About the Conference

The purposes of Headwaters to Deepwaters II are:

• To celebrate the Saanich Inlet and its contributions to this region
• To establish a suite of ecosystem indicators that can measure and track the health of this important ecosystem
• To encourage effective stewardship of the Saanich Inlet watershed

Three conservation organizations—SeaChange Marine Conservation Society, Peninsula Streams Society and Saanich Inlet Protection Society (SIPS)—have worked together for nearly a decade to conserve, protect and restore the valuable watershed and marine resources of Saanich Inlet. This fjord is an important and sensitive ecosystem, physically, ecologically and culturally and has undergone tremendous changes over the last fifty years as a result of human activities.

In 1996 the Saanich Inlet Study, initiated by the Province of B.C., described its sensitive features with the intention of further research. Individual studies about the inlet have been undertaken since 1996, but there is an urgent need to determine ecosystem bio-indicators to inform the surrounding communities about the present health of the entire Inlet and what we can do to improve it.

Headwaters to Deepwaters I was a forum of science, art and stewardship displays, speakers, panel discussions and tours that was held in November 2001.

Headwaters to Deepwaters II is a follow-up conference, long overdue. Stewardship of the Inlet has grown since the first event and there is an urgent need to determine the present health of the inlet. Is it declining? Is it improving or staying the same? How can we tell? How can local communities monitor and in some cases mitigate the impacts of growing numbers of residents and businesses residing in the surrounding watersheds? How can scientists, governments, community organizations and volunteers work in partnership to improve the health of the entire Inlet?

Headwaters to Deepwaters II will bring scientists, stewardship conservation groups and communities together to begin this discussion.