With the decline in global biodiversity, there is concern that species-at-risk (SAR) and culture-keystone species (CKS) are losing habitat due to anthropogenic impacts and climate change. The Springboard grant supported Living Lakes Canada staff to improve biodiversity monitoring methods for assessing the distribution of SAR and CKS. Targeted environmental DNA provides non-destructive and innovative monitoring techniques for fish, amphibians and ungulates through the collection of non-invasive water samples. Living Lakes Canada participated in field validation training with Jared Hobbs at J. Hobbs Ecological Consulting. Training included field study design, field monitoring techniques, filtering techniques, sample shipping, data storage and analysis. The goal of this project was to increase Living Lakes Canada's staff experience using these techniques to be able to provide external training for Eastern Slopes Collaborative groups, which has already been requested. This method is advantageous with the previously funded biomonitoring to assess spatially and temporally what habitat SAR and CKS are present in. This training is part of a larger national project that aims to standardize targeted environmental DNA techniques across the country called iTrackDNA. Standardization will provide increased use and capabilities of these methods at a national scale.

As their project pivoted to a new focus on groundwater monitoring they have continued to move forward with a pilot project within the Oldman Watershed. This pilot moved into a two year project with a goal to install three observation wells to monitor groundwater in priority areas of the watershed within the Piikani Nation. As this project continues, Living Lakes Canada will be hosting public meetings to inform the public about groundwater issues and impacts. Their goal is to collaborate with the public, water stewardship groups, Indigenous partners and the Alberta Government to determine where to monitor the groundwater and how to best use the data that is collected. They will also be training groundwater monitors which will build capacity within the local community both with Indigenous and Non-Indigenous partners. In the fall of 2025, they will be hosting a public meeting in both Lethbridge and Calgary to share their learnings from the two year project. They will also review the potential of an expansion of groundwater monitoring into the Bow River Basin watershed. As the threat of continued drought continues in Alberta it will be critical for the public and government to increase their understanding of groundwater. As data is collected through observation wells the goal is to share the data, when appropriate, through a database that can be accessed by the public. This will allow transparency and water democracy of water data to ensure future water decisions are based on scientific evidence of water supply.

As they expand the project outside of the Oldman Watershed, they anticipate that the number of volunteer observation wells will grow, contributing to a significant increase in monitoring and groundwater data collected within the province of Alberta.

This project’s data will be stored on an open database making it available to the public and readily accessible by decision makers. It’s through informed water policy and water management decisions that groundwater will be protected and available for current and future generations.

This grant allowed Living Lakes to start conversations with several community members experiencing critical water issues with wells going dry. They connected with ten stewardship groups to encourage their participation. They have also designed a groundwater survey to assist in collecting more information from local community members within the Oldman River watershed.

Living Lakes completed in-person visits to the Piikani Nation for site visits and to facilitate conversations with Indigenous Knowledge Holders to better understand their water concerns and the history of their lands. These visits have assisted with opportunities to build a trusting relationship with the Piikani Nation as they have shared valuable information about their dependence on groundwater. Their water issues are critical and much more elaborate than expected. During these visits the Piikani Nation expressed interest in creating a customized data portal to host their water data as a step towards more informed water management in efforts to solve their water concerns. They are continuing discussions to facilitate building a regional data portal that will adhere to data sovereignty and data governance principles. Portals such as these are proven to empower communities to better advocate for their resources and to build capacity internally to manage water resources.