The Vermilion River Watershed Management Project (VRWMP) is a collaborative initiative between the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA), the Alberta North American Waterfowl Management Plan Partners[i] (AB NAWMP), and the North East Alberta Water Management Coalition (NEAWMC).  The project was initially conceived under Water for Life: Alberta’s Strategy for Sustainability as an opportunity to integrate watershed management concepts and activities at a sub-watershed scale. The Vision for the VRWMP is that the Vermilion River Basin is a healthy and sustainable watershed[ii], and the mission of the VRWMP is to “Complete a locally-developed and supported watershed plan that balances social, economic, and environmental needs of the watershed community.”

NSWA is providing coordination, funding development, technical assistance and Board oversight to the project, and will integrate the VRWMP into the NSR IWMP Process.  The VRWMP Steering Committee guides the project (Terms of Reference).  NEAWMC forms the basis of the Steering Committee and provides operational support, key linkages to local municipalities and funding development opportunities. 

Deliverables

A locally-developed and supported watershed plan that includes:

• Assessment of priority watershed issues
• Goals, Objectives, and Indicators for key aspects identified by stakeholders in the watershed
• Recommended actions to achieve goals & objectives
• Recommendations for implementation

Progress

• Consensus on project goals and scope of work as described in Steering Committee Terms of Reference (MS Word Doc - Spring 2009)
• Completion of a major watershed assessment, The Vermilion River Water Supply & Demand Study (Spring 2009)
• Identification and initial prioritization of key watershed issues (Spring 2010)
• Develop consensus on watershed goals and characterization of key issues (Spring 2010)

Next Steps

• Engage stakeholders in learning about watershed issues and setting goals (2010)
• Develop recommendations to achieve goals and resolve issues (fall 2010)
• Develop recommendations for implementation (winter 2010)

[i] The Alberta NAWMP partners include Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Environment, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Environment Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

[ii] The VRWMP adopts the following working definitions:

• Healthy Aquatic Ecosystem is an ecosystem that is sustainable and resilient to stress, maintaining its ecological structure and function over time similar to the natural (undisturbed) ecosystems of the region, with the ability to recover from disturbance, while continuing to meet social needs and expectations (Alberta Water Council, 2005)
• Watershed Sustainability refers to strategies/actions developed by communities in a watershed to ensure its long-term health and function. The goal is to create ways in which communities can meet their needs and the needs of the watershed while providing for future generations (Adapted from Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties definition of Community Sustainability)