Donation helps keep Kal Lake Blue

Kalavida Surf Shop is proud to announce a donation to help keep Kalamalka Lake Blue. After another great season of paddleboarding on the lake, a $2,300 cheque was presented to SPKL – The Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake, to help the group continue their efforts to protect our drinking water source.

The funds raised come from a variety events including Wahine Wednesdays, Junior JUP, and the Kalamalka Classic SUP Festival – The annual gathering of paddleboard enthusiasts every Labour Day weekend. “It’s been exciting to watch the sport grow and for Kalamalka to gain recognition as a top paddleboard destination” said Kevin O’Brien of Kalavida. “And with that growth in traffic, we felt it was natural for us to help protect our watery playground.” he adds.

With the increased threat to our waterways from Zebra and Quagga Mussels, SPKL will have more resources to help educate the public about how devastating this could be to Kalamalka or any of our local lakes.

“Our events and activities have helped establish Vernon as a destination for the sport so with that increase in activity, we felt it was our responsibility to take a proactive approach” said Michelle Mitchell of Kalavida. “Our shop is across from Kalamalka Beach and that allows us to monitor it each day throughout the busy months.” The donation helps the Society pay for a variety of tests and activities that help keep the lake healthy and safe. The local watershed is popular for all types of local recreation and acts as a source of drinking water for residents in the region.

The SUP community as a whole continues to dedicate efforts to a variety of environmental causes – A group that includes two of Kalavida’s friends; Bob Purdy (Paddle for the Planet) and Norm Hann (Standup for Greatbear). The 8^th Annual Kalamalka Classic SUP Festival is scheduled for Sept 1-3rd and will serve as a primary fundraiser for SPKL in 2017. For more details about SPKL and Kalavida, visit their websites at www.spkl.ca and www.kalavidasurfshop.com