For years, the IJC’s International Watersheds Initiative (IWI) has supported projects by various boards having monitoring and water management responsibilities in the transboundary region. IJC staff has produced an interactive “StoryMap” that explains some activities of these boards and describes IWI projects across the shared waters of Canada and the United States.
Through a combination of text and images, the StoryMap allows users to learn the context behind highlighted IWI projects and see the results.
The StoryMap does not include every IWI project—some are not yet finished, and others are not suited to visual storytelling. But it provides a solid base to help people understand how IWI has supported work by boards, contributing to a variety of successes.
The IWI aims to help resolve local issues in transboundary waters by working with local communities to provide information needed to find solutions. It also recognizes that all aspects of an ecosystem must be considered, including water flows and water quality, to ensure that decision makers have the most comprehensive data available.
While projects must still fall within a board’s responsibilities, even those with more limited duties (for example, only flow-related responsibilities) can help achieve the aims of the IWI through their work.
More information on the IWI program and related projects can be found on the IJC’s website.
