Vancouver Lake Field Report — July 15, 2026

Water sampling at Vancouver Lake started in May 2025. In that first year, we only had enough volunteers to sample at one site, the Vancouver Lake Rowing Club. This early spring, we were very fortunate to have an influx of great volunteers. With the additional volunteers this season, we are able to expand our number of sites to include the east and north sides of Vancouver Lake in addition to still sampling at the Vancouver Lake Rowing Club, which is on the west side of the lake. We are hoping to get a clearer picture of the lake by monitoring all three sites.

In May, we held a microscopic critter ID class. One of our volunteers, who is an environmentalist, spoke about the lake’s history and shared characteristics and ID tips for the the six cyanobacteria that have potential for toxicity in the watershed. He also included resources to help identify not only those 6 particular cyanos but also other 'critters'. We had microscopes set up and water samples for everyone to practice with. It was a very hands-on experience, which had several attendees requesting more classes!