SEAWA AGM

March 31, 2015

Thank you to all who attended the eighth SEAWA Annual General Meeting. There were twenty nine people in attendance to enjoy the informative presentations. 

Hyland Armstrong, who grew up and worked on a family ranch just east of Elkwater, gave a presentation on the Armstrong West Field Project, and other work that he participated in with various partners.  Hyland implements a number of range management projects involving the management of Fescue grassland, endangered species habitat, large ungulate habitat and the restoration of wetlands. Consequently, he has worked with Ducks Unlimited, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Sustainable Resource Development (Public Lands), Cows and Fish, Alberta Conservation Association, Alberta Fish and Wildlife and Alberta Parks and Recreation.

Peter Wallis, recently retired Dean of Science from the Medicine Hat College and owner of Hyperion Research Ltd., gave a summary presentation on the Trace Organics Study he conducted.  His active research interests include the development and testing of new techniques for the detection and elimination of waterborne protozoan pathogens, the evaluation of well water for potential surface water contamination and antibiotic resistance in aquatic bacteria.   Peter enjoys the chance to carry out research on real problems in the preservation and utilization of water resources. The opportunity to share his experience with students through teaching and volunteer activities (such as his involvement in SEAWA!) has also been highly rewarding for him.  

Thank you to all who were involved in SEAWA this year and special thanks goes to three Directors who have completed their term limit: Dan Davies, Melinda Arthur and Jennifer Nitschelm. You will be sadly missed and fondly remembered for your time with the SEAWA crew.

Water is fundamental to community sustainability and growth and the way water is managed in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) will be critical in the face of changing weather patterns. The SSRB Adaption to Climate Variability Project will harness the energy and creativity of southern Albertans to explore practical options for adapting to climate variability and change.

In 2010, Alberta WaterSMART stated that, "water is a significant limiting factor to population growth and economic development in the SSRB." Much work has already been done, specifically the Bow River Project, on improving surface water management and increasing access to water supplies, all while protecting and enhancing environmental flows throughout the watershed. However, opportunities still exist to reduce the role of water as a barrier to population growth and economic development.

The SSRB Adaption to Climate Variability Project will build on and integrate existing data, tools, capacity and knowledge of water users and decision makers to improve understanding and explore how to manage for the range of potential impacts of climate variability throughout the SSRB's river systems. Using existing analytical and decision-support tools, the project will engage many people and groups to build:

• a common understanding of feasible and practical mechanisms for adapting to climate variability and change, and
• increased capacity for an informed, collaborative and adaptive approach to water resource management throughout the SSRB. This will enable organizations, communities and individuals to assess their risks in near real-time and determine their most suitable responses to climate variability within the physical realities of SSRB river flows, requirements and infrastructure.

Meet Charlotte, a young birder who decided in late 2010 to start a blog to record and write about her sightings.

She  lives on the prairies in Alberta, where she couldn't be happier, with a big open sky, prairie, and lots of open water. She lives on a farm with many animals - rabbits, chickens, cattle, horses, and a dog (who sometimes comes birding with her) and many varieties of birds, including Western Meadowlarks, Mountain Bluebirds, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Cinnamon Teals, Sprague's Pipits, Le Conte's Sparrows, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. 

Charlotte has birded on the island on Nevis in the West Indies, in New York City, and in Washington, DC. In August 2012, she was selected to be part of the Young Ornithologists' Workshop at the Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario. In April 2013, she helped the Edmonton Nature Club with the Young Naturalists' Corner at the Snow Goose Chase in Tofield, Alberta. By August 2013, Charlotte was back at the Long Point Bird Observatory for a four-week Young Ornithologists' Internship, helping with migration monitoring, and her own research project, a Monarch Butterfly census.

Check out her FaceBook group "Alberta Birds", where birders post photographs or videos), ask questions, and just generally discuss the birds in this province. If you bird in Alberta, or plan to bird here on a visit, or would just like to see the wonderful avian species we have in our province, please join.

Charlotte is starting Grade 12 this fall, and her favorite subjects are history and natural history/science. This year, she's also finishing the last three chapters in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's home study course in bird biology.

 Spring is approaching and birds are preparing to fly north to their nesting grounds, so it's time to start expecting the arrival of feathered spring migrants.
 

For Charlotte's bird lists, blog posts, and perspective on the 2013 Tofield Snow Goose Chase visit her website.