About Babine Watershed Monitoring Trust
The Babine Watershed Monitoring Trust is a Canadian registered charitable organization that was established on January 27, 2005.
Why a Trust Was Formed
The Babine Watershed Monitoring Trust (BWM Trust) settlors believe that monitoring of natural resources in the Babine watershed must assess the implementation of land-use plan strategies and the effectiveness of those strategies in meeting key land-use plan components such as objectives. Monitoring must also be conducted in a credible manner, so that monitoring results are broadly accepted.
Since a wide array of government agencies, public interest groups, research organizations and businesses are involved in monitoring, there is also a need to coordinate their activities. In addition, an independent source of funds is required to monitor important aspects that do not fall within an individual organization’s mandate. A trust best addresses these needs because its governing documents provide clear direction for monitoring activities.
Read more about establishing the BWM Trust in the BC Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management news release: Trust Formed to Monitor Babine Watershed.
Purposes
The Trust Agreement specifies the following purposes for the BWM Trust:
- planning, prioritising, directing, facilitating and funding impartial monitoring research of the implementation and effectiveness of public land use plans and related natural resources management activities in the Babine Watershed;
- educating the public on natural resources management of the Babine Watershed environnment and the implementation and effectiveness of Babine Watershed public land use plans through collecting and disseminating information on monitoring activities and providing results of monitoring research; and
- providing credible monitoring research results as part of a formal rigorous adaptive management process that enables continuous improvement of public land use plans resulting in better management of environmental values in the Babine Watershed.
Settlors
The BWM Trust was formed through a collaborative process involving community groups, businesses and provincial government agencies. This included representatives of:
- Bulkley Valley Community Resources Board
- Babine River Foundation
- Pacific Inland Resources (West Fraser Mills Ltd.)
- Ministry of Forests
- Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management (MSRM)
- Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (WLAP)
Representatives of these organizations met regularly during 2004, with support from MSRM, WLAP, Pacific Inland Resources and Babine River Foundation, to develop the governance structure for monitoring in the Babine watershed. The six organizations are also the settlors that formed the BWM Trust.
Trustees
The initial trustees are James Cuell, Rosemary Fox, Jane Lloyd-Smith, Richard Overstall, and Gary Quanstrom, who are all residents of the Bulkley Valley. These people were among those instrumental in developing the Trust on behalf of the settlor organizations.
Decisions to Fund Monitoring
The appointed trustees decide what monitoring projects BWM Trust will support. Their decisions must abide by the Trust Agreement and the Monitoring Framework, plus annual monitoring plans for the Babine watershed. To ensure that the Trust’s funds are objectively allocated for the best results, these documents provide criteria for conducting monitoring projects, setting priorities for monitoring, and identifying requirements for land use plans. Trustees also follow the procedures for consensus and decision-making specified in the Trust Agreement.
Find out more about the Monitoring Framework.