ELSI conducts community outreach to provide helpful stewardship information to residents near the lagoon, and to obtain feedback from the community about Esquimalt Lagoon. This outreach program has included mail outs, home visits, open houses, displays at community events, and demonstration of an interactive Esquimalt Lagoon Watershed model. Some of the outreach has targeted particular concerns at the lagoon, such as interactions between people, pets and wildlife within the Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Dogs on Leash

Dogs must be on-leash at Esquimalt LagoonThe City of Colwood enacted a dog on-leash bylaw in 2008 to ensure that federal regulations regarding pet control are upheld within the Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Colwood installed signs at the lagoon in 2009, and municipal bylaw officers monitor compliance.

Wildlife Refuge Areas

After consulting with the ELSI, the boating community and other stakeholders at the lagoon, Canadian Wildlife Service established four Wildlife Refuge Areas within Esquimalt Lagoon. .

View the map showing Wildlife Refuge Areas that people are asked to stay out of, and the dog on-leash and off-leash areas surrounding the lagoon:

Interactive Watershed Model

The local Stream Team group has built a 3-D model of the Esquimalt Lagoon watershed to demonstrate how water moves through the watershed, and how pollution can affect water quality in the lagoon.
outreach-event

Learn more and book the model for your event.