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“In this issue, authors Derek Richmond and Kim Stephens begin by saying that ‘networks are a way to get greater leverage on your scarce resources and move forward together with other likeminded, values-aligned colleagues.’ However, they fear that human to-human connection is being lost,” wrote Steve Davey in his editorial comment. “Recently, the Partnership hosted the Convening for Action Forum, as part of a strategy to help reverse this situation. Reading about this event brought back my early memories of face-to-face networking.”

“Change in standard practices does not happen overnight. It takes time. Therefore, it is important to manage expectations when embarking on this journey towards water sustainability. Getting there is Mission Possible and is a top-down and bottom-up strategy. First comes the vision. Then community involvement. Support from municipal decision makers follows next. Finally, communities must apply ‘Design with Nature’ as a consistent future approach to development. Everyone needs to agree on expectations and how all the players will work together,” stated Eric Bonham.

“When I was on the faculty at the Harvard Business School, I began my research into the concept of a networked approach that is more focused on network-building and trust-based relationships, and less about building an organization to get to your mission impact. People learn from and are inspired by stories. Work is easier, more effective and more fun when people collaborate. The big idea is to try and seed a culture change and shift in climate-conservation work to one that really values the power of relationships and networks,” explained Jane Wei-Skillern.

“The Partnership for Water Sustainability’s Mid-Year Report for 2025 is a baseline or landmark document. It is not a conventional annual report in the way people typically expect one to look like. The Partnership has adopted a storytelling approach to inform and engage readers about our mission,” stated Tim Pringle. Structured in three parts, the Mid-Year Report describes the Partnership’s operational framework followed by a section on the ambassadors’ program. Then it weaves quotable quotes into a narrative about the Partnership’s array of initiatives.

“The 1992 Land Development Guidelines were about doing business differently because the status quo was not working. Municipalities were feeling the pressure to change course. So, we built on Puget Sound research and developed a watershed health rating system for our region. A trend projection from 1996 to 2036 demonstrated how the status quo would lead to a further region-wide decline in stream health. When we showed the picture of what this would look like to the Board members, they agreed that things had to change. Otherwise, things will get worse,” stated Robert Hicks.

During the 6-year period of applied research, the Partnership for Water Sustainability relied on staff at the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute and VIU students to do data analysis and GIS work. Now, with the EAP Transition Strategy Partnership, MABRRI is the program lead and the Partnership has an oversight and mentoring role. Everyone is learning together. Local government staff. The MABRRI team. VIU students. This is how you build capacity through collaboration,” stated Anna Lawrence.

“Nanaimo is all-in with our commitment to EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. This commitment derives from the Community Charter where one of the Council’s primary duties is stewardship of the community’s assets. We are getting better and better all the time at stewarding the gray infrastructure assets. Now we must do the same with natural assets. When the EAP Partnership idea came up, the most attractive element was the ability to pass on the torch from our generation and the older generation to the next generation without losing the experience and the knowledge that we have intrinsically built up,” stated Bill Sims.

“UBC forestry professor Dr. Younes Alila is courageous in challenging conventional wisdom about what he believes to be the misguided and scientifically indefensible practice of forest hydrology in BC. His findings are relevant to urban drainage practice. Trained as a civil engineer, Younes Alila found himself having to do science. In the process, he landed on a discovery of great import. Research by Younes Alila and his grad students over the past three decades demonstrates how clearcut logging leads to more frequent flooding, including extreme floods,” stated Younes Alila.

“The network emerges around a common goal, rather than a particular program or organizational model. The community mobilizes the resources from throughout the network, and based on existing relationships in the community. The solution is emergent and comes from the community members themselves, rather than being pushed from the top down. And finally, once a network is up and running and proves itself to be effective, It becomes the primary vehicle for change, rather than the individual organizations themselves,” stated Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern.

“The Partnership defines success in terms of how our partners incrementally make progress in achieving the vision for Living Water Smart in British Columbia. By that, we mean reconnect people, land, water and fish in altered landscapes! Bringing this vision to fruition requires an inter-generational commitment. The Partnership has a primary goal, to build bridges of understanding and pass the baton from the past to the present and future. The role of elders is therefore a lynch-pin for inter-generational collaboration,” stated Derek Richmond.