DDN Trip Report: Fort Smith, NT November 4-5, 2014 Kiri Staples - Project Manager, DDN Sarah Baines – Master’s student, U. of S. Sarah Baines Kiri Staples Purpose of the trip • Give an overview of the Delta Dialogue Network and its progress to the PADEMP Steering Committee • Get feedback on the direction of the DDN and ideas for how to communicate with PADEMP • Answer any questions about the DDN • Get feedback on what the focus of Sarah’s project should be and answer any questions about her project • Get to know people involved with PADEMP and its projects Day 1: •Attended PADEMP Steering Committee meeting •“Fly on the wall” for discussions of PADEMP’s last Forum, ongoing monitoring programs, and updates on pressing issues (e.g. Site C dam developments) •Many of the discussions were on issues that are common to other inland deltas, like declining muskrat populations and the effects of dams on water quantity Day 2: Kiri’s presentation • Gave introduction to DDN: How it came about, what problems it is looking at, who is involved, what the next steps are •Discussion made it clear that communication is key – not only between researchers, but between partners as well •Interest in the Saskatchewan River Delta project related to youth – youth engagement is a concern in many delta communities Some questions that were asked (and their answers): 1) Will there be a website? • Yes! It is still being developed, but will hopefully be finished soon. 2) What will the roles and responsibilities of the community coordinators be? • They will be responsible for providing “on the ground” support for research projects, making sure that local research protocols are being followed, and ensuring that information is being shared with community members in appropriate ways. Some questions that were asked (and their answers): 3) What has the role of the different academics been? • The academics involved in the DDN com from very different backgrounds, and it is a very large group. Many of them were involved in writing and developing the proposal. However, we are still understanding what their specific roles will be now that we are beginning to develop our research projects. Stay tuned for how these roles will evolve as research is carried out and the DDN becomes more established. Day 2: Sarah’s presentation •Sarah introduced herself, her understanding of some of the issues that PADEMP is facing, and asked for input on research questions. •PADEMP Steering Committee members gave feedback on specific research questions. – Priority is to understand why decision-makers use or don’t use information provided by PADEMP partners – Decisions that affect the Peace and Athabasca Rivers are important (Site C and oilsands) – Some areas of interest included Aboriginal Base Flow policy and how knowledge (Traditional Knowledge and Western Science) is valued Questions? • If you have questions, suggestions, or concerns about the DDN, contact Kiri Staples, Project Manager: – kiri.staples@usask.ca – (306) 966-7135 • Kiri and Veronica Mauel, the Master’s student working in the Slave River Delta, will be in Fort Smith and Fort Resolution at the end of January to discuss the DDN’s research with the Slave River and Delta Partnership