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Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan

The Regional District of North Okanagan is coordinating the development of a sustainability plan for the Shuswap River Watershed.

The planning process will result in:

  • The creation of a common long-term vision for the management of the Shuswap River Watershed that all stakeholders and community members agree to and strive to achieve; and
  • A comprehensive plan that will guide agencies and the community in decision making with regard to land and water planning within the Shuswap River Watershed.

The Planning Process will unfold over three phases

Phase I - Issues Identification and Visioning

  • Stakeholder and public workshops (held Dec 2, 2010, June 21 & 22, 2011)
  • Technical assessment
  • Lower Shuswap River and Mabel Lake Inventory and Mapping (complete)

Phase II - Plan Development - We are here

  • Establishing desired future conditions
  • Identify existing, and develop new policies affecting watershed management
  • Develop short and long -term objectives & strategies.

Phase III - Implementation and Monitoring

Working Groups
Working groups have been established based on the themes that have evolved from Phase I of the planning process – Issue Identification and Visioning.  The working groups will work towards creating goals, objectives and strategies that will form the foundation of the SRWSP.

The three working groups are;

  • Land Use and the Natural Environment
  • Recreation
  • Interagency Relations, Roles and Responsibilities

The working groups began meeting in March 2012 and will continue to meet once per month over the next few months.   Minutes from the working group meetings will be posted below once approved.  If you have any questions or comments about the working group proceedings please use the contact details at the bottom of the page.

SRWSP Working Group Meeting Minutes

Sharing Our Experiences - Community Workshop
On November 26th, 2011 the RDNO facilitated the Sharing Our Experiences Community Workshop at the Riverside Hall in Ashton Creek. Staff would once again like to thank the community for their participation and high level of discussion and engagement during this workshop!

Overview of the workshop: The morning session was devoted to providing feedback on the issues and areas of interest that have been identified to date by the community. In addition, presentations were made by Golder Associates and Ecoscape Environmental on the Technical Assessment and Inventories that have been carried out on the Watershed (below are copies of the presentations).

The afternoon was devoted to providing Community groups an opportunity to present information on the activities that they are undertaking within the watershed as well as begin to develop Guiding Principles for the Plan and introduce the concept of Working Groups. (if you would like to become involved with any of the community organizations their contact information is provided below (Links to other organizations and groups).

If you have any questions about the workshop and or presentations feel free to contact either Laura Frank or Anna Page at RDNO.

SRWSP Background Information

Inventories and Mapping

The goal of these inventories was to provide information on channel character, shore/bank types and condition, substrates, landuse, and habitat modifications. This inventory and data collection design was intended to provide a robust baseline inventory for improving integrated resource management and planning within the Shuswap River Watershed.

Technical Assessment

The purpose of the Technical Assessment was to establish a watershed profile for the Shuswap River Watershed, with a specific focus on water quality, water quantity, and riparian areas.

Links to other organizations & groups

Contact Information:

Phone: 250-550-3700
planning@rdno.ca