Anwen joined the Living Lakes Canada team ablaze with passion for environmental research and education, which made the role of Program Assistant to the biomonitoring program an ideal fit. This position allowed her to support community participation in a national standardized water monitoring protocol.

Anwen quickly became proficient in all aspects of the biomonitoring program support role, including planning and delivering Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) and STREAM protocol training programs, writing grants, and reporting on outcomes. Her biggest takeaway from working with Living Lakes is an understanding of “how essential it is to build community-based water monitoring programs.” She continued, “having access to accurate, up-to-date data about water will become increasingly important for communities as the effects of climate change become more severe.”

Anwen left Living Lakes to pursue her Master's of Resource Management (Planning) degree at Simon Fraser University (SFU), where her project explored how nature-based solutions might support reconciliation efforts through a Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions funded project called “Living with Water”. She has since continued on to a PhD, investigating collaborative water governance and planning. She also works as a research assistant with the Living With Water, helping to plan and facilitate participatory water governance mapping initiatives.  

“My work with Living Lakes Canada gave me an important baseline on water issues in Canada and a greater awareness of the existing knowledge gaps in decision-making,” she credits. Anwen’s drive and passion are an inspiration, and we eagerly look forward to following her work in watershed-level planning and climate adaptation.