Synopsis:
This team won a $5000 seed grant award from Water Services Association of Australia during WIL Australia and have gone ahead and conducted events in the US, Canada and Australia and are building their strategy.
There is a gap when making decisions in water resource management between policy makers/ scientists, and Indigenous leaders in communities. How can we increase Indigenous leadership in widespread mainstream water governance? This is one step in a long-term process and consists of bottom-up activities conducting local events led by Indigenous communities that invite water professionals to join in caring for local waterways and informally exchanging stories and knowledge. The local events will commence in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Events like waterway cleanups will include traditional ceremonial practices, water monitoring activities, and shared meals. The local events from different places will be linked to one another through an online platform to facilitate networking and learning between locations. Lasting goals include increasing Indigenous presence in the water sector and bridging gaps between Indigenous knowledge and the technical water sector.