Vision

Watershed stewardship groups and volunteers across the Columbia Basin actively and effectively engaged with partners in conserving and managing healthy, functioning watersheds.

Mission

The Columbia Basin Watershed Network Society works with members and partners to increase the impact and effectiveness of non-profit watershed stewardship groups and volunteers in improving watershed health. The CBWN is the go-to hub for watershed groups to find training, information, or connections. We are a voice for watershed stewardship across the Basin. We work with partners towards setting and achieving regional goals in watershed stewardship including data for decision-making, regional water stewardship collaboration, and regional water stewardship resources.

Services to members: We engage watershed groups in learning from each other through our member meetings, workshops, website, newsletters and in connecting groups with one another. We assist watershed groups across the Basin with access to scientific and funding resources for projects through our website, database and resource recommendations. We support member groups in forming new partnerships with other watershed groups and local organizations by making connections, hosting dialogues, identifying shared priorities and resources, and project resource assistance. We actively support members and partners in sharing information about their activities.

Values

The Columbia Basin Watershed Network Society values information for action, collaboration, and working together for clean water and healthy watershed ecosystems and communities. We value the involvement of communities and volunteers with community watersheds and water ecology for the cultural, aesthetic, health and knowledge benefits that such involvement creates. Members are water stewardship groups and community champions inspired by water. The Columbia Basin Watershed Network Society operates in a responsible, transparent and inclusive manner.

Goals, Examples and Measures:

  • One: Build the CBWN network: / Network: / network membership, health, connectivity, partnerships and collaborations formed.
  • Two: Serve CBWN members and build member capacity: / Services: / Communications, information, training, resources.
  • Three: Build regional capacity for watershed stewardship. / Regional coordination: / Regional partnerships and programs: data, water monitoring, applied research programs
  • Four: Improve watershed stewardship outcomes. / Impact and effectiveness: / Increased community support for watershed stewardship, improved data quality and availability, involvement of members in policy process, use of member group data in decision-making, measures to assess water quality
  • Five: Build the CBWN Society./ Board strength and succession, involvement of membership in governance through committees and AGM, use of member feedback in governance, increased diversity of funding sources through partnerships