Science, Stewardship, and Living Rivers
The Okanagan Nation Alliance, the Okanagan Basin Water Board, and the Canadian Water Resources Association welcome you to the 2026 Environmental Flows Conference — bringing together researchers, water managers, and Indigenous knowledge holders from across Canada and around the world to advance the science, policy, and practice of environmental flows.
Environmental Flows Conference
Gala Keynote Speaker
səxʷk̓ʷin̓maʔm̓ Jordan Coble, B.A.
Councillor, Westbank First Nation
Presenting on Living Rivers, Living Responsibilities
way̓ pisnqsílxʷ. iskʷist c̓ris. isk̓ʷuy̓ iʔ skʷists Barb Coble naʔł inlʔíw Rick Sagayadan iʔ skʷists. inn̓axʷnəxʷ Chelsea iʔ skʷists. istm̓tm̓kʔíl̓t Keyara, Hadley naʔł Nyelle iʔ skʷistsəlx iłqaqcáʔ James naʔł iłsísn̓caʔ Brooks.
istm̓tímaʔ twi Katherine Louie iʔ skʷists naʔł inkikʷaʔ twi Paul Coble. inqaqna Adoration (Dory) Grignard naʔɬ isəx̌axpaʔ twi Bill Sagayadan. intatúpaʔ twi lala (Martina San Pierre) naʔł twi Gaston Louie tl̓ n̓kmplqs. inqʷupsa twi umtusúlaʔxʷ.
Jordan comes from a strong family line of hard working, determined, community first people. He is a change maker who takes pride in taking guidance from and working with elders and community members in order to create a healthier path for our children and future generations. He was given the name c̓ris in recognition of his willingness to go where others are too afraid to venture and continues to explore these teachings.
Jordan believes in the power of the n̓syilxcn language and knowledge as the source of understanding of his responsibilities. He leads with kindness, balancing humility and strength. He is well educated, experienced and well-versed in the world of governance at all levels but values leadership over politics. He loves his family, his people, the land, water, plants and animals and strives to make his ancestors and children proud through his dedication to the well-being and respect for all walks of life.
Way̓ limləm̓t
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Rebecca Tharme
Director, Riverfutures Ltd.
Presenting on Governance, Policy, and Cultural Flows
Dr. Rebecca Tharme is an internationally recognized aquatic ecologist and environmental water management specialist with nearly three decades of experience working across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. As Director of Riverfutures Ltd. and Adjunct Principal Research Fellow at Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute, she collaborates with governments, development agencies, NGOs, researchers, and communities to advance sustainable water management. She also chairs the global Water Future Working Group on Rivers, Flows and People. Dr. Tharme has held leadership roles with organizations including The Nature Conservancy and the International Water Management Institute and is a widely published author on environmental flow science and policy. Her work focuses on balancing the needs of people, rivers, and ecosystems while advancing water security, biodiversity conservation, and river resilience worldwide.
Dr. Wendy Monk
Ecohydrology Research Scientist in the Freshwater and Wildlife Health group in the Biodiversity Research Division at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Canadian Rivers Institute and UNB Fredericton.
Presenting on EF Methods, Modelling & Monitoring — Water Connects Us: Bridging the Gap Between People and Nature
Dr. Wendy Monk is an Ecohydrology Research Scientist with the Freshwater and Wildlife Health Group in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Biodiversity Research Division, she is also a Visiting Research Professor at the University of New Brunswick, and a Fellow of the Canadian Rivers Institute. Her research focuses on understanding and mitigating the impacts of environmental change on freshwater ecosystems, particularly in cold regions. Working across diverse knowledge systems, she integrates hydrology, aquatic ecology, and socio-cultural dimensions to develop robust diagnostic and decision-support tools for environmental flows and nature-based solutions. This applied research provides a vital foundation for sustainable river management, freshwater resilience, and biodiversity conservation across Canada.
Dr. Kris Taniguchi-Quan
Hydrologist at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Co-Presenting on applying the California Environmental Flows Framework to Inform Diverse Water Management Decisions
Dr. Kristine Taniguchi-Quan is a hydrologist and geomorphologist specializing in stream hydrology, environmental flows, and ecosystem resilience. Her research focuses on understanding how climate change, land-use change, and water management decisions affect rivers and stream ecosystems. As a member of the California Environmental Flows Framework (CEFF) technical team, she works with partners across California to apply environmental flow science to challenges such as stormwater capture, wastewater reuse, dry-season diversions, and water resource management. Her work supports the development of ecohydrology targets that protect stream health while meeting human water needs. Since joining the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) in 2018, Dr. Taniguchi-Quan has become a leading contributor to sustainable water management and streamflow science.
Dr. Eric Stein
Head of Biology Department at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
Co-Presenting on applying the California Environmental Flows Framework to Inform Diverse Water Management Decisions
Dr. Eric Stein is a nationally recognized aquatic ecosystem scientist with more than 20 years of experience in water quality, ecohydrology, bioassessment, and aquatic resource management. As Head of the Biology Department at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), he leads multidisciplinary research on wetlands, streams, estuaries, and coastal ecosystems. His work focuses on understanding the impacts of human activities on aquatic systems and developing science-based tools to support environmental decision-making. Dr. Stein’s expertise spans stormwater monitoring, wetland assessment, hydrologic analysis, restoration planning, and environmental policy implementation. He also serves on numerous scientific advisory panels and technical workgroups that help shape water quality and ecosystem management strategies across California and beyond.
Dr. Nathanael Bergbusch
Post Doctoral Scholar in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo
Presenting on Sustainable Agriculture and Water Use for Prince Edward Island: Insights from Environmental Flows, Systems Thinking, and Sustainability-Based Decision Making to Inform Canadian Water Management
Nathanael (Nat) Bergbusch is an environmental scientist and policy analyst whose work focuses on water sustainability, environmental governance, and climate resilience. His research examines environmental flows, water governance, sustainability assessment, eutrophication, and environmental justice. His earned his PhD studying collaborative governance and impact assessment for developments affecting environmental and cultural water systems, drawing from Canadian and international case studies. As a Post-Doctoral Scholar in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, he researches sustainable water use and agricultural practices across Canada using interdisciplinary natural and social science approaches. Dr. Bergbusch is a member of the Prince Edward Island NSERC Alliance team and the University of Waterloo’s WAMPUM Lab, where he contributes to advancing sustainable water stewardship and climate adaptation solutions.
Summer Raven Saulis
Environmental Projects Coordinator, Bilijk Wolastoqiyik
Presenting on The Wolastoq as Relative: Indigenous Knowledge, Cultural Flows, and Stewardship in a Regulated River System
Summer Raven Saulis is a Wolastoqey environmental steward from Bilijk First Nation whose work focuses on connecting Indigenous knowledge, community engagement, and aquatic ecosystem stewardship. She serves as Environmental Projects Coordinator for Bilijk First Nation, supporting initiatives related to water quality, freshwater conservation, fisheries, environmental monitoring, and cultural revitalization. Grounded in her relationship with the Wolastoq and her community, Summer works to bridge Indigenous knowledge and Western science while promoting language, stewardship, and intergenerational knowledge sharing. She is passionate about ensuring Indigenous voices and perspectives are included in conversations about the future of water and environmental governance.
Dominik Gallenberger
Lecturer at University of Innsbruck
Presenting on Rivers as Reluctant Historians: When Metric Authority Outruns the Archive
Dominik Gallenberger is a researcher and lecturer at the working in climate, environmental, and science diplomacy, with a focus on transnational river ecosystems. His engagement with rivers began through medico-legal investigations of bodies recovered from waterways, which redirected his attention from individual cases to the river system itself and to river ecology. His work is grounded in the natural sciences and integrated with perspectives from the social sciences and humanities. He translates ecological evidence into questions of responsibility, cooperation, and institutional design. Law and engineering support workable, locally grounded interventions.
Zoe Eyjolfson
Fluvial Geomorphologist at the Okanagan Nation Alliance
Presenting on Salmon Passage and Returns on Okanagan Lake
Zoe Eyjolfson has worked for Okanagan Nation Alliance for over 15 years as a Fluvial Geomorphologist. She primarily works on river restoration and fish passage projects and is honored to work with the ONA and the Syilx Nation to ‘put the river back and put the fish back’ to the Okanagan Basin.
We respectfully acknowledge that the Environmental Flows Conference is planned and held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded tm̓xʷúlaʔxʷ land of the syilx Okanagan people who have resided here since time immemorial.
We honor and respect this land and the siwłkʷ water which flows through the valley and connects us all.
Hosted in Collaboration
Environmental Flows 2026 is the third conference in this series and this year is hosted by the Okanagan Basin Water Board, the Okanagan Nation Alliance, and the Canadian Water Resources Association. Bringing together local, national and international expertise, the conference provides a forum to advance dialogue, share knowledge, and lived experiences to support the future of sustainable environmental flows.
