I’ll never forget the feeling as I motored down and around the bend in my little, white Festiva. The scene in front of me was breathtaking.
Lying ahead was a sparkling, iridescent jewel of the deepest azure and brilliant turquoise.
It looked alien to the bodies of water I had grown up around: Lake Ontario, the mouth of Oyster Bay near Ladysmith and even Victoria’s Juan de Fuca Strait had never looked like this, even on a good day.
I mean, most of the lakes I’d seen that were this clear were due to acid rain –– caused by super-stackers belching our carbon dioxide –– an oxymoron if there ever was one.
On that day, I knew I had truly arrived in paradise.
As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park this weekend, it’s apt that we also pay ode to the lake that lies beside it.
Kalamalka Lake, in my opinion, is still one of the most beautiful inland, fresh bodies of water in Canada... and trust me, I’ve seen a lot of lakes in my years as an avid paddler and camping enthusiast.
Not only has it quenched, cooled and provided us with leisurely days at the beach and in boats, it is a feeding ground to abundant wildlife. It provides nesting areas for a variety of birds, and is home to such species of fish as the kokanee, large-scale sucker, cutthroat trout, northern pikeminnow, and the peamouth chub, among others.
It is definitely the preferable lake to swim in –– especially due to the noticeable lack of that slimy Eurasian milfoil found in its “big brother” next door.
But with all beautiful things, there is always the ugly side. Motorized boat traffic has been increasing at a steady pace along the lake, streaks of fuel are not an uncommon sight, and then there’s the runoff from Coldstream Creek bringing in more phosphorus and other containments into the lake.
A recent report found that increased levels of lead and zinc have been found in the lake bottom sediment, possibly due to pesticide use.
Did I mention that half of Greater Vernon gets its drinking water from Kal Lake?
Then there’s the unique ecosystems the lake houses in its watershed area.
According to a District of Lake Country source to tap assessment done last year, long-term agricultural use in the area, including cattle, has damaged Coldstream Creek’s riparian areas and rendered the watershed vulnerable to erosion.
Organic runoff from rain on snow in January, 2010 resulted in foam on the creek, which adversely impacted the entire north arm of Kal Lake for weeks.
Then there’s the shoreline impact.
I mean who wouldn’t want to live on one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, but a report by Ecoscape Environmental Consultants estimated that 25 kilometres, just more than 50 per cent, of the lake’s shoreline has a high level of impact –– from docks, retaining walls, boat launches, marinas... the list goes on.
There may come a time when the districts of Coldstream, Lake Country and the regional districts of the North and Central Okanagan say enough is enough to development on the lake, no matter how much tax money they make from it.
There are so many factors why we must preserve this lake for future generations.
The decision to protect 4,209 hectares of adjacent grassland, cliffs, and wetlands in the form of a provincial park was a promising start 25 years ago. Perhaps the same thing could be done with the actual lake.
If you think life without Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park is virtually impossible to imagine, think about life without the jewel in its crown?
I’ll be thinking of that the next time I drive down around the bend on Highway 97, blind-sided by its beauty like the first time I set eyes upon it.
– Kristin Froneman is the Arts editor of The Morning Star
