Watershed Sustainability Project Centers Place-Based Research — rewritten for clarity and engagement
But here’s the core issue: Indigenous-led watershed stewardship matters, and this project shows how place-based study can drive real change.
The Xwulqw'selu Sta'lo' (Koksilah River) holds deep cultural significance for the Cowichan Tribes and sits on traditional Quw'utsun land on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This land, never ceded to Canada, forms part of a watershed that faces multiple pressures, including declining salmon runs, low river flows, flood risks, and shifts in land use.
Gleeson and colleagues are collaborating with the Cowichan Tribes and the provincial government to co-create British Columbia’s first water sustainability plan. About mid-way through a five-year initiative, the team shares how their work is steered by five woven statements. These statements express core intentions and values: honoring Quw'utsun rights and laws; ensuring community-based monitoring and modeling guide water and land decisions about the river; and committing to transparent sharing of methods and outcomes. The approach mirrors Coast Salish weaving, where horizontal and vertical threads interlace to form a connected whole, aligning research goals with ongoing projects and partnerships.
The project has three main objectives: to deepen understanding of current and future low-flow conditions in Xwulqw'selu Sta'lo' through community science; to foster public engagement with water science, governance, and Indigenous Knowledge; and to explore how community science can support shared watershed management.
To achieve these aims, the team applies traditional scientific methods that are deeply rooted in the river itself. The community science program includes hydrological monitoring, modeling of low-flow scenarios, and quantification of groundwater inputs to the river. In 2024, 44 volunteers contributed to the project.
This five-year effort sits within the broader Xwulqw'selu Connections program, which supports a transition toward co-governance of water between the Cowichan Tribes and the provincial government via the Xwulqw'selu Water Sustainability Plan. The authors suggest this model could inform other community-science collaborations between governments and Indigenous peoples. (Community Science, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024CSJ000120, 2025)
— Madeline Reinsel, Science Writer
Citation: Reinsel, M. (2025), Watershed sustainability project centers place-based research, Eos, 106, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EO250439. Published on 4 December 2025.
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