May Newsletter

Newsletter - May 16, 2023

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NEWSLETTER

MAY 2023

TOPICS INCLUDE:

All About SAW Video
New Look, New Website
Watershed Stewardship for a Changing Climate Project
Caring for Our Watershed Winners
Friends of the Watershed Lottery Winners

New Look, New Website

After fifteen years, we’re releasing an updated brand identity, which includes a new logo, colours, and font. We are proud to announce the launch of the new SAW logo and website as part of the ongoing evolution of our brand. We have grown significantly over the last year, and we felt it was time for a change. We have modernized our logo and website to reflect who we are today and to symbolize our future.

Watershed Stewardship for a Changing Climate Project

For Canadians to become more resilient in adapting to a changing climate, they need to be prepared for what’s coming, which means better information. Regionally, communities can implement climate change adaptation plans to reduce their vulnerability to catastrophic risks that negatively impact their communities.

Over the next three years, we will be engaging communities across five watershed districts to have a better understanding of the concerns communities are facing resulting from a changing climate. Our goal is to:

Develop 6 climate-change adaptation plans: 5 regionally and one SAW province-wide plan. Information collected from the district plans will be used to develop the province-wide climate change adaptation plan.
Develop and implement six climate-change adaptation demonstration sites across the watershed districts for the public to access. A professional video will be produced at each demonstration site and uploaded to social media, which can be utilized as a technical resource for communities to access and adopt.
Deliver knowledge transfer of climate change impacts through community workshops, webinar presentations, print and digital material, and social media platforms.

Climate change adaptation planning process will begin in the Northwest District beginning June 2023.

For more information on this project or other SAW project and programming initiatives, please visit our website at www.saskwatersheds.ca

Congratulations to our Friends of the Watershed Lottery Winner!

Congratulations to the winners of our first Friends of the Watershed Lottery, Marlee Phair of Carnduff, SK and Rod O’Bryne of Regina, SK. Both were winners of a one-week vacation package at a furnished Kapawisin bungalow at Waskesiu Lake plus each received $5000.

Proceeds from the Lottery will be used to promote and implement watershed stewardship project and projects to keep our Saskatchewan lakes and rivers healthy. Healthy lakes and rivers can ease impacts on floods and droughts by storing water. They are an important, vital water supply for urban and rural communities, industry and provide an irrigation source for agriculture. About 25 per cent of municipal and communal waterworks in Saskatchewan use surface water to serve about 72 per cent of the province’s residents, or approximately 774,000 people.

Our lakes and rives are more than just a body of water. They work to replenish groundwater, preserve aquatic life, sustain biodiversity and habitat and are prime opportunities for recreation, tourism, and residential living. It is our responsibility to continue to practice stewardship on our lakes and rivers to keep them healthy for all, especially those that depend on them.

WATCH: The Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds works to protect and conserve Saskatchewan's surface and groundwater.

SAW is dedicated to protect and conserve Saskatchewan's surface and groundwater by implementing source water protection and stewardship programming provincially.

Caring for Our Watersheds - Finalists

The Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds (SAW) hosted the finals competition for the Caring for our Watersheds program in Saskatchewan on May 6, 2023 in Saskatoon. Caring for our Watersheds is an international program that is sponsored by Nutrien that asks students in Grades 7 through 12 to submit a proposal to address the question, “what can you do to improve your watershed?”. This year, SAW received over 140 written entries to this program from 270 students from across the province which were then scored to narrow the field to the top 10 projects as the finalists. The top 10 finalists attended the finals competition and presented their proposals to a panel of judges and the audience in attendance.

“I was amazed by the students' creativity and out-of-box thinking. There were many ingenious solutions to our environmental problems. Our written judges had a very tough time selecting our top 10 proposals, and our in-person judges an even tougher time selecting our first-place winner during the final competition. I want to thank all students for sharing their ideas with us.” said Stephanie Huel, the Watershed Education Coordinator of SAW.

Caring for Our Watersheds is a curriculum-based program where students research and identify a problem in their watershed and come up with a realistic solution for that problem. Project proposals are then judged based on innovation, environmental impact, comprehensive scope, communication, budget, visuals, and the ability for the project to be implemented and replicated. All of the top 10 finalists win cash prizes from themselves, as well as a cash prize for their school. As well, students may choose to apply for project implementation funds to bring their proposal to life.

Congratulations to our Saskatchewan winners:

Shannen M. – Adopt a Body of Water (grand prize winner)

Cailyn L. – A Problem in the Saskatchewan Beehive

Ainsley C. – Mason Bee Nest Boxes

Elliott D. – Go Green; Not Blue-Green

Eli R., Wyatt M. Dustin J. – Bees, Schools, Plants, Helping our Watershed

Hunter D., Trey S. – To Seed Saskatchewan

Zoe Z., Jaycee U., Raeesah H., Katelyn L. – How a Video Game can Save Our Watershed

Evan E., Kenzie P. – Clean Up Waste in Our Community

Madhavi G. – Eating Green

Jake R. – QR Codes on Storm Drains

SAW would like to thank all of the students who participated in this year’s contest, as well as acknowledge the generous support of Nutrien and the additional support from Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Meewasin Valley Authority. Educational programs such as Caring for Our Watersheds, provide an excellent opportunity to bring project-based learning to the classroom, and help educate our youth on the importance of healthy watersheds for future generations.

Contact - Stephanie Huel, Watershed Education Coordinator at education@saskwatersheds.ca or 306-681-4648