THE EXCEPTIONAL WATERS APPROACH

THE
EXCEPTIONAL
WATERS
APPROACH
A Community-based
Management Approach
Presentation to the GRCA Water
Forum, September 15, 2006
Jack Imhof,
National Biologist
Trout Unlimited
Canada

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Where have we been?
• What is the definition of an Exceptional
Waters?
• What are the goals of the Approach?
• Work on the Grand to Date

MOVING TOWARDS A CENTERS
OF EXCELLENCE APPROACH
DEGRADED WATERS
Restore
to
HEALTHY WATERS
Maintain
Or
Restore
to
EXCEPTIONAL WATERS
Protect the
best and
restore the
rest!

DEFINITION 0F AN
EXCEPTIONAL WATER
“It is a river or lake of exceptional
quality managed as a community
resource promoting environmental
sustainability and health.”

EW CRITERIA
• A Water of exceptional quality compared to
surrounding waters;
• Relatively healthy from a physical, chemical and
biological perspective;
• Size and aesthetics to provide a quality
experience;
• Capability of maintaining healthy sustainable
terrestrial and aquatic environments

SCALE OF APPLICATION
• “Plan Globally (Watershed),
act (implement) locally”;
• Our focus is a portion of
river that is
“comprehendible” by the
community;
• The
Watershed/subwatershed
may be our basis of
contextual planning; but
• People can “see” and
understand things better
at a local level

OUR GOAL
“To develop and
promote the
engagement of members
of local communities so
that waters of
exceptional quality may
be managed as a
community resource to
ensure their
sustainability.”

DESIRED OUTCOMES
• Community awareness of their local waters;
• Community embraces the active, co-operative
operative
management and protection of their local
waters;
• Improvement in the local quality of life;
• Potential benefits to
recreation and local
economics;
• Development of a
broader watershed
stewardship ethic

DEFINING THE APPROACH
• Community-based
• helps landowners, interest groups and agencies
organize to manage local waters of exceptional
quality and value;
• Science-based
• provides technical criteria and information,
management and user options to support the
community and its’ Exceptional Water
• System-based
• focuses on adjacent lands and water (e.g. river
corridor)

EXCEPTIONAL WATERS REACH - Paris
to Brantford

WHAT MAKES THE GRAND
• The Fish
EW SPECIAL?
• Migratory and stream-resident resident rainbow trout
• Smallmouth Bass, Pike, Walleye; Species at Risk
• The Natural Heritage Features
• Perched Fen, complex floodplain and valley forests
• The Groundwater Flow - high discharges
• The Channel - Healthy morphology
• Aesthetics of the valley;
• Diversity of the Habitats
• Current use of the valley

WORK BY PARTNERS TO DATE
• Development of bathymetric map of river reach, including velocities,
ies,
roughness, etc.
• Develop maps for users;
• Develop hydraulic relationships and fish distribution;
• New method for Habitat Assessment of large rivers
• Benthic Studies
• State of the Resource Report

HOT OFF THE PRESS!
• The Resource Management Plan is being been
completed by the EW Community Committee;
• The plan has had significant input from the
public through a series of workshops and
meetings;
• This will guide the protection and
enhancement of this reach of river and
perhaps,
• Aid in the engagement and development of
other reaches as well!

RESOURCE PLAN COMPONENTS
• Key areas arising from the public
for the Resource Plan for the EW
Reach:
• Land/Water use and Management
(capacity)
• Regulations-Enforcement and
Compliance
• Access Development and
Management
• Education and Awareness
• Tourism and Recreation
• Program Sustainability

TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR
LOCAL ENVIRIONMENT
• Programs don’t t make a difference, people
make a difference;
• Two critical components for success are
a process to engage all interested
individuals/groups and the information
for sound decisions;
• The development of “Social Capital” is
crucial to trust, engagement and
partnerships in this process;

MOVING THE EXCEPTIONAL
WATERS APPROACH FORWARD
• Involving and Valuing voluntary participation is
critical
• Agencies have a critical role as facilitators of
the process and in information management
• The communities role in monitoring and
assessment is a critical feedback loop and early
warning system
• Exceptional Waters as centers of excellence do
focus people BOTH on their local waters AND on
their watersheds

MOVING FORWARD
“TRUE PROTECTION AND
RESTORATION OF NATURAL
ENVIRONMENTS WILL NOT
OCCUR UNTIL WE ENGAGE
THOSE WITH WHOM WE WOULD
NOT NORMALLY ASSOCIATE.”
Dr. Stephen Born, University of
Wisconsin/Madison