News and Upcoming Events

Water Management in Alberta's Boreal February 15-16, 2023 in Grande Prairie, AB The Athabasca Watershed Council, the Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance and the Lesser Slave Watershed Council invite you to join us for a 2 conference that explores water management challenges, projects and partnerships in Grande Prairie, AB! Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you work in industry, represent a municipality, academia, a stewardship group or are interested in watershed management and stewardship! With the theme of Northern Alberta water management, our presentations will focus on: water quality, aquatic biodiversity, wetlands & riparian areas . You will hear from industry representatives, academics, NGO's and municipalities about great projects and initiatives underway across Alberta's Boreal. Tuesday evening cocktails and banquet dinner featuring keynote from long time watershed steward Lorne Fitch. Extra banquet tickets available for $40. You will leave with a better understanding of water management challenges and initiatives across northern Alberta, ideas for future projects and opportunities to collaborate. Corporate sponsorship opportunities available. Contact Meghan @ 780 523 9800 to discuss. Check out the DRAFT AGENDA Register on EventBrite!
	Municipal Workshop with Big Lakes County! We are hosting a workshop in High Prairie with the Big Lakes County Ag. Department! Join us for a free 2 hour workshop on February 8th, 2023 at the High Prairie Legion, starting at 6pm! Hear about beaver co-existence strategies, riparian health and fringe land management practices, and the different opportunities available to landowners in the County to help fund projects that support this type of work! Get ideas for stewardship practices on your land, gather resources and information about the watershed, water and environmental topics, and ag resources! Guest Speaker Kerri O'Shaughnessey from Cows and Fish! Register here! 5:30 Open House, Coffee and Registration 6pm Brief Welcome from Big Lakes County 6:15 Cows and Fish Riparian Areas 6:45 LSWC Funding Opportunities for Big Lakes County Landowners 7:15 Cows and Fish Beavers on the Landscape and Co-existence 7:35 Question and Answer 7:45 Wrap Up and Closing, Explore Resources and Networking Event close at 8pm
Municipal Workshop with the M.D of Lesser Slave River! We are hosting a workshop in Smith with the MDLSR Ag. Department! Join us for a free 2 hour workshop on February 9th, 2023 at the Smith Community Complex, starting at 6pm! Hear about beaver co-existence strategies, riparian health and fringe land management practices, and the different opportunities available to landowners in the County to help fund projects that support this type of work! Get ideas for stewardship practices on your land, gather resources and information about the watershed, water and environmental topics, and ag resources! Guest Speaker Kerri O'Shaughnessey from Cows and Fish! Register here! 5:30 Open House, Coffee and Registration 6pm Brief Welcome from Big Lakes County 6:15 Cows and Fish Riparian Areas 6:45 LSWC Funding Opportunities for Big Lakes County Landowners 7:15 Cows and Fish Beavers on the Landscape and Co-existence 7:35 Question and Answer 7:45 Wrap Up and Closing, Explore Resources and Networking Event close at 8pm
	6th Annual Kids Can Catch Family Ice Fishing Event! Join us for our 6th Annual Family Ice Fishing Event in Joussard, AB on February 18th, 2023! This event is FREE to attend, we have fishing equipment available to borrow, and it's free fishing weekend inn Alberta, so no licenses are required. Meet our special guest Michael Short of "Lets Go Outdoors". Join us at the Joussard Community Association Hall at 11am for the day's activities: - Free Brunch by Big Lakes County FCSS - starts at 11 am - Sign out and Borrow Ice fishing rods - Ice Safety and Fish Handling Demonstration (Tammy Kaleta) - Ice Fishing on the lake with experts and volunteers & activities in the hall if you get cold 1-4pm - Return equipment to the LSWC by 4pm, tobogganing at Mission Hill - Dinner by the Joussard Community Association & door prize draws - Finale Fireworks show by the JCA! 6PM Interested in volunteering? Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or by phone at (780) 523-9800. We hope to see you there!
Environmental Farm Plans! LSWC staff can help you complete your EFP from start to finish! The LSWC staff are trained EFP technicians and can help you complete an EFP, which is often a prerequisite to funding and grant opportunities! Reach out to our office to get started on your EFP and talk about the different opportunities we have to help support projects on your land!
Examples of the kinds of projects ALUS supports: Alternative watering systems Promoting biodiversity Riparian Fencing Geo-Engineering Supporting pollinators Regenerative agriculture and revegetation Riparian enhancement Restoring native species and supporting species at risk Enhancing wetlands Supporting wildlife management	ALUS in Big Lakes County Originally the Alternative Land Use Services Program, the ALUS program is a community-based initiative for landowners to support natural solutions and promote environmental stewardship. ALUS provides landowners with opportunities to consider conservation as a means of land management. The program is producer driven, running on the schedule of the producer, based on their interests, and works to provide solutions on a project-by-project basis. It is by no means a one-size-fits-all model! ALUS coordinators are partners working hand in hand with landowners to make real change across Alberta, and Canada! ALUS is currently in 31 communities across Canada and has invested over $12 million in projects across Canada! With over 1,103 producer partners and 32,134 acres enrolled with ALUS since 2021, ALUS is thriving on support from its communities and partners.
Education Programs from the LSWC! The LSWC offers FREE education programs to schools and community groups in the Lesser Slave Watershed. From What is a Watershed, Watershed Wise, Wetlands, Erosion and Weathering and more! Check out our education page for more information! Our programs are 100% free to book and customizable to your group! Topics are curriculum linked and include activities to engage students of all ages! Not a teacher? We do presentations to youth groups, workshops for concerned citizens and work with the residents of the Watershed to share information and resources to help protect our waters through good stewardship practices! To learn more or to book a presentation, get in touch with our Education and Outreach Coordinator, Alyssa at [email protected] or by call (780) 523-9800!
	Eyes on Slave Lake is LIVE! After many months of work, our exciting new project called ”Eyes on Slave Lake”! is LIVE. We have 2 live streaming cameras that provide 24/7 views of Lesser Slave Lake. View lake conditions in real time from anywhere in the world! The project was developed to showcase Lesser Slave Lake to viewers around the globe, and to help recreational lake users make informed decisions about lake use before they make their way out to the lake! The live feeds are LIVE on the LSWC’s YouTube Page! Check them out! Special Shout out to Sunstone Inn Bed & Breakfast, deSIGNS by Tam Ltd and RMS Electrical for their support in making this possible! Contact Kate at [email protected] or by phone at (780) 523-9800 if you have any questions, suggestions or would like to purchase advertising on the camera feeds. Watch our Joussard LIVE camera now! Watch our Widewater LIVE Camera now!
LSWC Bursary Fundraising! In addition to donations made by the families of Brian Elliott and Brian Rosche we are selling rain barrels made using repurposed soap drums from Bim's Carwash in High Prairie! By upcycling these drums we are helping to reduce waste in our community, and as rain barrels are great for conserving water. We think it's an awesome way help the environment! Rain water can be used to water your garden or lawn, and it minimizes the run-off of fertilizers and other pollutants keeping our water cleaner and keeping pollutants out of our storm drains! Did you know that the rain water and run off that enters our storm drains is not treated before it enters natural waterways? Help mitigate the effects of storm water run off by capturing and using your rain water with a rain barrel! Each rain barrel costs $70, and proceeds will go towards funding our bursary! The LSWC accepts cash or cheques (payable to the Lesser Slave Watershed Council). We ask that you pick up your orders from our office, located at 4833 52nd Ave. High Prairie, AB. We often work in the field and ask that you make an appointment to ensure we are at the office for pick-ups. If you are interested in purchasing one of our rain barrels, please contact us to place your order: email: [email protected] phone: (780) 523-9800 Direct Message us on Facebook