RRiippppllee EEffffeeccttss The First Watershed Stewardship Grant Program Report on the first $100,000 (April 2006 - March 2007) Sarah Hipkin Grant Administrator Alberta Stewardship Network Special thanks to: Members of the Stewardship Grant Committee (spring 2006): Margaret Glasford, ASN Chair Jeff McCammon, Lac La Nonne Watershed and Lake Stewardship Society Kent Lyle, Sylvan Lake Watershed Stewardship Society Shirley Pickering, Highwood Water Management Plan Public Advisory Committee Petra Rowell, Alberta Environment Ken Lewis, Alberta Agriculture and Food / AESA Ernie Ewaschuk, Land Stewardship Centre of Canada / ASN Secretariat Diana Rung, Alberta Conservation Association Kelsey Spicer-Rawe, Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society (Cows & Fish) Wendy Devent, formerly of Oldman Watershed Council And those others that provided support in developing the grant program: Sarah Primeau, ASN Secretariat / Land Stewardship Centre of Canada Tracy Scott, Ducks Unlimited Canada Mark Bennett, Bow River Basin Council Front cover photo provided by Friends of Little Red Deer River Society. Photo (this page) ‘Getting ready to plant’ provided by Tim Giese, Cochrane Branches & Banks Environmental Foundation Ripple Effects: ASN Watershed Stewardship Grant Program – Spring 2006 2 Table of Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................................5 Supporting Stewardship: the Alberta Stewardship Network ....................................................6 Ripple Effects: The First Watershed Stewardship Grant Program...................................................7 Diagram A: ‘Awareness to Action’ for Water Conservation (example) ...................................8 Highlights of the first Watershed Stewardship Grant Program................................................9 Grant Recipients by Major Watershed........................................................................................... 10 Diagram B: Major Watersheds of Alberta .......................................................................... 10 Athabasca River watershed................................................................................................... 11 Category: Tool-building (BMP demonstration)...................................................................... 11 1. Lac La Nonne Watershed & Lake Stewardship Society Category: Biophysical & Social Monitoring ........................................................................... 12 2. Lesser Slave Lake Watershed Committee Beaver River watershed.......................................................................................................... 13 Category: Tool-building (BMP demonstration)...................................................................... 13 3. Lakeland Agricultural Research Association Category: Awareness & Knowledge ..................................................................................... 14 4. Pelican Narrows Healthy Shoreline Committee North Saskatchewan River watershed................................................................................ 15 Category: Tool-building (BMP demonstration)...................................................................... 15 5. Rocky Riparian Group Category: Awareness & Knowledge / Biophysical & Social Monitoring /Community-based Action .................................................................................................................................. 166 6. Sandy Lake Restoration Society South Saskatchewan River watershed ............................................................................... 17 Red Deer River sub-watershed .................................................................................... 17 Category: Biophysical & Social Monitoring ........................................................................... 17 7. Friends of Little Red Deer River Society Bow River sub-watershed.............................................................................................. 18 Category: Awareness & Knowledge ..................................................................................... 19 8. Elbow River Watershed Partnership 9. Ghost Watershed Alliance Society 10. Mountain Parks Watershed Association (Bow Riverkeeper) Category: Team-building/Community-based Action ............................................................. 22 11. Nose Creek Watershed Partnership 12. Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society Category: Community-based Action ..................................................................................... 23 13. Calgary Field Naturalists Society 14. Cochrane Branches & Banks Environmental Foundation 15. Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society Oldman River sub-watershed ....................................................................................... 26 Category: Awareness & Knowledge ..................................................................................... 26 16. Alberta Wilderness Association - Beehive Natural Area Category: Tool-building (BMP demonstration)...................................................................... 27 17. Lee Creek Watershed Group Category: Biophysical & Social Monitoring ........................................................................... 27 18. Beaver Creek Watershed Group Milk River watershed ............................................................................................................... 29 Category: Community-based Action ..................................................................................... 29 19. Milk River Ranchers Group Overcoming Stewardship Challenges ........................................................................................... 30 Strategies for Limited Human Resources ............................................................................. 30 Strategies for Accessing Further Resources (funding, materials, and expertise) ................ 30 Ripple Effects: ASN Watershed Stewardship Grant Program – Spring 2006 3 Strategies to Encourage Stewardship in Others................................................................... 31 Strategies to Better Monitor the Effectiveness of the Project ............................................... 31 Recommendations Received................................................................................................ 32 Application and Reporting..................................................................................................... 33 Conclusions........................................................................................................................... 33 Appendix A: About the Alberta Stewardship Network ................................................................... 34 Appendix B: Financial Information................................................................................................. 35 Budget (B1): Overview of Administration and Granting........................................................ 35 Budget (B2): Overview of Watershed Stewardship Group’ Financial Information................ 36 Appendix C: Watershed Stewardship Group’ Partnerships........................................................... 37 Appendix D: Grant Administration ................................................................................................. 38 Appendix E: Household Water Conservation Calculations, Friends of the Bow campaign .......... 39 Ripple Effects: ASN Watershed Stewardship Grant Program – Spring 2006 4 Introduction Watersheds are slowly being recognized as the most appropriate spatial unit to undertake environmental planning and stewardship delivery. Issues of water quality, supply and ecosystem health are often intrinsically linked to actions taking place within the natural ecological boundaries of these drainage areas, and often go beyond jurisdictional boundaries. In recent years more than a hundred and forty community stakeholder groups have formed across Alberta in response to local watershed issues. These dedicated groups are often composed of volunteer stewards who combine first-hand knowledge of their watershed’s issues with innovative ideas to improve their watershed’s health. In recent years, stewardship in Alberta has been trying to organize itself to become less duplicative, easier on volunteers, and in general, more efficient. In 2005, as part of the compiling of a Directory of Watershed Stewardship in Alberta, the range of stewardship activities being undertaken by local groups in Alberta was documented. The plethora of activities already being undertaken by these, often volunteer-based groups, could be categorized under: education and awareness, surveys, demonstration sites, publications and products, research and monitoring, land conservation/protection initiatives, restoration, conservation strategies, development of management plans, participation in planning and environmental assessment processes, advocacy and policy analysis and developing partnerships1. At that time, groups were also asked to list their top three needs or requirements that would assist them in doing their work more efficiently. Funding was the main need listed by these groups (37%), followed by access to information/expertise (22%) and human resources needs (17%)2. Groups have been surveyed on two other occasions over the past four years with consistent results indicating a need for financial assistance to do their work3. An important catalyst