4 Edith Lake

About Edith Lake

The name Edith came from the daughter of Fred Humphrey, son of James Humphrey who settled in 1887, but could be the name of Edith’s grandmother (Balf, 1978). Edith Lake, situated 12 km south of Kamloops, is a popular local attraction, especially for fishing and camping enthusiast (Backroad Maps, n.d.). The lake is well-equipped for recreational fishing, featuring two fishing docks, two boat launches, and ample space for those who prefer not to utilize these facilities (Chrome Catchers, n.d.a).

With a mean depth of 5.8 m and a maximum depth of 11.6 m, Edith Lake spans approximately 3.5 km in perimeter and covers an area of 25 ha (Chrome Catchers, n.d.a; Backroad Maps, n.d.). The lake is part of the Fish Zone Region 3- Thompson-Nicola and is situated at an elevation of 1,025 m (Backroad Maps, n.d.). Due to its low elevation, ice begins to break on Edith Lake in early April, providing one of the longest open water seasons, which also accommodates ice fishing (Angler’s Atlas, n.d.a). Consequently, the lake attracts a steady stream of fishermen.

In addition to being a prime spot for anglers, Edith Lake offers an excellent camping experience with 14 designated sites (Recreation Sites and Trails BC, n.d.a). However, it is important to note that there is no reservation system for these sites, which operate on a first-come, first-served basis. The lake’s suitable water temperature makes it popular among swimmers; the kayaking community also frequents Edith Lake (Kamloops Kayak, 2022).

Value of Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem assessments have often led to comparing ecosystem services by incorporating a monetary value. Ledoux and Turner (2002) mention that the monetary value of each ecosystem service should be equivalent to the cost of replacing it with another, which gives the same benefits. However, as Grant et al. (2013) described, value is difficult to place in most cases since those ecosystem services are non-substitutable. The total economic value framework is widely used since it captures an ecosystem’s monetary and non-monetary aspects.

Direct use values are the benefits directly perceived and gained by natural resources, and most of the time, they are consumptive; in contrast, indirect values are not directly used by people (Saunders et al. 2010). Ledoux and Turner (2002) define a non-use value as the value given by natural resources spontaneously due to their mere existence. According to Saunders et al. (2010), non-use value can be again subdivided into existence value (knowledge that benefits accrue to every generation) and bequest value (the value is passed on to future generations).

Figure 6 shows a breakdown of the total economic value and its branches, including option value with examples. Notice that the total economic valuation captures Indigenous use and non-use values, particularly preserving the benefits of lakes for future generations to use.

Valuation of Edith Lake

Table 6 attempts to come up with a valuation for Edith Lake based on the BTM, where we multiplied the number of hectares (25) covered by Edith Lake by the value per hectare derived in the introduction in Table 1 (see Table A for a full breakdown).

Table 6: Total Value of Edith Lake Ecosystem Services (2020 International $/ha/year)

Note. Adapted from Brander et al. (2023). See Table A for a full breakdown

Measuring the value of natural assets like this lake is crucial to protect them from being abused or overexploited. Edith Lake is a natural asset with a long history, and it is where people come to relax and enjoy outdoor activities with their families. Valuing this asset will help internalize the benefits provided by the lake, thereby conveying how important it is for society. As visible from the above table, using a modified median has given us a conservative estimation compared to average and median valuation because the modified median omits outliers during derivation. The conservative valuation based on all the ecosystem services provided by Edith Lake would be $588,550, while it is $1,970,100 and $1,443,150 for average valuation and median valuation, respectively.

As mentioned in the introduction of this chapter, Edith Lake is generally not used for provisioning, such as water or food, except for fishing. Reflecting the same idea, the estimation for the provisioning service category based on the modified median is only $10,675. This figure again proves the value of using a conservative estimation instead of average and median estimations in this study. In the meantime, the cultural category is the main component in value generation at $544,850, mainly due to opportunities created by Edith Lake for recreation and tourism. Therefore, when looking at Table 6, we believe the flow of value generated by each service conveys an accurate idea; our reasoning is that Edith Lake is commonly used for aesthetic and recreational purposes rather than commercialized activities, such as food provisioning.

Table 7 uses two social discount rates: 1.5% and 0.1%. The latter assumes that there will be no economic growth in the future.

Table 7: Values of Edith Lake as a Natural Asset

The social discount rate used to calculate the lake’s value over the years is 1.5% and 0.1%. Using the lower 0.1 % rate aligns with how Indigenous peoples value nature; they consider natural assets very important resources that cannot be easily substituted for other forms of capital, such as physical and human. The value of the lake at the 1.5% discount rate is $39.24 million, and it is $588.55 million at the 0.1% rate.

Concluding Remarks

We hope that this chapter helps people understand the benefits a lake and its ecosystem services can bring to society. Indigenous peoples have been aware for a long time how important it is to take care of this ecosystem since it can provide the population not only with water, food, and a source of great spiritual energy. We must learn to value the amount of benefits these lakes can offer us a little more so that we take care of and protect the environment.

Appendix

Table A (A-E): Value of Edith Lake Ecosystem Services

Skip Table A

Note. Adapted from Table 1 in the Introduction.

Media Attributions

Figure 5: IMG_1989.jpg by Murray Foubister (2018), via Flickr, is used under a CC BY-SA license.

Figure 6: Breakdown of total economic value by the author is under a CC BY-NC-SA license.

References

Angler’s Atlas. (n.d.a). Edith Lake. https://www.anglersatlas.com/place/100050/edith-lake

Chrome Catchers. (n.d.a). Explore Edith Lake. https://www.chromecatchers.com/explore-edith-lake

Foubister, M. (2018). IMG_1989.jpg [Image]. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/27FMRgv

Grant, S. M., Hill, S. L., Trathan, P. N., & Murphy, E. J. (2013). Ecosystem services of the Southern Ocean: Trade-offs in decision-making. Antarctic Science, 25(5), 603–617. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954102013000308

Kamloops Kayak. (2022, July 7). An early paddle on Edith Lake. https://kamloopskayak.com/an-early-paddle-on-edith-lake/

Ledoux, L. & Turner, R. K. (2002). Valuing ocean and coastal resources: A review of practical examples and issues for further action. Ocean & Coastal Management, 45(9–10), 583–616. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0964-5691(02)00088-1

Recreation Sites and Trails BC. (n.d.a). Edith Lake. Government of British Columbia. http://www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca/search/search-result.aspx?site=REC166399&type=Site

Saunders, J., Tinch, R., & Hull, S. (2010). Valuing the marine estate and UK seas: An ecosystem services framework. The Crown Estate.

Long Descriptions

Figure 6 Long Description: The tree diagram shows the different categories total economic value can be broken down into. At the top is Total Economic Value. The next level shows Use Value, Option Value (ability to be useful in future), and Non-Use Value. Use value can be further divided into Direct Use (e.g., provision of water, fishing, and kayaking) and Indirect Use (e.g., maintaining biodiversity, climate regulation, and peace/tranquility). Non-use value can also be further divided into Bequest Value (value gained by preserving lakes for the future) and Existence Value. [Return to Figure 1]