Community volunteers in the Banff, Alberta, sample the Bow River on a monthly basis to monitor changes in the water quality. This volunteer monitoring project is part of the environmental indicators and state of the environment reporting that the Town of Banff uses to measure the health of the air, water, and land.
 

“Understanding the levels and source of any contaminants is important so that appropriate and timely management decisions can be made.” (E. Melanie Watt, Ph.D, Canmore, Alberta)

Using EMAN CO standardized methods or “protocols”, a team of 30 citizens have been assembled to monitor six forest plots in the Dundas and Red Hill Valleys. This area along the Niagara Escarpment in the heart of Carolinian Canada is a unique life zone featuring many nationally significant plants and animals. The data generated by the Hamilton citizen science team will be used for a local state of the environment report, as well as being shared with the Niagara Escarpment monitoring program and EMAN CO nationally.
 

“A key to successful CBM is to ensure that a community’s environmental information can be used by several stakeholders” (Marieka Arnold, Fredericton, New Brunswick)

In Peterborough, ON, the CCMN regional coordinator has engaged students from Trent University, Peterborough Collegiate, and Sir Standford Fleming College in a program to learn how to study air quality using lichens, and water quality using benthic macro invertebrates. Through a series of sessions, students perform hands-on field research, form action plans, and share this work with the broader community. The information gathered by the students will be incorporated into the Watershed Health Monitoring Program of Otonabee Conservation.
 

“Properly designed CBM monitoring programs can allow students to collect scientifically valid information in a way that is useful to the community and engaging for the students,” (Meredith Carter, Peterborough, Ontario)

In Sydney Nova Scotia, a community-monitoring program has emerged from a research project sponsored by ACAP Cape Breton and CCMN. The study, which looks at a population of yellow lamp mussels (an endangered species found in only one other place in Canada), now has a network of residents interested in assisting with the work. As a result, a “user friendly” training manual has been created to allow these citizens to participate in collecting accurate information.
 

“It’s exciting to see the high levels of citizen interest in monitoring…Perhaps the high profile of the tar ponds remediation program has acted as a catalyst for many community members to become more involved in other environmental issues.” (Rob Boone, Sydney, Nova Scotia)

In New Brunswick, the Canaan-Washademoak Watershed Association has been created to foster better planning and management decisions within the watershed. This group encourages multi-stakeholder input and participation from citizens, industry, local planners and politicians, NGOs, government agencies, and scientists.
 

“Involving diverse community interests is definitely not the easy way to make decisions, but in the long run, an inclusive process uncovers valid community perspectives related to sustainable development.” (Joleen Timko, MSc. Calgary, Alberta)

On Vancouver Island, BC, Centra Gas has been working with the Lantzville Streamkeepers, Nanoose First Nation, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to construct a new channel for Knarston Creek in Lantzville. Old channels were causing erosion and sedimentation, creating barriers to fish migration, and threatening to expose the Centra Gas transmission line. Volunteers took a two-day PhotoPoint monitoring course, with support from CCMN Coordinator, Tanya Laing. PhotoPoint monitoring provides a long term, permanent, visual record of site conditions to gauge the effectiveness of the new channel. A local NGO plan to use this record to monitor the creek and share results with Centra Gas and other local decision makers.
 

“Many industries these days are recognizing the value of sustainable business practices, and Community Based Monitoring can be a useful source of information to inform better business decisions.” (Tanya Laing, Nanaimo, British Columbia)

On the Sheep River in Alberta, students from Foothills Composite High School and Oilfields High School conducted field-monitoring research with RiverWatch and the CCMN Coordinator, Maureen Lynch. Students measured physical, biological and chemical water quality parameters in the river such as temperature, velocity, turbidity, pH, benthic macro invertebrates, and dissolved oxygen. Data collected by the students will be uploaded to the RiverWatch Community Monitoring Database.
 

“It’s not just a classroom assignment. They’re collecting valuable data for their community which gives them a feeling of being part of something bigger.” (Maureen Lynch, Black Diamond, Alberta)