Nechako Watershed Roundtable Meetings

2021 ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE

Theme: Water is Land is Water: Connecting water and land-use planning

The 5th Annual Meeting of the Nechako Watershed Roundtable took place February 24 (having been rescheduled from October due to the provincial election).

The objectives of the meeting were to:

• Provide an update on activities of the Nechako Watershed Roundtable
• Provide an opportunity to hear about the Resource Management Planning initiative underway in the watershed
• Host a parallel youth break-out session to engage youth in the NWR
• Launch the strategic planning process and gather initial input from the Roundtable.

To learn more, check out the:

• Meeting summary report
• Meeting slide deck
• Resource Management Planning presentation slide deck.

This year's meeting took place in coordination with the Koh-Learning Khit/Khui (Winter) Festival, a week of learning, sharing and exchange among the Nechako watershed communities and Koh-learning students and teachers. To learn more, see a list of festival events and visit the Koh-Learning website.

PAST MEETINGS

2020 Spring Meeting

On April 22, members of the Nechako Watershed Roundtable virtually gathered at the NWR Spring Meeting, held online due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The meeting included an update and overview of recent Roundtable operations, and attendees heard from Mike Robertson (Cheslatta Carrier Nation) and Lori Borth (BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development) on a panel titled "Updates on Watershed Partnerships and Governance in the Nechako." The meeting concluded with a question and discussion period, and some additional updates on other initiatives happening in the watershed. The NWR is grateful to all who attended and participated in the meeting.

Topics on the agenda were:

• The New Day Agreement between the Cheslatta Carrier Nation and Rio Tinto Alcan
• The Cheslatta Nation Settlement Agreement
• The Pathways 2.0 Agreement
• Youth Engagement Research and Updates
• Flood Response and Restoration Partnerships
• Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative during COVID-19
• Nechako Watershed Research- Industrial Research.

To learn more, check out the meeting summary.

2019 Annual Meeting

Theme: Forests, Fish, Future

The Nechako Watershed Roundtable’s fourth annual roundtable meeting was held October 30, 2019 in the home of the Nak’azdli Whut’en in Fort St. James.

The day covered activities of the Nechako Watershed Roundtable members and knowledge-sharing on forest biodiversity and health, Indigenous salmon stewardship and youth engagement.

Here are materials from the day:

• Agenda
• Meeting Summary
• Presentation slidedeck: Old Growth Forest Management

2018 Annual Meeting

Theme: Impacts of Wildfire

The 3rd annual meeting of the Nechako Watershed Roundtable took place in the gymnasium of Nadleh Whut’en administration building in Nautley, B.C. The objectives of the meeting were to:

• Provide an update on activities of the Nechako Watershed Roundtable membership;
• Provide opportunities for knowledge sharing on issues of interest such as wildfire response, impacts and risks; and
• Facilitate opportunities for networking.

To learn more, check out the meeting summary.

2017 Annual Meeting

The 2nd annual Nechako Watershed Roundtable (NWR) meeting was co-hosted by the Nechako Watershed Roundtable and the Integrated Watershed Research Group at UNBC on October 12th, 2017 at the Village Inn in Vanderhoof, BC. The objectives of this meeting were to:

• Provide an update on proposed changes to the Terms of Reference and changes in Core Committee membership;
• Present an update on the activities of the NWR;
• Provide opportunities for knowledge sharing on issues of interest such as First Nations perspectives on water and watershed advocacy; and,
• Facilitate opportunities for networking.

2016 Update on the Nechako Watershed Strategy

Photo courtesy of Ian Picketts

The Fraser Basin Council, in partnership with the Nechako Watershed Roundtable (NWR), hosted two public open house sessions on June 23, 2016 for people to learn about the development of the Nechako Watershed Strategy and to share their ideas

About the Open House Sessions

Each public open house session offered:

• An update on the activities of the NWR Core Committee
• An update on the development and progress of the Nechako Watershed Strategy
• Key highlights from the latest draft of the Strategy and next steps
• Opportunities for dialogue and to provide input on key areas of the Strategy
• Opportunities for networking and sharing of knowledge and experiences.  

Those attending shared their thoughts on:

• Additional issues and concerns respecting the Nechako watershed
• Projects and actions that would benefit the health of the Nechako watershed and its communities and ecosystems
• Commitments that would advance these actions and projects

Learn more: NWR Public Open Houses Agenda.

Other 2016 Community Meetings

FBC and the Nechako Watershed Roundtable hosted three other community meetings about the Nechako watershed in May 2016 at Fraser Lake (May 9), Fort St. James (May 10) and Burns Lake (May 11). A big thank-you to all participants!

The meetings were aimed at:

• Introducing the Nechako Watershed Strategy process
• Presenting the key findings and recommendations of the Nechako Watershed Health Report and online Atlas
• Facilitating dialogue and input on issues and concerns in the Nechako watershed
• Raising awareness about current projects and actions underway and discussing new actions to advance the health of the Nechako watershed and its communities and ecosystems
• Providing opportunities for networking and sharing knowledge and experiences.

The Fraser Basin Council and Nechako Watershed Roundtable also engaged in a dialogue with residents across the Nechako region on:

• Priority issues and concerns in the Nechako watershed
• Projects and actions currently underway across the region
• Other projects and actions could benefit the health of the Nechako Watershed and its communities and ecosystems.