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Photo by Brian Coffey - "Crocuses on Sofa Mountain"
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It's time to renew your OWC membership!
Deadline for renewal is Wednesday, April 30.
Go to the tab "Get Involved" and click on "Membership Forms". There is now four categories to choose from: Individual, Organization, Municipal or Irrigation. Click on the correct form for you and fill in all of the details - the ones marked with an asterisk is information that Alberta Corporate Registry requires us to keep on file. Hit submit and it's done!
Why be a member of the OWC?
- Receive discounts on OWC activities and events
- Run as a member-at-large on the OWC Board of Directors
- Vote for who you want to represent you as a member-at-large on the OWC Board of Directors
- Be a part of the OWC community by choosing to be involved in a project or by volunteering.
Contact us if you're interested or want more information.
Annual General Meeting Wednesday, June 25, 9 am - 1 pm
Enmax Centre, Western Canadian Bank Lounge Join the OWC Board of Directors!We have four member-at-large positions on our board and one of these positions is up for renewal this year. This is a two-year term position and will be voted on at the AGM on Wednesday, June 25. A member-at-large is someone who serves on the board as a representative of all of the membership. To put your name forward for this position, you must be a member in good standing (renew your individual membership by April 30). Please send an email to Bev to let us know if you are considering to run as a member-at-large or if you have any questions. The deadline to declare your intention and submit a brief biography telling us about yourself and why you would like to be a member-at-large is Thursday, June 5. For more details see the Member at Large Job Description.
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Prairie Urban Gardens Improve Water Quality! Get yours today! (and get rid of your lawn)
Lower your yards environmental impact by creating your very own Prairie Urban Garden! The 7 principles of xeriscaping teach us how to use less water, pesticides and chemical fertilizers which in turn means less contamination of storm water runoff and ultimately our rivers and creeks. Healthy water means healthy people.
Begin your journey at the upcoming tour:
SAVE the DATE! Tour local Xeriscaped gardens in Lethbridge - Saturday, June 21
FREE Self-Guided Garden Tour
Starts at Helen Schuler Nature Centre
Presentation by: Local plant expert Steve MacRae
Details and Registration to follow soon at: www.oldmanbasin.org or contact Leta Pezderic, OWC Program Coordinator
at 403-381-5801 or leta@oldmanbasin.org
Visit www.prairieurbangarden.ca for local resources about xeriscaping, including the 50 best plants for Southern Alberta!
There's WHAT running down my street? Storm water collects all kinds of stuff as it runs over our lawns, roads
 | Photo by Saikut Basu
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and cities. Pet poop, bacteria, pesticides, fertilizers, sand, oil and garbage are only the beginning. And it doesn't even have to be raining! Your sprinkler creates runoff too. In fact the highest concentrations of contaminants are found when it ISN'T raining because there's less dilution. And don't forget - all storm water goes directly into our rivers UNTREATED. So we must be more careful about what we do in our own yards. The OWC in partnership with Lethbridge College, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development have come together to work on a Lethbridge Storm Water Outfalls Monitoring Project. This 3 year study (beginning in 2012 and concluding in 2014) involves sampling and testing water from 9 Lethbridge stormwater outfalls for bacteria, nutrients and pesticides from April to September each year. The study is follow up and for comparison to the study done by Karen A. Saffran in 2000-2002 so we can see if storm water quality is improving or not. This also helps us know if our programs are being effective.
The final report for 2013 has just been released - click on the following link to read it and see what we found in your neighbourhood: 2013 Storm Water Project Report. You may be inspired to organize a pet poop pick up day!
Don't have time to read the full report? (Click here for 2013 Summary)
Click here for more information.
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"What would you be able to do if you had the best social media platform - ever - at your fingertips?"
 This was the question I posed to my colleagues at the OWC Social Media Seminar I taught recently. The answers were clear:
- Volunteer recruitment and retention
- Maximize attendance at events and programs
- Clear brand identification
- Watershed vocabulary enters public discourse
- Strong annual donor base
- Sustained media attention and interest
- Support mission statement
- Positively influence public behavior and policy
However, when it came down to identifying which social media tool is best suited to which objectives, the path through the maze of applications was not so clear. LinkedIn? Twitter? Google Plus? Facebook? You Tube? Pinterest? The options and their functionalities are dazzling to the extent of being overwhelming. Many corporations, never mind non-profits, don't understand what social media can do.
With the support of Blue Horizon Computer Consulting and Service, I designed a custom-tool that will help the OWC track our efficacy both cumulatively and incrementally. In the seminar, I outlined the strategy required to focus on "productivity" and not mere "activity" (I like to call this mindlessness "clicking through the universe"). Most organizations don't realize that just because you have the best social media platform at your disposal (and now we do!) - it doesn't mean you know how to maximize its potential. (In other words: Anyone can sit behind the wheel of a Ferrari, but you actually have to know how to drive it). The OWC is dedicated to collaborative work with other organizations who are helping improve life in the watershed. If you have an interest in providing your organization with similar training, please get in touch with me. In addition to providing the OWC staff with the tools to maximize their Communications and Outreach activities, I have designed a survey to acquire qualitative and quantitative data. What? Actual good old face-to-face conversations with REAL people?! Yes.
The results are astounding. Many people are unaware of where their water comes from, where it goes, how human activity impacts the watershed -- and why they should care. The surveys consist of 10 questions and provide the opportunity for really good conversations and teachable moments. People respond positively to the opportunity to interact. What's more, they will relate their encounter with OWC, and what they learned, in their conversations at home and work.
Here's where you come in: Could you commit to having 25 REAL conversations with people about water management and health? The OWC needs volunteers who can take 10 minutes at a time and complete a survey with someone that they know in their everyday conversations. Please get in touch and I can send you the template and explain the process. It's fun, easy to do and you will be making a difference to public awareness and knowledge. The Oldman River will thank you! |
Did you know that Alberta Ecotrust supports the Oldman? They're helping us spread the word that the foundation of a healthy community is a healthy watershed.
Their most recent support has enabled us to hire a Communications Coordinator to increase our profile in the community, train ambassadors to help us achieve our goals and increase the number of people participating in our programs. Alberta Ecotrust has made it possible for us to improve our communications and outreach through social media, including through our blog: Oldmanwatershed.blogspot.ca. Our blog features voices and visions from up and down the watershed.
If you are as passionate as we are about watershed health and would like to be considered as a guest blogger,
please get in touch!
Thank you, Alberta Ecotrust!
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Have you checked out the new OWC blog yet? Click here to view it and let us know what you think! We would love to hear from voices up and down the watershed and welcome submissions to the blog. Email your blog to oldmanwatershed.newsletter@blogger.com.
If you are aware of events and activities happening in and around your community that relates to our watershed, please send me an email so that we can include them in our monthly E-Newsletter. It is emailed monthly around the 15th, please have your information to me one week before. |
| Events and Activities in and around the Basin |
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Pitch-In Lethbridge! Pitch-In is a national litter picking campaign. Visit www.pitch-in.ca for more information. This year Pitch In Week is from April 20th - 26th! Pitch In Canada records participation across the country during Pitch In Week but you can clean up litter any time. We will provide bags and a pick up for anyone who chooses to help clean up the community. Why Pitch In? - Lethbridge is beautiful - together we can keep it a clean, green community
- Prevent plastic products from reaching the river and other natural spaces
- Getting outside and volunteering can make you feel great!
Do I need to register?
No, but when you register the City  will... ◦Supply you with bags
◦Pick up your filled bags ◦Keep track of the number of Lethbridge participants
How do I register?
Call 403-320-4008
 Kidwind Challenge - April 29 at the Exhibition in conjunction with Aggie Days.
Any Grade 9-12 student can participate on a team of up to five people to create a two foot turbine.
On April 29 we test how much electricity is generated in a wind tunnel.
This is Canada's fourth Challenge and all of them have been organized by the Lethbridge College's International Wind Energy Academy!
Here are two links with more details. Kidwind Challenge Registration Kidwind Flyer
Western Sky Land Trust and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Cocktail Reception
Thursday, May 1st An elegant cocktail reception in celebration of the Trust, followed by a stellar CPO concert: "Ode to Joy," Beethoven's 9th Symphony. See attached poster for details.  Lethbridge to High River PLANT SHARE PROJECT
Saturday, May 3 Many residents of High River are still dealing with the effects of the 2013 floods. This spring, instead of looking forward to green grass and colourful flowers in their yards, they will be facing a disheartening grey mess when the snow melts. Lethbridge has been approached by a community volunteer in High River, Laura Brankovich, to help with a plant-share because "our need is great . . . so many homes in the community were affected . . . we need the support of a larger number of gardeners from an area not affected by the floods." To assist these residents, many now financially and emotionally tapped out, the Lethbridge and District Horticultural Society is organizing a community-wide donation of plants. To read more or be involved, click here. ACTia (Alberta Clean Technologies Industry Alliance) Clean Drinks Event
Thursday, May 15, 6 pm - 8 pm
Networking event at Tecconnect discussing renewables, nuclear and geothermal. Food and drinks are included in the cost of admission. Click here to register. Build Your Own Small-Scale Aquaponic Systems Workshop May 23-24, 2014 Lethbridge College, Aquaculture Center of Excellence Lethbridge College continues the tradition of providing practical Aquaponic training. This time we are responding to the overwhelming interest in small-scale, home-based aquaponic systems by offering a two day, hands-on, build-your-own system workshop. For more information, click here. Young Einstein Camp (for 8-12 year olds) 
August 5-8, 9 am - 4 pm
Lethbridge College with Be Fit for Life, International Wind Academy, School of Agriculture and Conservation $160 for four days, more details to come.
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2014 Conferences, Courses & Workshops
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Alberta's Watershed Management Symposium: Flood and Drought Mitigation
April 29, 10 am - 3:30 pm, BMO Centre, Calgary
The Government of Alberta is hosting a one-day symposium to discuss progress and further improvements to prevent future floods and drought. It will include an update on snowpack data and river forecasting, as well as assessments of mitigation options for Alberta's most flood-prone river basins. Experts will also speak to the critical role natural headwaters play in flood and drought mitigation.
Click here to register. Those unable to attend in person can watch the symposium online. Land Use 2014 May 7 and 8, Edmonton hosted by Alberta Land Institute at the University of Alberta This conference will bring together policy and research communities from Alberta and around the world to connect and discuss complex land-use issues and solutions.Registration is now open - for more information click here. Annual Wetlands Workshop May 21, 9 am - 5 pm, Cochrane Ranchehouse hosted by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists Presentations include the new wetland policy and implementation intent, professional practice and the Water Act, wetland functions and services, and an introduction to ESRD's new Merged Wetland Inventory database. Please see the attached poster for details.  June 24 - 25 2014
Alberta Water Council
presents a symposium, "Re-fresh: The Confluence of Ideas and Opportunities on Water Reuse," at Hotel Arts, Calgary. For details, please visit
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| Job Postings |
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Invasive Plant Technician; Job ID 1023221 (Blairmore or Pincher Creek)
Land Negotiator: Ducks Unlimited Canada - click hereThe Alberta Conservation Association is seeking a highly motivated professional to fill a one-year maternity leave replacement position (biologist). The successful candidate possesses excellent data analysis skills, is proficient in collaborative project planning and delivery, writing and wildlife inventory and has strong interpersonal skills. Click here for details.
The Friends of Fish Creek are seeking an individual or a team with the necessary skills and qualifications to analyze and interpret Fish Creek water quality data and develop a picture of the health of the creek that can be used in public education, park management and planning and further engage volunteers down the road. The deadline for proposals is April 30th.
Please see the attached posting for details. |
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