So what are we about?

The Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners came together several years ago in order to allow local communities to play a role in stewarding this very important wetland system.

Vision Statement

The Upper Columbia River and the adjacent Columbia Wetlands will continue to function as a healthy flood-plain ecosystem with a complex biological community governed by natural fluvial and ecological processes. Human Communities will continue to benefit socially, environmentally and economically from this naturally functioning ecosystem and in turn the wetlands will contribute to the health and vitality of the communities in the upper Columbia River Basin. Residents in these communities will become engaged and motivated to adopt a stewardship ethic and will work collectively to demonstrate the benefits of a shared stewardship model for this important resource.

Mission Statement

The Columbia River Wetlands Stewardship Partners is made up of a diverse group of community interests, First Nations and government agencies created to develop effective stewardship and management practices for the Columbia Wetlands and the Upper Columbia River. The partnership, acting on their vision statement, will engage the general public and work with government at all levels to implement a shared stewardship model for the management of the river and wetlands.

Mandate statement

The mandate of the group is to steward the wetlands in accordance with our vision as a single system irrespective of ownership or jurisdiction and to take a pro-active stance in dealing with issues as they arise. We intend to take a positive, community and science based approach to issues related to the wetlands, and resolve issues neighbor to neighbor. The formation of this group is, in effect, local people taking responsibility for a natural landscape that they care deeply about.

Actions to Date:

1. The group, working with a range of partners, have assisted in the cleanup of several old dump sites adjacent to or in the wetlands.

2. The group has developed an adaptive science strategy and have supported several science based projects to help up develop a better understanding of how the system works and what we can do that will help to maintain natural processes in the wetlands and river.

3. The group is working with various agencies to develop better access to the river at several sites along the river.

4. The group has played a role in assisting government to make decisions on various issues affecting the river and wetlands. There has been a decade long debate over a boating regulation for the river system and wetlands. The group has come up with a compromise that was presented to government. Part of those recommendations have been accepted by government.

5. The Partners have provided support to Wildsight Golden who has applied for funding to document the presence of invasive weeds in the system, to develop strategies for dealing with any weeds found and educate users on making sure that no invasive species are brought into the system on boats, trailers, waders, etc. The Partners have also worked with local ranchers and Gail Berg, a consulting botanist to identify plants that occur in the wetlands that are poisonous to cattle. A guide to these plants has been developed for use by ranchers.

6. The partners are assisting the Conservation Data Centre is a survey of freshwater mussels that will occur in the fall of 2008. Little is known about this set of species in this system. They have become a major concern in many other river systems.

7. The group is also looking at developing a river use map that will assist users in navigating through the system and complying with the regulations that are proposed.

The group is also looking at other long term concerns in the wetlands.

1. The system is critically dependent on natural stream flows into the system. A sub-committee is working to identify management strategies for water flows and water quality that will meet the water demands of local communities and industry and maintain flows through the system.

2. The group is assisting the Min. of Environment is resolving outstanding issues with the boundaries of the provincial Wildlife Management Area that encompasses much of the system and refining the present 10HP regulation for the terrestrial portions of the WMA.

3. The group has assisted government in developing a process for reviewing applications for commercial recreation applications in the area.

4. A project to identify heritage sites along the river is being developed.

5. The group is developing strategies to educate the public on the values of the river and wetlands through presentations and celebrations on Wetlands Day and during other local events.

6. The Wetland Partners, working in conjunction with First Nations, assisted with a Salmon Festival in October 2011 that celebrated the role of salmon, past and present, in the Upper Columbia River system.

PRESENT FUNDING
The BC Ministry of Environment has supported the establishment of the group with grants of $20,000.00 in each of the last two years. The Minister recently announced funding of $40,000.00 for 08/09. The Columbia Basin Trust has committed to providing $20,000.00 annually over the next three years to support the group. Over the last decade, members of the partnership have expended over 2 million dollars in projects related to the system and have contributed some $200,000.00 of in kind efforts in the establishment of this group.

FUTURE FUNDING
We are approaching all levels of government for support and will be approaching private funding sources in the near future. We have also investigated the concept of a legacy fund for the wetlands that would support work in the wetlands in the long term. At present our major concern is finding sufficient funding to support the activities of the partnership over the next five years. This would include the cost of an executive director (on contract), travel and meeting costs and the cost of projects that the group felt were of sufficient importance that they would like to fund them directly rather than looking for outside project funding. The group includes several well-respected members of the adjacent communities that will ensure that the funding is managed in a fiscally responsible way. The group has a science and monitoring committee that includes several academics and resource professionals who will ensure that high quality science is applied to the management of the system. The group is also developing a detailed Business Plan that will guide the expenditure of any funds that the group receives. Charitable status has been applied for and will be in place by the fall of 2008.

Please let us know if you would like any further information, you can get in touch with with the information on the contact page.