Two events highlight Canada Water Week in Nelson
By Nelson Daily Staff
In celebration of Canada Water Week (March 14 to 22) and World Water Day (March 22), Nelson will see two informative and insightful events staged about water.
Canada Water Week (www.canadawaterweek.com) is a new national initiative to increase awareness of water issues and initiatives across the country.
Under the theme of “Celebrating and Conserving Water across the Country,” a number of events and activities are being held that focus on ensuring healthy rivers and living lakes.
World Water Day (www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/) is held annually in March to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and sustainable management of freshwater resources.
SOS: Save Our Snowpack
What glaciers in the Columbia Basin can tell us about snow pack
March 20, 7 p.m., TNT Playhouse, Carbonate Street
Presenter: Jocelyn Hirose M.Sc. Candidate University of Calgary
Jocelyn has been monitoring the Illecillewaet Glacier in Glacier National Park and will share her findings.
Her work will advance current understanding of the climate sensitivity to the glaciated regions of the basin and its impact on stream flow.
“I believe it is imperative to share my knowledge of glaciers with basin residents to improve their understanding and involvement in the cryosphere, such as snowpack and glacier changes,” she said.
Jocelyn will discuss:
– What are the fundamentals of glaciers and how do they relate to climate?
– What do we know about glaciers globally and regionally (Columbia Basin)?
– What are the temperature and precipitation trends of the basin/town/city?
– What do we not know regionally?
– What is my contribution to ‘filling in the gap’?
– What are the impacts of how glaciers and snowpack respond to climate change?
– What can you do?
Film: Teton Gravity Research’s Generations
A skiers’ and snowboarders’ perspective on climate change and winner at the 2009 Backcountry Ski Film Festival.
Generations is a short film on the consequences of climate change upon winter environments and snow culture.
Presented by The North Face in partnership with the non-profit group Protect Our Winters, Generations discusses climate change through the perspectives of those for whom snowy winters have a deeper personal significance.
Going beyond charts and numbers, Generations humanizes the debate on climate change by exploring the delicateness of winter and the intrinsic value of snow to people across generations and cultures.
Founder of Protect Our Winters, and professional athlete Jeremy Jones said of the film, “As a professional snowboarder I felt a real need for the debate on global warming to be humanized. It’s my hope that this film draws awareness and action toward a subject that holds dire consequences for an entire culture and sport.”
Water Ways: a CBWN regional forum on water governance
April 14-15, The Hume Hotel
The Columbia Basin Watershed Network will host a regional water forum that will appeal to a broad audience such as interested residents, local watershed groups and local and provincial government representatives.
The first day of the forum introduces the basics of water governance and highlights some water governance successes in the Columbia Basin and elsewhere.
On the second day, the forum will concentrate on breaking down water governance into smaller parts in an effort to build a toolkit for water stewardship groups and stakeholders in water decision making.
Collaborating on watershed sustainability has been identified as being important to Basin residents. Through the discussion generated at the CBWN forum, organizers will be developing a paper that outlines the linkages between the CBWN and BC’s new Water Sustainability Act.
“This water governance forum is consistent with CBT’s role of supporting Basin residents to increase their awareness and understanding of water issues and the decision-making processes that influence these issues,” said Heather Mitchell, CBT Water Initiatives program manager.
For more information on the water forum, visit www.cbwn.ca or email cbwatersheds@gmail.com.
The CBWN is one of several water stewardship projects funded and delivered by CBT. In addition to water stewardship, CBT delivers work related to water quality, quantity, governance and transboundary water. Find out more at www.cbt.org/water.
