Watershed Stewardship: working together for water

CBWN Spring Meeting & AGM

Our Spring Meeting and AGM took place on April 20th in Creston BC and online, with a total of 31 members attending from 15 member groups. After a welcome from the Chief Jason Louie of the Yakan Nukiy, Lower Kootenay Band of the Ktunaxa Nation, information sharing presentations by member groups sparked several conversations.

Member group presentations included:

  • Brian Churchill, Creston Valley Wildsight
  • Bill Thompson, Columbia Lakes Stewardship Society
  • Thea Rodgers, Lake Windermere Ambassadors
  • Laura Duncan, Columbia Basin Water Quality Monitoring Program and Mainstreams Environmental Society
  • Kat Hartwig, Living Lakes Canada

As well, updates were provided by Stewart Wilson of Joseph Creek Streamkeepers and Garth Wilson of the East Shore Freshwater Habitat Society.

Tara Lynne Clapp presented on potential future priorities for CBWN and its members, including developments in Cumulative Effects Impact Frameworks. Avery de Boer of Friends of Kootenay Lake assisted with tech and facilitation.

With facilitation, members were engaged in a discussion on priorities for collaboration through CBWN, including:

  • How to move forward with collaboration on DataHub with Living Lakes
  • How to engage with provincial agencies on the status of water in the development of the Cumulative Effects Management Process.

Priorities identified by the members in discussions included how the CBWN could be best involved in supported the development of water information in the Basin, generally in support of the Water Data Hub:

  • creating a funding pool to support water monitoring for groups, particularly for water monitoring that would give groups more information on the effects of climate change, perhaps by coordinating a collaborative application to the Loblaws WaterFund program
  • supporting individual groups with their specific needs, including grant writing support
  • working to ensure that member data is successfully linked to decision-processes, by
    • inventory / assessment of data being collected and how it is disseminated
    • reviewing policy processes for data types and qualities useful to decision makers

Specific CBWN activities that were of value to groups included:

  • the newsletter
  • introductions to other groups, including what they have done and how
  • pursuing collaborative funding opportunities that support member groups.

Groups would like the CBWN to do more of the following:

  • streamline and organize funding opportunities and sharing best practices for applications
  • help watershed stewardship groups to speak with a unified voice
  • help member groups build relationships with decision-making authorities and partners
  • seek opportunities to join in the Cumulative Effects Monitoring Framework discussion and ensure that water interests are well represented

Members are very interested in the concept that the CBWN might help to build a larger constituency for funding and organize collaborations on funding. Members are interested in how to fund water monitoring, both regional water monitoring protocols and issue based monitoring. This is generally a higher priority for now than working on the Cumulative Effects Monitoring Framework, although the CBWN should look for opportunities there.

The Second Annual General Meeting of the Columbia Basin Watershed Network Society.

At the AGM, the new Strategic Plan was adopted, the revised Bylaws were passed to bring the CBWN into compliance with the new Societies Act, and a new Board was elected, including Tara Lynne Clapp, Richard Johnson, Thea Rodgers, Maggie Romuld, and Alan Thomson. The draft minutes are available here.

Spring Meeting Agenda

The full agenda is available here

If you were not able to attend, you are welcome to watch the sessions!
Meeting Introduction and Welcome

Creston Wildsight, Brian Churchill

Lake Windermere, Thea Rodgers

Columbia Lake Stewardship Society, Bill Thompson

Group Updates: East Shore Freshwater Habitat Society, and Joseph Creek Streamkeepers

Friends of Kootenay Lake update and Kat Hartwig, Living Lakes Canada, Water Data Hub Update

AGM

Voting

Voting at the AGM is by Group Members, represented by a Group Liaison. Individual members are welcome to take part in discussions, but do not have a vote. To attend as a Group Liaison, please either contact your watershed stewardship group, or contact us. To become an Individual Member, click here.   You can read our Member Policy here.

2018 CBWN_AGM_AGENDA

Revised Bylaws Recommended by Board

These are the bylaws adopted at the AGM. They will be in force as soon as they are filed with the Registrar of Societies.

CBWN_Proposed_Bylaws

Please click here to review the Strategic Plan that was received and discussed at the Annual General Meeting.

CBWN strategic plan 2018 2023