Insights from the West Kootenays will be shared at an international climate conference in Peru this coming week.

Representatives from Living Lakes Canada—an NGO based in Nelson that aims to protect Canada's "lakes, rivers, wetlands and watersheds"—will be meeting with its international counterparts at the organization's 16th annual conference to share insights on how climate change has affected their communities, and share positive examples on strategies.

"I am very interested to learn more about how other countries are addressing climate change, how they are adapting, and just hear some of those different perspectives on climate change and the impact on our water systems," said Paige Thurston, Living Lakes program manager for its Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework Program.

The group has recently completed upgrades to its water monitoring in the Kootenays through placing out more automated sensors in various watersheds, which measure values like water flow and quality, to give a better view of how climate change is impacting the area.

"We are looking at how much water is flowing down a stream at a given time, and that is impacted by things like precipitation, snow pack, and glacial melt," Thurston said.

"There is reason for concern" – Climate observer Paige Thurston heads to Peru to share insights from the Kootenays: