August 5, 2016: As a follow-up to a report co-authored with Sondra Eger, Elaine facilitated a workshop with the Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC) and other stakeholders. The event, titled Preparing for climate change in Muskoka: strengthening Watershed monitoring and reporting in a changing future, had two primary goals: first, to review the current Watershed Report Card program so as to strengthen the effectiveness and relevance of the next document in 2018 (per the report); and second, to review and highlight research needs and priorities related to watershed monitoring and health moving forward.
This workshop, dovetailed the Report Cards, watershed health monitoring practices, and climate change considerations (making use of prior MWC research and recommendations). In addition to setting the stage for the timely development of the 2018 Watershed Report Card, the event resulted in the following outcomes: a vetted monitoring indicator list with priority areas highlighted, conclusions related to gaps and opportunities in current watershed monitoring/reporting/research, and a better understanding of future direction and next steps.