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Columbia Connector January 2019
Happy New Year from CBWN!
Hello 2019! At CBWN we're revved up and looking forward to a busy and productive year, one that includes an energized commitment to providing you with as many tools and opportunities as we can find and share. And the key word is, indeed, share. The value of networks is the structure they provide for us to learn from each other by exchanging information. Every year organizations in this basin successfully initiate, continue, or complete projects involving mapping, restoration, water monitoring or other data gathering, and outreach and education. We've certainly shared your successes in the past, but we want to up our game in 2019. To do that, we need your stories - the planning, the process, the results (both expected and unexpected!). How do you retain and acknowledge volunteers? How have you managed on a shoestring budget? How have you leveraged funding? These are things we all need to know and celebrate!

In February we'll also be initiating a monthly reminder to let us know about any water or watershed-related events, workshops, webinars or gatherings you're hosting or have heard about. Please take a few minutes to follow the link in that reminder and share a few details. We'd love to help spread the word through social media and in the newsletter. We'd be happy to share your photos as well. Restoration work? Wildlife? Presentations? Let's resolve to get to know each other a bit better in 2019!

Maggie Romuld - CBWN Board Chair
Photo credit: Darcy Roszell
CBWN News
CBWN/SGRC Summer Mapping Program intake now open!!

In partnership with the Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre, we are now accepting applications for the 2019 Summer Mapping program! This is an opportunity for your watershed group to work with a GIS student to create snazzy maps that engage your community. Communicate complex watershed information in beautiful and easy to understand maps. For more information on the program, please see our website here.

For examples of past mapping work, please visit the SGRC site here.
Click here for the application form!
WEBINARS: Wetland Restoration in the Kootenays

Thursday, February  7, 2019
10am-11am PST/11am-noon MST 

Join us in collaboration with the Kootenay Conservation Program to explore the importance of wetlands restoration and reflections on restoration projects in the Basin. Neil Fletcher from the BC Wildlife Federation will be exploring a study of past restoration projects, recent BCWF led restoration projects in the Kootenays and more.
Register here

Thursday, February 21, 2019
10am-11am PST/11am-noon MST 

Join Gregoire Lamoureux, restoration ecologist with Slocan River Streamkeepers, to explore restoration, the importance of good relationship with landowners, the challenges and benefits of the projects and more. The Slocan River Streamkeepers have implemented over 40 riparian restoration projects since 2005, restoring the equivalent of 5 km of riverbank.
Register here
Member Spotlight

Lake Windermere Ambassadors celebrate 12 years of Community Based Water Quality Monitoring!

The Lake Windermere Ambassadors’ water quality monitoring program depends on community support and volunteers. To date they have trained over 100 citizen scientists volunteers to monitor and measure the quality of Lake Windermere’s water. Findings from 2018 show that the lake continues to flow in good quality to support aquatic life and recreation See here for the results!
Partner News

Open Data Survey

 
As part of the Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre (SGRC)’s 3-year "Open Data for Open Government in Rural BC" project, they are asking data producers and users about their interests and concerns with open data. Although open data - defined as data that is free to access, free to redistribute, and available in machine-readable formats - has become an important aspect of open government policies at all levels in Canada, little has been published about how open data impacts rural Canadians. With your help they can advance rural open data knowledge and make recommendations for open data policy that fits the rural context.
 
Click here for the desktop survey
Click here for the mobile survey
Watershed News
Rapid Assessment of Wetland Sites Using Multispectral Mapping and Drones

The resulting maps are a valuable input to assess habitat diversity, wetlands dynamics as well as ecosystem productivity as frequently as desired by managers or scientists. The results demonstrated the applicability of multispectral mapping by drones to retrieve interesting remote sensing that were relevant to assess ecological integrity in wetlands.
Overcoming barriers with CWF!

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is advancing a program to improve fisheries resources by working with partners to identify and implement viable fish passage improvement projects. Their interest it to help groups secure funding and support to implement projects,  as well as mapping and prioritizing barriers for remediation. Please contact Gerry Leering to offer your local knowledge in identifying potential candidate sites.
Cottonwood Lake Preservation Society surpasses $50,000 fundraising goal

The group is seeing to purchase an area containing a sensitive wetland ecosystem that feeds two watersheds, local water licences, and is an important wildlife corridor for grizzly bears and other large mammals.Wetlands allow aquifers to replenish in times of drought, mitigate the impact of climate change by storing carbon, and have unique assemblages plants and animals.
 
Looking for an ancient frog with modern genetics

Masters of camouflage, the Rocky Mountain Tailed frogs are notoriously difficult to survey. A research team is surveying small mountain streams of Gilnockie Provincial Park to collect tiny bits of exogenous DNA free-floating in the water. Advances in genetic testing allow biologists to test samples to for the presence of a particular species.
More good news about eDNA

Scientists explore wildfire soot darkening of glaciers

RDCK to clarify its role in water governance

Beyond oceans: microplastics affect rivers and lakes too

Spent Christmas trees find new purpose in wetland

Locals take dip for new years!
Funding Opportunites
Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program Community Engagement Grant: funds to support conservation and enhancement work. Read more...

CBT Community Initiatives and Affected Areas Program
RDEK Deadline: January 21, 2019. Read more...
Other communities deadlines coming up in February -  see here.
 
Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) Environment Small Grant: up to $5,000 for projects in the Basin that will strengthen environmental well-being and address: ecosystems, climate, water or environmental education. Deadline: January 31. Read more...

Mustang Survival - Waterlife Fund: supports action-oriented projects toward ecosystem restoration and/or the collection of data for long-term monitoring initiatives. Read more...

Columbia Basin Trust Co-op Wage subsidy: to help employers create co-op opportunities for post-secondary students. Read more...

CBT Career Internship Program: wage funding for non-profits, businesses, local and First Nation Governments to hire college and university graduates. Read more...

B3 Canada - Free Board program for nonprofits
Upcoming Events
Monday, January 21, Revelstoke 6 pm
Public Hearing for OCP amendment - backcountry recreation in Electoral Area B
Columbia Shuswap Regional District

Tuesday, January 22, Moyie 7-9pm
Open house for Moyie & Area OCP/ Electoral Area C South Zoning Bylaw
Regional District of East Kootenay

Wednesday, February 6 (deadline extended)
Call for Papers - Regulated Rivers II: Science, Restoration, and Management of Altered Riverine Environments (Nelson BC May 8-9, 2019) 

February 1, 2019 (submission deadline)
Call for emerging rural researchers/ new rural initiatives by community orgs
Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation 

Saturday, February 2, 7pm Creston
Wild and Scenic Film Festival 2019
Wildsight Creston Valley 

Feb 6-8, 2019, Revelstoke
Intermediate "R" stats: data wrangling, graphics, and spatial data analysis
Columbia Mountain Institute 

February 9, Revelstoke 12-5pm
Sustainable Living Expo
North Columbia Environment Society

February 26–28, 2019, Niagara Falls, Ontario
2nd Annual AFN National Water Symposium and Tradeshow 

March 15, Basin-wide (application deadline)
Teacher summer workshops: atmospheric science and physical oceanography
Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society

March 25 – 29, 2019, Denver, Colorado
11th National Monitoring Conference - Registration now open
North American Lake Management Society
CBWN thanks the Columbia Basin Trust for their long-standing and ongoing support of our watershed activities and network communications.
Copyright © CBWN 2019 All rights reserved.

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