Environment and Climate Change Department (ECC), Water Monitoring and Stewardship Division hosted the 14^th Annual NWT Water Stewardship Implementation Workshop on October 25 and 26^th at the Chief Drygeese Centre, in Dettah. Approximately 90 participants from across the NWT attended the workshop.

Water partners came together in 2023 under the theme of ‘Inspiring Our Future Water Stewards’, in acknowledgement of the importance of engaging and building capacity for youth in water stewardship.

Some key highlights from the workshop included:

• • Emphasizing the value of creating space for youth in water stewardship and inspiring them at a young age.
  • The significant role community-based monitoring programs play in building capacity and addressing the concerns of communities.
  • The importance of braiding different ways of knowing in water monitoring, research, and programming. 
  • Presentations and discussions on the variability of water levels, effects of forest fires on ecosystem health, and the impacts of permafrost thaw on groundwater, also continued to demonstrate the strong connection between water and climate change.

ECC would like to thank the panelists and presenters for sharing their work and would like to thank all the participants for taking the time to attend the workshop and sharing their expertise, knowledge, and experiences.

A workshop summary report will be produced in the coming months. This report will be shared with Water partners and available on the www.nwtwaterstewardship.ca.   

Some of the presentations made at the workshop can be read through the links below:

1. An Overview of Current Water Levels in the NWT_Dr. Ryan Connon
2. Aquatic Quality Research and Monitoring in the NWT_Dr. Pete Cott
3. Assessment of Hydroclimate Impacts on Freshwater Fisheries Ecosystems in West Artic_Dr. Xinhua Zhu
4. Canada Water Agency Overview_Paula Siwik
5. Examining the Effects of Hypolimnetic Aeration on Water Quality and Zooplankton Communities in YK,NT_Nicole Andreola
6. Great Slave Lake Research and Monitoring Program_Jeffrey Cederwall
7. Groundwater Research in the Northwest Territories_Isabelle de Grandpré
8. Impacts of 2014 Wildfires on Aquatic Ecosystem Health_Dr. Jennifer Baltzer
9. Mackenzie River Basin Board State of the Aquatic Ecosystem Report_Paula Siwik
10. Northwest Territories-Alberta Transboundary Groundwater Project_Dan Palombi
11. NWT Water Stewardship Strategy Updates_Nicole B.Twagira
12. NWT-wide Community-Based Water Quality Monitoring (CBM) Program_Guylaine Ross
13. Wetland Monitoring with Satellites: Facilitating the Use of new Wetland Maps for All_Dr. Nancy French