Imagine a rain garden in your yard that collects water coming off the roof of your house or garage, or even from a sump pump. Or think of fencing off a creek or river so your cattle aren’t drinking directly from the stream. 

These are just two of the many ideas Joey Pankiw has developed with Southeast Manitoba townspeople and farmers as Manager of the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District (SRRWD). 

“Our mandate is to deal with land and surface water management within the Seine, Rat and Roseau watersheds,” he explains. “We have numerous types of programming for producers and people in urban areas, as well as funding to implement environmentally beneficial practices.” 

Among the SRRWD’s nine programs is one designed for shelterbelts. In partnership with ALUS Canada and the 2Billion Trees initiative, Pankiw and his team help landowners establish shelterbelts on or adjacent to their agricultural land. Other programming focuses on soil health, alternative land use and field erosion control. 

And Pankiw is happy to help property owners tackle important projects, such as sealing old wells. 

“If you have an abandoned well on your property, I’m always looking at sealing those up,” he says. “It’s to protect our groundwater from any contaminants getting into our drinking water.” 

These and the SRRWD’s additional programs, projects and funding sources will be highlighted further when the organization, which operates under the Watershed Districts Act and Regulations, hosts a series of Open House events, running through the winter into spring. 

“From January 12th to April 5th we’ll be hosting an Open House at our Steinbach office every second Friday,” explains ALUS/GROW Coordinator Dani Gosselin. “They’ll be from 1pm to 4pm, and the idea is just to have people come through our doors and learn who we are and what we do.” 

Pankiw adds that visitors are welcome to chat with staff, ask questions and even put forward ideas regarding land and water conservation and climate issues. 

“Let’s see what you're interested in, and if we can line it up with our programming our wonderful staff will work with you to find solutions,” he says.  

Thanks to sustainable funding in recent years, the SRRWD is in a position to support farmers and communities in the Southeast. Stewardship of land, water and resources, after all, benefits not only the physical environment but also the quality of life for the thousands of watershed residents. 

“We’re looking to be a solution to some of those tricky environmental problems,” says Pankiw. “We have the funding, we’re easy to work with and our staff always have good ideas on what we can do for you.” 

Once again, the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District’s Open Houses will take place every second Friday from January 12th to April 5th. The office is located at 154 Friesen Ave in Steinbach, and they can be reached by calling (204) 326-1030. Additional information is available on their website. 

“Just feel free to come in, sit down and have a conversation,” says Pankiw. “I think we do our best work when we just talk to producers one-on-one and look at how we can help their operations out.” 

SRRWD map