Happy Summer Solstice from the Columbia Basin Watershed Network!
Enjoy the sweetness of the season!
CBWN News
SGRC Summer Mapping Program underway!
Our outstanding Summer Mapping Program Student Katie Erickson from the Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre is working with 5 Columbia Basin Watershed Network groups on community mapping projects! This year's program includes:
Mapping the Quartz Creek watershed with the Ymir Community Watershed Society to inform strategic planning, engage residents and create a trail/watershed map for an interpretive sign project.
Highlighting public access points to Lake Windermere for the Lake Windermere Ambassadors to support community engagement and public water access.
Mapping Gwillim Creek for the Slocan Waterfront Restoration and Development Society to improve understanding of the Village's drinking water.
Creating a web-based map of aquifers, tributaries and water monitoring locations in the West Kootenays to support water governance initiatives with the Duhamel Watershed Society.
Mapping West Bench Beaver Wetlands with Wildsight Golden to improve understanding of relationships between beaver occupied wetlands, habitat quality and human infrastructure.
Many thanks to the Columbia Basin Trust for their support of this program. Photo credit: drone mapping of the Quartz Creek watershed by Selkirk SGRC program.
CBWN Water Monitoring Collaboration Fund
Congratulations to this summer's recipients - we look forward to sharing the stories of how this funding supported community based water monitoring around the Basin! To date the program has helped to replace and upgrade water monitoring equipment, including turbidity and temperature meters, a VanDorn, ecology test kits for water chemistry, pH meters and sampling nets. Best wishes for the monitoring season, and thanks to the many staff and volunteers getting up close and personal with our freshwaters!
Many thanks to the Columbia Basin Trust for their support of this program.
The webinar introduces the “Stepping Stones to Watershed Governance” framework, which helps groups assess their progress and impact, and identify their priorities to move forward to gain greater influence and strengthen collaborations. Drawing on real-world examples, the speakers focus on securing sustainable funding for watershed governance. They share stories from BC watersheds that have experimented with different approaches to generating reliable revenues to support their work.
The Elk River Alliance reflects on six years of water quality monitoring on the Lizard and Alexander Creeks! Their community-based water monitoring helps fill knowledge gaps and ensures water quality info is available to stakeholders and citizens. Congratulations for advancing freshwater health in your communities. Shout out to our new Columbia Basin Watershed Network Board member and Program Manager Water & Restoration Ayla Bennett! Read the summaries here.
A Living Lakes Canada contingent returned from the 20th anniversary Living Lakes International Conference attended by over 200 delegates from 41 countries. The team learning and sharing experiences around water stewardship, wetlands and climate change included our new CBWN Board Director Claire Pollock-Hall and Network Advisory Committee member Avery Deboer-Smith.
“[F]our young women represented the Columbia Basin and spoke to an international delegation about their water stewardship work, sharing what they’re doing at a grassroots regional and national level,” said Living Lakes Canada Executive Director Kat Hartwig, who also attended the conference. “Climate change adaptation measures for wetlands and all the species that depend on them are a global problem and presented a common bond for all the participants.”
Transnational Study of Stream-based Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs
Interested in contributing to knowledge about volunteer water monitoring programs? A team from the University of Vermont is looking for stream-based volunteer water monitoring groups in the Columbia Basin to identify motivations and outcomes to participating. They're are also working with groups in the Wellington region in New Zealand and Chesapeake Bay in the United States. Click below if you'd like to help out and share their findings! Photo credit: Lisa Ludwig
The Kootenay Conservation Program launched their much anticipated Stewardship Solutions guide for landowners and resource managers. The online toolkit features Kootenay-based resources that address stewardship issues on private land. It's designed for stewardship practitioners, local government planners and other service providers, as well as a one-stop shop for private landowners interested in stewardship activities.
Our Water BC encourages engagement in BC Budget Consultation
What says 'Summer Solstice' better than talking Provincial budget consultations? The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services invites British Columbians to share their ideas and priorities for the next BC budget. The deadline for all input is Friday, June 28 at 5:00 p.m.
Our Water BC is calling on the Province to create a BC Water Sustainability Fund to support partnerships with First Nations, local governments and watershed organizations to deal with challenges in our watersheds.
The Stewardship Centre of BC will be hosting our their first online Level 1 training in late summer/ early fall 2019 and is looking for pilot participants. Contact info@stewardshipcentrebc.ca for details.
Celebrate Indigenous People's Day by exploring what Indigenous territories you live, work and play on. The crowd-sourced, interactive website maps traditional territories, treaties and languages and includes a teacher's guide.
Did you hear? Last week was Rivers to Ocean Week! The Canadian Wildlife Federation wants Canadians to celebrate by following the incredible migrations and obstacles faced by Chinook Salmon along the way.
