Watershed Management
Water is our most important resource, from the simple aesthetics and grounding effects it has on us, to the water we drink and use, and the fish and wildlife that depend on it. We are especially passionate about our work with aquatic ecosystems, from basic inventory of the aquatic habitats, organisms, and riparian habitats to the maintenance of water quality and watershed management.
Watershed management is a watershed-based approach to land and water management for the purposes of species conservation and recovery, water use, resource development, community watersheds and a variety stakeholder interests. A basic knowledge of watershed ecology, values and uses is necessary to facilitate decision-making processes. Assembling baseline watershed information and identifying stakeholder interests is the first step in the development of effective watershed management plans. Services Cornice can provide in support of watershed management planning include:
- Watershed level fish and fish habitat inventories
- Modelling species distributions, habitat values and sensitivities
- Identifying fish species presence, distribution, habitat requirements and life history timing
- Identifying spawning areas, timing and flow requirements (as a percentage of mean annual flows)
- Mapping sub-watershed areas
- Establishing management objectives and strategies for watershed and sub-watershed areas
- Identifying suitable monitoring indicators and developing monitoring programs
- Community workshop hosting and steering committee representation