Cultus Lake Stewards (CLASS)

For all who live and play in the Fraser Valley, Cultus Lake is a jewel. The lake needs help to secure its future health.

The Cultus Lake Stewards (CLASS) aim to preserve and protect the health of Cultus Lake and its watershed for the sake of the environment and for future generations. CLASS engages science and traditional knowledge to discover the nature of Cultus, to understand the factors that threaten the lake’s well-being, and to work to mitigate and eliminate those threats. 

The work of CLASS dates back to 2007 when a group of concerned residents and other people came together to look further into the state of fish and wildlife, water temperature, water quality, nutrient loading and aquatic invasive species ― particularly Eurasian watermilfoil and other milfoil species.

FBC staff have since then provided secretariat and networking support to CLASS, including assistance on community outreach and volunteer coordination.

Cultus is a lake under presssure. The science shows that the lake is moving towards cultural eutrophication, and that this disruption of the natural lake balance could have severe consequences for its aquatic inhabitants. To learn more and see educational material from FBC, see Cultus Lake–Addressing Cultural Eutrophication.

CLASS focuses on other issues as well:

• Water monitoring for turbidity, temperature and oxygen levels, and reporting data to the BC Ministry of Environment
• Mitigating the impacts of Small Mouth Bass, a species that was illegally introduced in the lake around 2018
• Mitigating invasive plants, including aquatic Eurasian milfoil

To learn more, visit the CLASS website.