Thank you for another year of connection, science and collaboration on watershed work.

This year was especially meaningful as we celebrated 20 years as an organization. I had the opportunity to reflect on the uniqueness of the organization, our origins, founders and vision and mission.

It was rewarding to reflect on our journey and achievements, including the State of the Watershed report (now being updated), the many forums hosted across the basin (including Tea at the Confluence), partnerships, impactful outreach events, activities, and products such as our Source Waters video.

Reconnecting with past and current partners, volunteers, founders, and friends reminded us how amazing and important this watershed community is.

This year we completed our third Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Project which sums to 12,000 km of riparian shoreline areas mapped to help prioritize restoration and conservation for ecosystem benefits such as flood and drought resiliency. We also continued to enhance monitoring through partnerships, equipment lending and biomonitoring for outreach and assessment purposes. We published our first chapter on surface water quantity for our State of the Watershed report update, which is online, with more to come.

We are grateful for continued core funding from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA), our municipal partners, and grant opportunities with our partners to continue our work with you across the basin.

Water is so important to the environment, economy and people. Thank you for the ongoing privilege to work in such an amazing basin and for your continued commitment to the health of the Red Deer River watershed. We wish you a joyful holiday season and a healthy, hopeful New Year.

Francine

Warm regards,
The Red Deer River Watershed Alliance