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YOUR LAND | YOUR WATERYOUR VOICEWhat We Heardat the November 2011 Community Workshops

As many of you know, the BRWA recently completed our first SOW report, released in October 2011.

Following this, we hosted a series of community workshops in November of 2011, which were open to all watershed residents, stakeholders and decision-makers. The workshops were held in...1

Community Meeting LocationsThese workshops were held in Lacombe, Ponoka, Wetaskiwin, Camrose, Stettler, Killam, Hardisty, Wainwright, Provost, Consort and Coronation, and the purpose of this workshops...2Community WorkshopsPurpose:Share information from the SOW report to increase understanding and awareness of the current conditions and issues that exist in our watershedsEncourage dialogue on the issues and opportunities facing our watershedsProvide an overview of the watershed management planning process and allow opportunity for feedback

The purpose of these workshops was three-fold.

Having just released our first SOW report, we wanted to share information from that report to help people understand the current conditions in our watersheds.We also wanted to hear back from people on what they saw as the major issues in their region of the watershed and provide people with an overview of the BRWAs next steps in watershed management planning.3Who came?About 100 people came to the workshops, and this is an overview of who attended, divided by groups or sectors that people identified themselves as being a part of.4Who came?Again, an overview of the people who came to the workshops, this time divided by which subwatershed people lived in.5Focus QuestionsWhat do you appreciate about this watershed?What do you appreciate about the place you live?

What are your concerns related to land and water management in our watershed?What are the major issues facing our watershed?

What are your hopes for a resolution to these issues?What needs to change to resolve these issues?To encourage discussion on local issues and opportunities, we framed the discussion around three questions...6What We Heard: Appreciation

Here is what we heard. And all of this information is also currently being compiled into a final What We Heard report that will be available on our website by mid-March.

A note about this image, which is called a word cloud. These images were created for each of the three focus questions, using the word-for-word written comments provided to us by workshop participants. The greater the number of times a word was mentioned, the larger that word appears in the image.

So, what do you appreciate about this watershed? What do you appreciate about the place you live?

7BiodiversityNatural Features and FunctionsRecreationLandscapeRuralWater SupplyCulture and HistorySocialEconomicWatershed Management, Education, and ActionPeople appreciate the diversity of life in the Battle River and Sounding Creek watersheds, as well as the natural landscapes on which that life depends.

People recognize the natural environment as a vital support system for their local communities and economies and appreciate the numerous ecological functions they provide.

People appreciate local recreational opportunities, including walking trails, snowshoeing, kayaking, canoeing, horse riding, bird and animal watching, fishing, hunting, camping, and more.

Access to safe, secure water supplies, for residential as well as agricultural and other economic purposes, is very important to watershed residents.

People appreciate the cultural diversity and history of this region of the province and they recognize the rich history of every community. They also recognize the historical importance and value of natural features such as native prairie landscapes.

In the social realm, an appreciation for Freedom. Peace. Stability. Balance. Diversity. Quiet. Home. Family. Community. And people also appreciate the commitment and passion of local individuals in caring for their communities and the natural environment that supports them.

People have a great appreciation for the economic diversity of this region, and they especially value the agricultural productivity of this place.

People appreciate opportunities for learning about and taking action on local watershed issues.

And I think its important to remember these things that we value about the place we live, because its these things that we should then strive to see protected.8What We Heard: Concerns

Watershed HealthWetlands and Riparian AreasWater QuantityWater QualityLand ManagementBiodiversityEducation, Awareness, and ActionGovernance and Watershed ManagementAt the broadest level, there is an overarching concern about the health and sustainability of our watersheds. People recognize that we need to maintain a balance between the various users and interest groups in our watersheds and ensure that the cumulative effects of our actions dont compromise the environmental, social or economic sustainability of our watersheds.

Poor water quality is a concern for many, with one major concern being the excess nutrient levels in our surface water systems. And people also thought it was important to emphasize that this is both a rural and urban issue, with nutrients entering our water systems from a variety of sources. Various other potential sources of both surface and ground water pollution and contamination were also discussed at the workshops.

Living in a prairie-fed watershed with no runoff from mountain snowpack, our water supply is fairly limited. People are concerned about the amount of water we are using and the system we use to allocate water, and they are very much aware of the need to conserve water.

The degradation and loss of wetlands and riparian areas is another concern for people. Riparian areas are the green zones along our lakes, wetlands, rivers and streams. Wetlands and riparian areas are important for the various functions they provide, such as flood and drought mitigation, groundwater recharge and water filtration. Degradation and loss of these areas is ongoing.

Related to biodiversity, people are concerned about the health of our aquatic ecosystems and in particular the health of fish populations in the Battle River. They are also concerned about the potential impacts of development on wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Whether it be oil and gas activity, residential, commercial and industrial development, or agricultural land use, a variety of land uses have an impact on our watersheds. Watershed residents want to ensure that the cumulative effects of all these land uses are not undermining the health and sustainability of our watersheds.

People feel that there is a general lack of awareness and understanding of local watershed issues, which also means that there is limited momentum for greater community involvement and action around local land and water issues.

Many watershed stakeholders have pointed to the need for more effective policies, laws, regulations and monitoring related to water and watershed managment, as well as stable funding and support to effectively address local, regional and provincial environmental issues.

10What We Heard: Hopes

So, what hopes do people have for a resolution to these issues?11KnowCareActEducation, Awareness, Participation and ActionGovernance and Watershed ManagementPolicy and LegislationOn-the-ground ActionCooperation and CollaborationOne of the broad categories in which people hope for change is related to education, awareness, participation, and action.

First of all, people hope that more and more people would simply know. Know what a watershed is. Know what watershed they live in. Know what impacts we are having on the watershed we live in.

Secondly, there is a hope that people will care enough about what is happening in their local communities and their local watershed to become involved in the watershed management process and take action on local land and water issues.

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Another broad category in which people had hopes for change was related to watershed management and the processes that could be put in place, both in and out of government, to create positive change.

People hope for more effective policies, laws, regulations and monitoring to support the sustainable management of our land and water. On the flip-side, they also believe that local stewardship of our land and water resources is the responsibility of each individual and community. Lastly, people hope for cooperation and collaboration between ALL people, communities, governments, organizations and sectors on-the-ground, community-based action supported by the watershed management efforts of government and non-governmental organizations12Next StepsSo, given what we heard from you at the November workshops, what are the next steps?13Watershed Management

Well, as Hugh mentioned earlier, we are just now beginning our watershed management planning process, which will unfold over the coming months and years.14Purpose of a comprehensive watershed management plan for the Battle River and Sounding Creek watersheds :

to develop recommendations for policy directions and management practices that lead to the protection, improvement and long-term sustainability of our watersheds environmental, social and economic values.Just to refresh your memory, the purpose of developing a watershed management plan is to develop recommendations for policy directions and management practices that lead to the overall sustainability of our watersheds.

There are a number of components of a watershed that should be considered in such a plan, and based on the findings of our SOW report as well as the comments we received through the November workshops, this framework was developed to guide our watershed management process.

15Watershed Management Components

As you can see, weve divided the broad concept of watershed sustainability into the four categories of water quantity, water quality, biodiversity and land management. These categories are further divided into what we are referring to as watershed management components. This is the level at which we will be developing policy directions and implementation options.

This diagram provides an outline of the process well be using...16For a given watershed management component, well first conduct policy research to understand the current context in which policy and management decisions are being made at the local, regional, provincial, national, and international level.

Working together with watershed residents, stakeholders and decision-makers, well then undergo discussions that will lead to the development of overarching policy directions, or goals, outlining what we want to achieve related to each management component.

Well then identify potential management options, tools and best practices in the form of subwatershed-specific guidelines that will lead to on the ground implementation of policy goals.17Prioritizing Watershed Management ComponentsNow, what we need your help with today is prioritizing these management components. Determining the order in which the various components of the watershed management plan will be completed.18

All areas will be considered eventually. It is just a matter of what order they will be completed in.

You have this diagram in your registration package.

Weve already begun work on drought management, and will begin work on non-point source pollution management over the coming year. So wed like your help to prioritize the remaining components:

The way were going to do an initial prioritization is through an exercise called dotmocracy

19DotmocracyThree dots per personPlace your three dots on your top three prioritiesEach dot must be placed on a different priority

What will be done with this information?Dotmocracy results will help the WMP Steering Committee to determine a schedule for completion of all watershed management componentsSchedule will be based on the dotmocracy results as well as consideration of the relative urgency and potential impact of each componentThe way this works is that each person will have three dots, and youll be asked to place your three dots on your top three priorities.

*Each dot must be placed on a different priority.

And were referring only to the smaller squares, not the four broad categories of water quality, quantity, biodiversity and land management. So in total you have 10 priorities to choose from.

If you have a priority issue area that you think is NOT covered in the diagram, we invite you to write your issue area on one of the blank sheets of paper on the wall.

Youll have some time between now and 1pm to make your choice. We encourage you to talk with your neighbor about what they think the top priorities should be, and feel free to ask me or any BRWA staff or board members if you have questions about what would be covered under each component.

WHAT WILL BE DONE...?

The results of this exercise will be taken back to our WMP Steering Committee, who will determine the final schedule for completing all of these components based on the results of this exercise as well as consideration of the relative urgency and potential impacts associated with each component.20Questions?

Cactus at Big Knife Provincial Park, in the Battle River watershedDotmocracy RankingSurface, ground and source water protection: 33Point Source Pollution Management: 10

Surface Water Quantity: 12Ground Water Quantity: 15

Native and invasive species: 10Environmentally Significant Areas: 12Fish and Wildlife: 7

Land Use Practices: 27Wetlands: 12Riparian Areas: 14

Our promise to you:

These results will be taken back to the WMP Steering Committee and will form the basis of future watershed management initiatives