About the Watershed Futures Initiative
The Watershed Futures Initiative is a collaborative initiative, which will undertake and coordinate research on cumulative effects in salmon-bearing watersheds of British Columbia, initiate dialogue among researchers, practitioners and policy-makers, and share emerging results via webinars and workshops. An Advisory Panel of experts provide technical advice, while the Coordination Team provides leadership and logistical support for the Initiative.
The Watershed Futures Initiative's goals are:
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
SCIENCE & UNDERSTANDING
To connect the disparate community of people working on cumulative effects through workshops and webinars.
To fill existing gaps in understanding through synthesis and research on cumulative effects.
INFORMING MANAGEMENT
To link research with decision-making towards improved, proactive management of cumulative effects.
Advisory Panel
DEBORAH CARLSON
Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law
Deborah is a staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law, working to understand how healthy relationships with nature and each other can be reflected, and protected, in law.
CATHRYN CLARKE MURRAY
Research Scientist, Fisheries And Oceans Canada
Cathryn is a Research Scientist with DFO. She brings extensive expertise on the science and management of multiple human activities in aquatic ecosystems.
KEVIN KRIESE
Chair, BC Forest Practices Board
Kevin is the Chair of the Forest Practices Board. He has worked in BC for thirty years in land use, policy, and reconciliation.
BOB CHAMBERLIN
Chairman, First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance
Bob is a leader in wild salmon conservation, working to improve salmon stewardship, reconciliation, and Indigenous rights.
EMMA HODGSON
Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Emma is a research scientist with the freshwater section of DFO, researching how human activities impact salmon and their freshwater habitats.
TARA MARTIN
Professor, University of British Columbia
Tara leads the Conservation Decisions Lab, pioneering the field of conservation decision science to bridge the gap between science and conservation action.
Coordination Team
JONATHAN MOORE
Project Lead, Watershed Futures Initiative; Professor, Simon Fraser University
Jon leads the Salmon Watersheds Lab, who research the ecology and conservation of watersheds, with a particular focus on the intersection of rivers, salmon, and people.
SEAN NAMAN
Postdoctoral Researcher, Simon Fraser University
Sean is an aquatic ecologist in the Salmon Watersheds Lab focused on understanding and managing cumulative effects in salmon-bearing watersheds.
NIGEL SAINSBURY
Postdoctoral Researcher, Simon Fraser University
Nigel is a social scientist in the Salmon Watersheds Lab focusing on expert perceptions of pathways of effects to help inform cumulative effects management in BC's salmon-bearing watersheds.
JULIAN GRIGGS
Julian is an independent consultant specializing in the design and facilitation of multi-party collaboration, particularly related to land and resource management, Indigenous rights, and climate.
NATASHA PROKOP
Salmon Watersheds Lab Manager, Simon Fraser University
Natasha (Tash) is an Australian conservationist and communicator providing logistical support to the conservation and research efforts of the Salmon Watersheds Lab.
Funding Sources
The Watershed Futures Initiative is primarily funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Ecosystems and Oceans Science Contribution Framework (EOSCF) program.
Additional funding support comes from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Liber Ero.