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The OWC thanks you for your support of
our Film Project Launch!
Shannon, Leta, Bev, Connie and Anna - OWC Staff
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OWC's 2015-17 Strategic Plan coming soon to a theatre near you
(sorry I couldn't stop myself from making one more film reference)
The Board and staff are working on a new 3 year Strategic Plan and we look forward to sharing that with you in the New Year. OWC's new Strategic Plan will focus our work and you will see improvements over the next year as we solidify our role in the web of watershed management.
We will be reviewing and prioritizing all of our projects over the next few months because we do not have the capacity to keep doing them all and there are new needs and opportunities that need to be considered as well.
Soon we will have a meeting with our partners and volunteers to discuss the new plan. Your opinions, suggestions and ideas are very important to this process. Stay tuned!
Our 2013-15 Strategic Plan has been mostly completed and we will also be celebrating those accomplishments with you over the next little while. One of our goals is to find ways to better share results so we can all celebrate the progress that is being made throughout the watershed.
February 24, 2015 is OWC's 10 Year Anniversary and together we have achieved a lot! Thank you very much for your ongoing support over the last 10 years and cheers to another 10! Let's make sure the next 3 years are the best ones yet by developing a clear, focused Strategic Plan that sets us up for long term success! Volunteers needed to populate database - no experience required
A perfect opportunity for science students! A little while ago OWC was a partner in a literature review project (Landscape Patterns Environmental Quality Analysis http://oldmanbasin.org/index.php/publications/).
We now want to make the findings of that report searchable on a database so everyone can access the information quickly and easily. A webinar training session will be provided and the task will take approximately 4-5 hours. The task is simple and involves adding keywords, defining the area covered by each report and double checking accuracy. A computer is required. Volunteers will be rewarded with a special gift!
If you're interested please email Shannon@oldmanbasin.org. |
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 | Lorne Fitch telling us his story of
"How the Oldman River Got Its Name" |
The OWC Film Launch Project was very well attended - heartfelt thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us!
We had people come in from all corners of the watershed and beyond, and it was most encouraging to see both your enthusiastic support and the media coverage in attendance.
It was networking galore and a great time to meet others who are passionate about building up our OWC community around watershed management and health. With the Film Project now officially underway, the OWC is seeking Collaborative Partners who are interested in showcasing how their business or organization contributes positively to how we live, work and play in the Oldman watershed.
For more information, please download the brochure HERE.
Special thanks to:
Southern Alberta Art Gallery for hosting this event;
Bridget Mearns for her welcoming remarks;
the 5 Founding Partners - our Stars of the day
Heleen Jacobsen and Ben Dyk of Real Estate Centre;
Martin Olszynski of University of Calgary Faculty of Law;
Allan Ingelson of Canadian Institute of Resource Law;
Ron McMullin of Alberta Irrigation Projects Association;
Neil & Diane Wilson of South Central Welding.
In fact, Diane Wilson brought along the crew from Nanton: "Dressed In Time", who were wearing period costumes and telling the crowd about their individual water stories from back in the day.
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Top: Diane Wilson, Judy Iluk Bottom: Betty Lou Thompson, Ronnice Bradburns, Karen Downey,
from the Nanton group
""Dressed in Time"
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Also in costume was artist Barbara Amos and her group: "Red Alert For The Headwaters" who travelled in from the Crowsnest Pass for the event to bring attention to, and inquiry about, our watersheds.
It was especially thrilling for us to be filming live on location - AND, as a gift to #oldmangoestohollywood, broadcasting live courtesy of Aaron Trozzo and Margaux Descortis from Lethbridge's own CKXU.
Filming will continue over the next months and I look forward to telling you all about it! Lastly, thank you to all of the volunteers who made the event possible, including our new intern, Jayme Cabrera Lopez, who did such a great job on the photos!
 The OWC has an idea for Christmas presents that we think is pretty neat.
We also created designs for our 5 Founding Partners. Check out the designs here.
You can order your OWC shirt via PayPal on our Facebook page or www.oldmanbasin.org
until Monday, December 15th. No phone calls please - we need to keep the ordering process simple.
You can choose any (or all) of the 6 designs
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The Caring for our Watersheds Contest
- North America
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For more information or to arrange a classroom presentation about the Oldman watershed call or email Leta Pezderic - 403-381-5801; leta@oldmanbasin.org |
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The Oldman Headwaters - Source Water for All!
 | | Upper Gladstone Creek - Oldman headwaters |
Did you know that about 90% of the water in the Oldman River when it joins the Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River comes from the Rocky Mountain headwaters region? That includes all the water flow that comes into the St. Mary's, Belly, Waterton, Crowsnest, Castle and Upper Oldman River systems! And that means this region is VERY IMPORTANT for all prairie residents - the City of Lethbridge and towns like Taber, Magrath, Nanton, Vulcan, Vauxhall, several Irrigation Districts, industrial water users and not least - our fellow residents like fish, wildlife and cottonwood groves in our watershed's beautiful coulee ecosystems.
 | | Oldman River near Brocket, Alberta |
That is why the OWC is concentrated on the Headwaters as a key goal of the Oldman Integrated Watershed Management Plan process, and continues to work with stakeholders and the public to safeguard the critical source waters in the headwaters area. We all depend on this important region for high quality and sufficient quantity of water for healthy communities and healthy aquatic ecosystems.
What's happening with the Headwaters Action Plan?
The multi-stakeholder Headwaters Action Team has been actively implementing the top 5 priority actions out of the Headwaters Action Plan. The Linear Features Classification Project for the Dutch Creek Pilot Project is wrapping up, with the Final Report submitted for review. The Headwaters Action Team's next steps will be to work on how to integrate our work with the SSRP planning initiatives, and to explore and request commitment from key stakeholders to help to accomplish key goals of the plan. The 'Adopt a Watershed' action of the Headwaters Action Plan has sparked interest with Trout Unlimited, who are considering adopting a sub-watershed in the upper Oldman headwaters area. Thank you!
Our work in the headwaters is also encouraged by Crown of the Continent Conservation Initiative, Crown Manager's Partnership and The Wilderness Society. Interest in multi-stakeholder collaboration to continue our work in the headwaters is strong, and assistance with knowledge resources and funding is also available. In Spring 2014, the Oldman Headwaters was selected as an area of focus for the Crown of the Continent, and a recent workshop (Nov. 18-20th)that focused on strategies to increase resilience in native trout populations in the face of climate change has underscored the importance of the Oldman headwaters area.
Bull trout in the Oldman headwaters - this native trout species was recently listed as 'threatened' by the Government of Alberta and an Alberta Recovery Plan is currently being developed.
The OWC has been applying for funding to support a key project of the Headwaters Action Plan - the Dutch Creek Pilot Project. We are happy to report success with two funding sources thus far, $21,000 from the Crown of the Continent Roundtable - Adaptive Management Initiative and $100,000 from Alberta Ecotrust for a multi-pronged approach to key Headwaters concerns. The Alberta Ecotrust funding will be shared with Cows and Fish, the Miistakis Institute, the Environmental Law Centre and the OWC to complete several different projects related to managing and protecting the integrity of source waters and headwaters.
We have much to do this winter in preparation for 2015 work - and look forward to a deeper collaborative effort to move key initiatives along for headwaters health.
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Over the last four months, the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation has been surveying the environmental nonprofit community in Alberta - over 160 different organizations - as part of their Mapping What Matters project. The Foundation invites you to join them on December 3rd as they present the results of this project back to the community. The presentation takes place at Fort Calgary, 4:00 - 7:00 pm. Can't attend the live event? You can also participate from home or at work as the presentations will also be live streamed. Click here for details and registration. |
 Have you checked out the OWC blog? Here's a few recent ones from David McIntyre: Stalking a J�kulhlaup, ... walking the Elko Gorge ... and trailing trout over the Rocky Mountains . . . AltaLink targets an internationally revered landscapeAltaLink has just released plans to construct transmission towers and string overhead transmission lines across this revered and internationally marketed Crown of the Continent landscape, a landscape that's also home to the MD of Pincher Creek's Heritage Rangeland Viewscape (designated in 2008). . .
A Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta has decided that Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) can legally be sued for instances of lax investigation and remediation of groundwater contamination connected with hydraulic fracturing. The judgment can be found here. Rosebud, Alberta native Jessica Ernst filed a $33-million lawsuit seven years ago after her well water became so contaminated it could be lit on fire. According to Klippensteins Barristers & Solicitors ESRD (then Alberta Environment) argued that it didn't owe a "private duty of care" to individual landowners during its investigation of groundwater contamination.
The Government of Alberta has provided a $2M grant from the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund to the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre. This Centre is a one-stop shop for tools and resources to help Alberta municipalities through education, technical assistance and expertise, best practices, policy review and rebates to help retrofit their buildings. Read the news release here.
Concerns raised over logging near Ghost River Calgary Herald - November 13
A group of Ghost Valley residents is concerned about a logging plan in the area west of Calgary, suggesting it could damage the health of a sensitive watershed, increase the risk of future flooding and disturb important grizzly bear habitat. This winter, Spray Lakes Sawmill will start logging in the area south of the Ghost River. Local residents said the harvest has quietly been condensed into three years from its original 25-year plan, with little or no consultation. read more The Town of Okotoks has applied to the provincial government in an effort to cover 90% of the cost for a new pipeline from the City of Calgary. If successful, the province's Water for Life program would put up approximately $36 million of the estimated $40 million bill. The Calgary Regional Partnership has endorsed the proposal. Click here to read the media release.
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2014 Conferences, Courses & Workshops
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Green Jobs Forum
Wednesday, December 3 - Calgary
The Green Jobs Forum is Canada's first comprehensive multi-sector platform for professionals, students and the general public, offering an in-depth exploration of career options and industry trends in the ever-expanding Green Economy.
Please see the attached poster for details. Admission is free.
Farming Smarter Conference & Tradeshow
December 2 & 3, 2014 - Medicine Hat Lodge
Agenda and registration can be found www.farmingsmarter.com
Solar Wind Workshop
Wednesday, December 10 - Picture Butte Community Centre
Lethbridge County is hosting a one-day workshop on grid-tie renewable energy generation options for farmers in Lethbridge County. Click here for more information.
Pathways to Sustainability Calgary Round Tables
Roundtables held in November, December, February with a one-day conference in May 2015.
Click here for information.
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program (RFCPP) offers funding opportunities to recreational fishing/angling groups and conservation associations for activities directly related to rebuilding, restoring or rehabilitating recreational fisheries habitat in Canada. The maximum request under the RFCPP is $250,000 per project for fiscal year April 1, 2015 - March 31, 2016. Please see the attached document for details.
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OWC funding provided in part by:
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