love
- Helps to preserve the lake you love so you can continue to use it for recreation, education, and more!
Program Cost
The Blue Lakes Program is intended to be an accessible tool for lakefront property owners to have a stake in the health of their lake. For that reason, the program is currently offered for free to participants.
However, for returning participants to continue flying their Blue Flag, a nominal fee will be incurred. Participants can opt out of receiving their Blue Flag at any time if they wish to avoid this fee.
Additionally, some programming such as workshops, events, and site visits that are available to support participants in achieving their goals are offered for a fee. Participation in this supporting programming is completely optional.
Ready to have a stake in the health of your lake?
The Blue Lakes Program Pilot Study
A pilot study to assess the potential impact of the Blue Lakes Program on lake health and stewardship behaviours was done in 2018-19.
Over 56 lake associations participated and 300 individuals were queried. The report provided strong evidence that the Blue Lakes Program could be a successful tool for promoting the health and integrity of our lakes.
You can read the full report by clicking the link below!
Want To Know More?
If you're interested in reading more about Blue Lakes, its benefits to you, and reading through some of our frequently asked questions, check out our Blue Lakes Brochure linked below!