On June 5^th, building on the successes of past Watersheds events (2012 – 2014 – 2016), the POLIS Water Sustainability Project and partners will be hosting a capstone virtual Watersheds 2018 forum.

This virtual forum is organized into two main sessions:

The first session, Indigenous water law & the emerging priority of water-centric planning, will explore the connections between Indigenous water laws and water-centric planning. Val Napoleon (Director, Indigenous Law Research Unit, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria) and Deborah Curran (Associate Professor, Faculty of Law and School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria) will explore how Indigenous water laws are being revitalized and how they might be applied in conjunction with colonial laws to advance watershed sustainability. Tara Marsden (Wilp Sustainability Director, Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs) will then describe innovative water initiatives and water-centric planning that Gitanyow Nation is leading to protect and steward lands and waters.

The second session, Watershed governance roundup: lessons and updates from on the ground, will pick up on discussions from previous Watersheds forums and offer insights and discussion from three prominent and innovative watershed governance efforts: the Cowichan Watershed Board, the Nadleh Whut’en Water Management Regime, and the Nicola Watershed Pilot Project (to be confirmed). Each of these initiatives is approaching the issues of watershed sustainability, reconciliation, and shared authority through its own unique pathway.

The virtual Watersheds 2018 event is free and open to all who want to get engaged, be inspired, and make a difference in their watersheds! Registration is required, as space is limited.

Click here for more details