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“Kim Stephens was able to communicate concepts in a way that made sense to the class. They understood him perfectly,” observed Todd Pugh, sessional instructor for Capilano’s Local Government Administration Certificate program. “It is such a mix of people – there were some who would have liked to hear more about the science behind what he presented, and for others it was more science than they’ve experienced since elementary school. So on the whole, I think he hit the right mix.”

North Vancouver City is a case study for a UBC design course on integration of landscape architecture into urban rainwater management strategies. “Stormwater management is part of landscape architectural design and is an important consideration for every project. The lecture by Kim Stephens was excellent and well-paced,” stated Daniel Roehr, Associate Professor. “He provided clarity regarding a course objective, which is to design at different scales, using the reverse design strategy, site and details first before urban and regional scale.”

“Everyone learns about the water cycle in elementary school, but by high school most have forgotten what they learned,” said Kim Stephens. “What does this mean for communities? Consider that a legacy of community and infrastructure design practices has failed to protect the natural water balance (hydrologic integrity). Failure has financial, level‐of‐service and life‐cycle impacts and implications for taxpayers. The results can be very expensive to fix. Local governments are starting to recognize that watersheds are natural assets that have value, and ecosystem services have a role in municipal service delivery.”

The purpose of the British Columbia Institute of Technology in organizing the 2016 guest lecture series was to prepare graduating engineers for entry into the working world. “The presentation by Kim Stephens gave insight into how thinking has evolved regarding stormwater management in our region and elsewhere. His discussion of Voodoo Hydrology reinforced the importance of questioning everything, a habit I try to encourage in my students,” stated Laith Furatian. Kim Stephens introduced the Water Sustainability Action Plan to the graduating students.

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is recognized for the leadership that its Drinking Water & Watershed Program is providing. Success is helping to foster a new ‘land ethic’ among land and water practitioners in the region. Bill Veenhof (photo), RDN Chair, thanked Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability for recognizing the work of RDN staff and providing the RDN Board with an appreciation of how the RDN program is cross-pollinating with programs in other regions. Kim Stephens provided the RDN Directors with an overview of the work of the Partnership, and introduced them to Beyond the Guidebook 2015.