Protecting water doesn’t have to be complicated… take it from our friend Luc!
Every year, we’re delighted to see more and more people use our testkits. Some of these people are even located in places we’ve never been to ourselves! Luc Bossé, the General Director of the Organisme de Bassin Versant Abitibi-Jamesie (OBVAJ), is one of those people. Luc has bought several testkits from us over the past few months, and we recently spoke with him to learn more about why he decided to join the movement!
Like many of us, Luc’s reasoning for promoting water quality monitoring stems from a personal connection to water. Luc grew up camping next to lakes; the lake that his family cottage was next to is called “Lac Clair” (“clear lake” in English) because the water there is so clear. Luc is also a proud father and grandfather and wants to help protect water for future generations. This is why he’s involved with the OBVAJ- he genuinely cares about protecting the water in his region. He wants to show others that there are really simple things that they can do to protect water, too.
“Simple” is what drew Luc to our kits; they are designed to be used by anyone and everyone. Luc told us that he initially ordered a few of our testkits to give away as contest prizes back in May, which we thought was a great idea. He explained that he had somewhat of an ulterior motive for doing this, though; while the kits do make great prizes, Luc hoped that the people using them would also be awakened to what else they can do to protect water. These things might include getting their septic systems checked or naturalizing their shorelines. Our ears perked up when we heard this because this is something we’ve seen in our research; when people test the water, they feel more connected to it and become motivated to act.
Luc also explained to us that there is no shortage of lakes where he lives. While some of these lakes are heavily populated, others are virtually untouched. “Untouched” should not be mistaken for pristine, though- just because there aren’t many people frequenting a body of water doesn’t mean it’s in good condition. When a lake isn’t visited very often, it might not be a priority to monitor. Luc is hoping that if people visit these locations with our testkits, which are portable and easy to use, they might be able to use the data they collect to show the authorities when, where, and why water quality monitoring needs to be done. We couldn’t agree more!
Thanks for all that you do to protect water, Luc!