PARKSVILLE 2019: ‘Convening for Action’ symposium started strong with Dave Derrick stream restoration workshop and walkabout, and finished strong with Storm Cunningham presentation on restorative development; remarkable 40% response rate by delegates confirmed that the key educational objectives were fulfilled
Note to Reader:
For a comprehensive set of legacy resources, including videos, that provide a complete record of the Parksville 2019 Symposium, visit the symposium homepage at https://waterbucket.ca/viw/category/convening-for-action-in-2018/nanaimo-water-stewardship-symposium/. Resources are organized under fourteen dropdowns as listed below:
Parksville 2019 attracted an audience of close to 200. It was an outreach and professional development event, held under the umbrella of the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative. It was designed to foster a conversation in communities along the east coast of Vancouver Island and in the Metro Vancouver region about “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management”.
Call to Action: Reconnect Hydrology and Ecology!
While BC communities may not be able to restore lost biodiversity, they can certainly halt its decline and consciously direct efforts toward a richer future, that is: “improve where we live”.
“The rhythms of water are changing in British Columbia. What happens on the land in the creekshed matters to streams – thus, the time has come to reconnect hydrology and ecology,” stated John Finnie, Chair, Parksville 2019 Symposium Organizing Committee.
“Options included a field day on April 2, followed by a 2-day symposium on April 3-4. Each day featured a prominent headline speaker from the United States. Cross-border collaboration expands our horizons and connects us with a larger body of experience!”
The daily symposium themes were Sustainable Stream Restoration (Day One) and Restorative Land Development (Day Two), respectively.
To Learn More:
For the complete storyline, download the PARKSVILLE 2019 BROCHURE. This is a comprehensive package that mapped out the field day plus 2-day symposium. To read a series of announcements published during the period November 2018 through March 2019, click on the links below:
- Backgrounder #1 – Professional Reliance Review & Restorative Development Vision Set the Stage
- Backgrounder #2 – Decrease Destructive Footprint While Increasing Restorative Footprint
- Backgrounder #3 – Local Government Partnerships with Stewardship Sector Can Be Transformational
- Backgrounder #4 – Root Causes of Degraded Urban and Rural Streams
- Backgrounder #5 – Next Decade of Drinking Water & Watershed Protection in the Nanaimo Region
- Backgrounder #6 – Restorative Land Development Results in Sustainable Stream Restoration
- Backgrounder #7 – Closing the Data Gap: Water Stewards, the Key to the Future
- Backgrounder #8 – Beacons of Hope on Vancouver Island
- Backgrounder #9 – Strategies Are Our Path to Success
An Inspirational Experience – Quotable Quotes
“Thank you so much for the immense amount of work you do to protect ecosystem services and teach us all about taking responsibility. The Vancouver Island symposium on water stewardship was so inspiring and informative. It was a wonderful experience. I left Parksville feeling hopeful. Thanks for inspiring us. It was a wonderful conference. Sincere gratitude,” stated Councillor Laura Dupont, City of Port Coquitlam.
“I just wanted to say thanks to you and everyone behind the great symposium! Great job!! It was an exciting few days, and I left feeling inspired and even somewhat empowered about finding ways to protect water. The importance of ecological services really hit home for me. There is lots of great work happening out there – thanks to all the organizers for bringing it all together,” added Laura Beckett, Municipal Planner & Deputy Approving Officer, District of Highlands.
