ATHABASCA - The first gala held by the Athabasca Watershed Council to celebrate its 10-year anniversary was a success, says executive director Janet Pomeroy.
Funds raised at the Nov. 23 event will go to support a multitude of projects to promote and preserve the watershed both along the Athabasca River and to the world.
“I was just surprised, really surprised how well it did go; I didn't expect as many silent auction items to come in through the door,” Pomeroy stated. “They came in at the last minute, and it was like ‘Wow, thanks you guys.’”
Pomeroy estimates the gala broke even from ticket sales two weeks ago so the over $1,000 on the silent auction, profit from the bar and the $300 made from the 50/50 draw were the icing on the cake.
Party goers also donated $95 cash for Santas Anonymous plus three bins of toys.
Even the wine and signature drink called “Muddy Water” was made with alcohol from Barrhead’s Shady Lane Estate which grows their produce along the Athabasca watershed and the entertainment was by Lac La Biche band The Torpedoes of which board chair Brian Deheer is a member.
“It was amazing. I can't even describe in words, the community coming together. We had a full house as far as I was concerned,” Pomeroy said. “I don't think I would want to go much bigger than that because then you would lose that intimacy to be able to take care of everybody in the proper way that we did.”
Every stakeholder was in the room; government, Indigenous, and industry including tourism, oil and gas, mining and other stewardship groups.
Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken attended the event and admitted he did not have a lot of knowledge of the council prior to becoming the MLA for the area after the constituency lines were redone prior to the last election.
“It was good to get to understand what the council is doing; good to meet some of the people that are involved and to get a better understanding of the work that they do,” van Dijken said. “The government of Alberta continues to invest in these types of projects to ensure that we effectively manage the watershed.”
Athabasca County reeve Larry Armfelt felt the gala was a success and credited Pomeroy, her staff and the volunteers with putting together and running the event.
“It put us on the map more than we already are,” he commented and added he was happy to see van Dijken attend.
Proceeds from the gala will be going to at least one project in the long list of things Pomeroy would like to accomplish including introducing more Grade 5 students to the riparian.
"This year we were able to add Fort McMurray and we've already got most of the ones in Barrhead County,” she said. “We want to head west now; we want to get Hinton, Edson and Jasper.”
The council does the invasive species training, so students know about invasive species and the dangers involved.
"Some of their parents are planting invasive species in their yard,” Pomeroy explained. “Or they're flushing live goldfish.”
Another project high on the list is Indigenous outreach to connect with communities in Canada who do not have safe drinking water.
“We've got the Pembina project, which is riparian restoration in the Pembina that showed up on our ‘State of the Watershed’ as a red zone, which means that the cumulative effects there are bad,” Pomeroy added.
Educating tourists and locals alike about the damage caused to the riparian when they stir up the water is always a priority for the Council as well as the documentary about the Athabasca river.
“The documentary is going to go all the way from the headwaters up to Wood Buffalo National Park,” Pomeroy said. “And the documentary is going to go worldwide because we're one of the last remaining rivers that is still free flowing.”
Finally, Pomeroy would like to have an economic study done of the basin, citing one that was done in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef which was estimated as being worth $6 billion. Pomeroy feels the Athabasca Watershed would be worth more simply because of all the industry that accesses the river.
"We ship power, we ship oil, we ship coal, we ship lumber, we ship grain, we have tourism,” she explained. “Jasper is the second most visited National Park in Canada.”
