Since 2008, the State of the Bay program has served as a platform for sharing knowledge and convening partners on the coast. The program brings together multiple sources of knowledge and information to communicate environmental changes in eastern Mnidoo Gamii (Georgian Bay).
Working with partners, we release a new State of the Bay technical report and magazine every five years. The technical report dives deep into the science, identifies data gaps and research needs, and serves as the foundation for the public friendly magazine. The magazine highlights the work of partners in the region, summarizes the state of knowledge on themes including changes to water, wetlands, fisheries, and habitats in this unique landscape, and encourages readers to take stewardship action!
Between each report, our staff are hard at work communicating key messages from the latest report through presentations, workshops, conferences, hands-on school lessons, social media content, videos, and much more. Furthermore, we continue to convene partners to understand what is happening in the region and where opportunities exist to work together to fill gaps and needs.
The last State of the Bay report was released in 2023, meaning the next report is set to come out in 2028. Although 2028 is still a couple of years away, the process has begun to gather information and input on the direction of the next report!
Over the past two months we have held several advisory workshops with cultural and technical advisors. Invitations to participate in the workshops were extended to individuals from regional municipalities, First Nations, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and provincial and federal governments. Following an initial technical advisory workshop and cultural advisory workshop, a third session was held with individuals from both advisory groups, meant to further refine the direction for the 2028 State of the Bay report.
The purpose of these workshops was to initiate a conversation around the future direction (short- and long-term) of State of the Bay. During each workshop, we reviewed how the State of the Bay program has evolved over the years, including the updated approach that was taken for the 2023 report. After reviewing the history of the program we moved into future visioning, which was done through talking circles and open discussions to share ideas, thoughts, and dreams for State of the Bay themes, messages, stories, contributors, and guidance methods.
From these workshops, we gained valuable insights into what our partners see as desired future directions for State of the Bay. The report will continue to bring together stories from elders, knowledge holders, researchers, and scientists, all with the goal of providing readers with a deeper understanding of environmental change in eastern Georgian Bay and actions they can take to make a difference.
Going forward, we will continue to seek partner involvement through sharing knowledge, information, data, perspectives, stories, and art.
Your donation helps make the State of the Bay program possible, from communicating science, sharing stories of cultural caretaking, and taking conservation action. Your gift will have years of impact and will help us reach thousands of people with opportunities to take care of Georgian Bay. Thank you, miigwech!
