Report on a Mini-Summit dealing with Water Stewardship & Sustainability in the South Okanagan

Water Sustainability: Convening for Action in the South Okanagan

In May 2006, a Min-Summit was organized as part of the annual conference of the BC Water & Waste Association (BCWWA).  “The summit model was used because it focused on issues and responses and has resulted in an outline for action that follows from presentations on key water management themes in the South Okanagan and dialogue between presenters, panelists and participants,” stated Erik Karlsen, Mini-Summit moderator and the co-lead for the Convening for Action initiative.

“Convening for Action in the South Okanagan is a provincial pilot for planning with a view to water. An over-arching goal is to establish a precedent at the sub-basin (or sub-regional) scale for implementation of a ‘water-centric’ approach to community planning. At the core of the approach is a water balance way of thinking and acting. This is very much a bottom-up approach that seeks to understand through active listening.”

To Learn More:

The communique arising from the Mini-Summit can be downloaded by clicking on this link to the Report on a Mini-Summit Dealing with Water Stewardship & Sustainability in the South Okanagan. The report was co-authored by Erik Karlsen and Kim Stephens (Program Coordinator, Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia). They are the co-leads for the Convening for Action initiative.