The Community Watershed Monitoring Network - a collaboration between government, forestry, and citizen scientists to safeguard freshwater

The RDN's Community Watershed Monitoring Network is a partnership between the RDN's Drinking Water and Watershed Protection (DWWP) program, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV), Island Timberlands LP (managed by Mosaic Forest Management), and many amazing community watershed stewardship groups in our region. The RDN provides the equipment and works with ENV to complete annual training and data analysis. ENV contributes expertise in water quality testing, deciphering gathered data and guidance in program direction. Island Timberlands sponsors the lab analysis costs for Quality Assurance and Quality Control, loans volunteers' safety gear and provides access to the upper watersheds.

Dedicated community groups donate their time, attending annual training sessions, calibrating equipment and getting out on their local streams to collect and monitor water quality data. The data collected since 2011, has supported an understanding of local freshwater trends and has helped to identify areas in need of greater care and restoration.

DWWP is incredibly grateful and inspired to work closely with 14 environmental stewardship groups, made up of citizen scientists and volunteers, whose dedicated work and care is vital for the monitoring, understanding, restoration, and stewardship of freshwater ecosystems region wide.

From the DWWP team - thank you all who have participated in this program!