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