Water Is Life Watershed Planning Project and Art Installation Browning Mt

Overview

Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs) are important stewards of Alberta's major watersheds. They are independent, non-profit organizations that are designated by Alberta Environment and Parks to report on the health of our watersheds, lead collaborative planning, and facilitate education and stewardship activities.

WPACs appoint representatives of key stakeholders in the river bowl area, including:

municipal, provincial and federal governments
industrial sectors
conservation groups
aboriginal communities
academia
the public

In their piece of work, they seek consensus on state and h2o resources management strategies that support the achievement of shared environmental, social, and economical outcomes for the watershed.

Click on map to enlarge

Within Alberta there are currently 11 WPACs representing the major river basins:

Athabasca Watershed Quango
Battle River Watershed Alliance
Bow River Basin Council
Lesser Slave Watershed Quango
LICA – Beaver River Watershed
Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance
Milk River Watershed Council Canada
Due north Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance
Oldman Watershed Council
Red Deer River Watershed Brotherhood
South East Alberta Watershed Brotherhood

Collaborative approach

The Water for Life strategy marked a shift in the management of Alberta's water resource to improve enable shared responsibility and environmental stewardship. WPACs are the principal mechanism to foster this collaboration at the watershed level, creating opportunities for stakeholders to come together, share resources, and explore innovative solutions to h2o management challenges. This provides a strong footing for collaborative action and shared ownership in the work of the council.

Programme areas

Water for Life provided WPACs with a mandate to support multi-stakeholder collaboration and community engagement within four main program areas:

Education and Outreach
Environmental Stewardship
Watershed Evaluation and Reporting
Watershed Management Planning

Teaching and outreach

Through their education and outreach programs, WPACs aim to enhance public sensation about bug and stewardship options within the watershed, and encourage public involvement in watershed management. Didactics and outreach activities vary beyond each WPAC co-ordinate to their priorities and objectives. Below are a few examples of the types of activities that may be underway.

Workshops and educational forums

Workshops and educational forums are regularly held past various WPACs, providing the full general public with an opportunity to learn more about issues in the watershed, to network with various stakeholders and to discuss ongoing initiatives.

Classroom programs

Several WPACs have also developed classroom programs as part of their teaching activities. These include school presentations and field trip opportunities, also as working with schools to develop programs that build environmental awareness and stewardship within the curriculum.

Community events

Participation in community events allows WPACs to celebrate successes and engage with the public while raising awareness in a more festive setting.

Advice initiatives

Many WPACs have developed a number of communication initiatives to support their educational activity and outreach work. About WPACs regularly send out a newsletter to their members and provide a wealth of data through their website, social media and publications.

Please refer to your local WPAC to learn more about their specific didactics and outreach programs.

Environmental stewardship

Environmental stewardship is defined as "the recognition of a commonage responsibility to retain the quality and abundance of land, air, water and biodiversity, and to manage this natural capital letter in a way that conserves all of its environmental, economic, social and cultural values" (Alberta Stewardship Network).

WPACs piece of work with communities and stakeholders in the watershed to promote environmental sensation and a shared responsibleness for practices that support a healthy watershed. The delivery to activity made past individual WPAC partners and the resulting tangible improvements to watershed wellness serve as a testament of ecology stewardship. The stewardship piece of work undertaken by WPACs has included h2o conservation initiatives, shoreline cleanups, installation of off-site livestock watering systems, and riparian and wetland restoration programs.

WPACs too provide advice and support to Watershed Stewardship Groups (WSGs) that encourage local actions to promote watershed wellness.

For a full listing of electric current stewardship initiatives, delight refer to your local WPAC website.

Evaluation and reporting

State of the watershed report

The country of the watershed report is one of the 2 key deliverables produced by Watershed Planning and Informational Councils (WPACs). It describes the history of the watershed, its natural and congenital features, the condition of the resources, and the impact of act on the watershed. Land of the watershed reports are expected to inform the development of Integrated Watershed Direction Plans (IWMP), providing a foundation of data for developing effective management strategies to run into watershed goals.

Developed in 2008, the Handbook for Country of the Watershed Reporting is intended to serve equally an informative reference guide to "non-technical audiences" interested in assessing and reporting on the state of their local watershed. Information technology supports the piece of work of WPACs and Watershed Stewardship Groups (WSGs) pursuing similar activities.

Watershed management planning

Integrated Watershed Management Plans (IWMPs)

IWMPs are the 2nd key deliverable produced past Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs). These plans provide communication to governments and agencies that have policy and regulatory decision-making authority for state and resource management. Collaboration is key to the development of IWMPs, which are based on consensus agreement and inclusive participation of stakeholders and community representatives from inside the watershed.

Finalized in 2015, the Guide to Watershed Management Planning in Alberta provides communication on the steps to develop and implement a watershed management plan. The guide is based on the iterative process of adaptive management, from planning through to implementation and evaluation, and back to planning.

Water management plans versus watershed management plans

Unlike watershed management plans, water direction plans are statutory plans developed under the Water Act. They provide guidance for regulatory decisions made under the Water Act, including the establishment of minimum in-stream flows, conditions on diversions, and strategies for the protection of the aquatic environment. When a h2o management plan is canonical by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, it becomes an "Approved Water Management Programme" and must be considered when making h2o approval decisions.

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Source: https://www.alberta.ca/watershed-planning-and-advisory-councils.aspx