Mary Lake Nature Sanctuary

Our group, Van Isle Eco Consulting, was enlisted by the Greater Victoria Greenbelt Society (GVGS) and Highlands Stewardship Foundation (HSF) in partnership with Royal Roads University to obtain baseline information on the water and sediment chemistry at Mary Lake Nature Sanctuary, conduct a bathymetric survey on the lake as well as an ecological survey of aquatic organisms on the property. The information we obtain will be used to create a lake monitoring plan to be carried out by future volunteers. This property in the Highlands is within the original territories of the WSÁNEC peoples and therefore should be conserved and protected from the impacts of development. This project is important to the GVGS, HSF, and the WSÁNEC peoples because it will hopefully provide them with ample information to allow for conservation and protection efforts of the Lake to be more informed and effective.

So far, our efforts have proven that the Lake is very susceptible to acidification due to low levels of alkalinity, and the nutrients that cause harmful algae blooms like nitrate and phosphate are at extremely low levels. Interestingly enough, contamination of the Lake due to development upstream has yet to be observed and therefore indicates our data could be used as a reliable baseline for future studies on the effects of development occurring. We hope that by the end of our project, we can provide our sponsors with a report and recommendations which they can use in conjunction with their ecological knowledge and resources to adequately monitor and protect Mary Lake Nature Sanctuary.