Over the past few months, a small team of Alliance members have been meeting to talk about the organization, and this has developed into an interim board of directors. Shelley Porter has taken on the role of Interim Chair of the Board, John Brazner, Sean Basquille and Sarah MacDonald have become interim board members, and I also sit on the board as the secretary, in addition to my role as coordinator.
This group has taken on planning the first Annual General Meeting on March 26th from 1-3pm at the Kentville Recreation Centre (350 Main Street). The meeting will include a presentation by Nick Hill from the Fernhill Institute for Plant Conservation about local plants and ecosystems in the Jijuktu’kwejk watershed. This will be followed by a short talk about the strategic direction of the Watershed Alliance, and then we will open the floor to hear about what members are concerned about in the watershed. We hope to have lots of members and new members attend and share their stories! The official AGM will be a short meeting from 3:00 to 3:30 to review our bylaws and present our financial report, but since we have no money it will also be a great photo opportunity!
This winter has also seen the JWA complete a Canada Summer Jobs federal grant for two summer students. We are hopeful that we will hear about this grant in April. The students will work together on two projects: the first is a clean up of the river along a stretch of the Jijuktu’kwejk River near the Annapolis Valley First Nation community. This work will include documenting the narrative from this area including existing conditions, special plants, community activities, historical use and stories, and community goals for restoring that section of the river. The second project is to collect data for the watershed and to outline areas with the highest priority for clean up, restoration, and areas with the greatest potential for positive change. This project will inform our organization’s path forward toward restoring other sections of the river throughout the year. I will be a great start to our research and our outreach to receive this grant and start working on the river!
Again, please plan to attend the first Annual General Meeting of the Jijuktu`kwejk Watershed Alliance on March 26th from 1-3pm at the Kentville Recreation Centre (350 Main Street). We need to learn from everyone`s stories of the watershed, and make the best plan for improving the river.
Sincerely,
Jennifer West
Alliance Coordinator
The Jijuktu’kwejk Watershed Alliance 