Nechako Watershed Roundtable

The Nechako Watershed Council held a workshop Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in the Nechako Watershed in Prince George on November 29.

Some 60 workshop participants came together from different sectors to learn about climate modelling for the Nechako Watershed, and to gain and share insights on current and future projected climate change and climate change impacts on the health of the environment, individuals and the economy. See news story from the event.

The Nechako Watershed — a magnificent river system in north-central BC — is facing significant challenges. These include wildfire and drought, impacts of the mountain pine beetle epidemic and salvage logging, climate change, and the diversion of water out of the Nechako watershed. Effective stewardship of the Nechako Watershed is now critical to all future generations.

The Nechako Watershed Roundtable is working on these issues and supporting  water stewardship activities to further its Strategic Plan 2022-2026. The Roundtable includes representation from BC First Nations, local governments, academia, NGOs and other agencies and organizations having responsibilities and interests in the watershed. The Roundtable is guided by a core committee and has secretariat and project coordination support from FBC.

For some years it was agreed that the watershed activities could be better coordinated, limited resources be pooled more effectively, and decision-makers and the public be given more opportunities to learn about and engage for the health of the watershed. In 2015 the Fraser Basin Council collaborated with the then Nechako Watershed Alliance and the Community Mapping Network to prepare an overview map and a Nechako Watershed Health Report. Participants that year formed a watershed roundtable that included representatives of government (Provincial, Local and First Nations), community groups, academic and research communities, and the general public.

A NWR Lakes Monitoring Working Group oversaw a 2023 Large Lakes Monitoring Strategy report. A key issue is that cumulative effects of watershed development, water use and climate change (including climate-driven wildfires) have the potential to significantly affect the ecosystem structure and productive capacity of large salmon-bearing headwater lakes and outlet rivers in the Nechako River Basin. The effects of watershed stressors have been quantified for some medium-sized lakes; however, little is known about effects on the large headwater lakes and rivers.

The Large Lakes Monitoring Strategy, framed as a living document, is focused on developing a comprehensive, long-term technical monitoring program. The intention is to identify environmental and ecosystems changes and to help prevent further water quality degradation in these lakes. Follow the work on the NWR website.