Cold Lake First Nation has been working with the Airshed and Watershed Stewardship Branch in the Indigenous Lake Monitoring Program since 2017. The long-term goal of this program is to support shared stewardship of Alberta’s lakes through the best available Indigenous and scientific knowledge. However, one needs to question: How are Indigenous perspectives, values, and knowledge systems informing the program to support stewardship actions? Is Indigenous Knowledge and scientific knowledge considered equally in this program? Furthermore, what can be further done to achieve this long-term goal?
To answer these questions, this presentation will describe the knowledge co-creation process developed by Cold Lake First Nation to assist in the integration of their Indigenous Knowledge into the Indigenous Lake Monitoring program. Moreover, the presentation will illustrate what knowledge mobilization could look like in watershed monitoring and stewardship and share what more can be done to achieve shared stewardship.