OWC is a not-for profit charitable organization.
A sustainable watershed comes from sustainable funding.
Canada is known the world over for its natural, wild spaces—yet piece by piece, drop by drop, we are losing what we value most. With your help, this will change.
Here's what OWC is helping to improve:
Cumulative effects: Everything we do has an impact on the health of the watershed—like a slow death from a thousand cuts. One seemingly insignificant change—one new road, one new subdivision—is not noticeable. But together, all the little changes add up to a huge impact.
Linear features density: Increasingly, there is no room for wildlife. We are well over ecological thresholds for the survival of trout, grizzlies, marten, and many other species.
Lack of understanding and commitment: 8/10 people do not know what a watershed is. Our challenges—from drought and floods to water advisories—are urgent and threaten our economy and way of life.
Limited monitoring and reporting: We can't manage what we don't measure. Working with limited monitoring and even less reporting would mean that we are managing our land and water based on outdated information, sometimes decades old.
Water quality advisories: We are starting to see boil water orders, swimming cautions, and blue-green algae advisories. Climate change is making these problems worse.
Water supply: The water available in the rivers of the Oldman watershed is over-allocated. Our reservoirs will get most of us through 1-2 years of drought, but when we get hit with a multi-year drought, the reservoirs will be empty.
Urban sprawl and stormwater: Our urban footprint will grow massively over the next 30 years, paving productive agricultural land and generating much more stormwater runoff, which is already polluted with bacteria, fertilizers, and pesticides.
One of the greatest legacies we can leave for future generations
is clean, safe drinking water. To do this, we need to protect the water at its source.
That is why we created The Watershed Fund.
The Watershed Fund is a tool that puts financial support where it's needed most, as unrestricted funds. This fund ensures that OWC is best able to pursue its vision: a healthy, resilient watershed where people, wildlife and habitat thrive and prosper. Your support is making a difference.
Canada Revenue Agency 840029078RR0001
Thank You!
Your contribution provides critical funding to help protect our environment, our economy, and our way of life in Southern Alberta. It has never been more urgent.
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