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Vancouver Coast & Mountains

    BLUE ECOLOGY WORKSHOP: A testimonial to Fin Donnelly – “he walks the talk, effectively communicating on an intergenerational level through community engagement,” wrote Eric Bonham


    Fin Donnelly’s commitment and passion in both identifying and addressing the complex range of issues that challenge the health of the Fraser River gave invaluable insight and understanding of the need for an holistic approach and engagement by a range of participants. Also, his definition of “Rivershed” is a more inclusive term than Watershed, providing a sense of place, hence placing responsibility and commitment at the local level, a role that community stewards and local governments can effectively embrace.

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    BLUE ECOLOGY WORKSHOP: “Metro Vancouver along with other local governments currently provide support to the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative and Partnership for Water Sustainability,” wrote Peter Navratil, General Manager, Liquid Waste services


    “The Blue Ecology Workshop builds on previous initiatives undertaken by the Partnership and supported by Metro Vancouver. It is aligned with and supports Metro Vancouver’s Sustainability Framework and Board Strategic Plan.” wrote Peter Navratil. “The workshop would build community capacity and knowledge in the Metro Vancouver region. In addition, the workshop benefits Metro Vancouver and its members by fostering dialogue on sustainable watershed systems, asset management and climate change.”

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    BLUE ECOLOGY WORKSHOP: “Water is our lifeblood as Musqueam,” says Morgan Guerin – he will provide the First Nations welcome to address protocol and set the table for workshop guests at Richmond venue (Nov 28)


    Morgan Guerin, secəlenəχʷ, is a Fisheries Officer and an elected Councillor for the Musqueam Indian Band. “The Musqueam equivalent of cathedral thinking is called ‘seven generations’. We look back seven generations. You have to look back far in order to be able to look far ahead,” stated Morgan Guerin. “Plant seeds in minds. Think about what you want in the future. Say something enough times and people will hear it.”

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    OP-ED ARTICLE: More irrigation is key to food security in B.C. (published in the Vancouver Sun in November 2017)


    “We also need to apply Watershed CPR to begin the process of moving the land and water back to health.” wrote Fin Donnelly. “A large-scale program to conserve, protect and restore the Fraser’s tributary riversheds would start with a change in attitude. Let’s work together to ensure the mighty Fraser River, one of the world’s greatest salmon rivers, stays mighty for generations to come.”

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    CREATING THE FUTURE IN THE TOWNSHIP OF LANGLEY: “Green Infrastructure Innovation in Langley Township – ‘Design with Nature’ to Create Liveable Neighbourhoods” – Watershed Case Profile released by Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia (October 2017)


    The stewardship ethic for creating liveable neighbourhoods in Langley is shaped by ‘cathedral thinking’ and a shared commitment by elected representatives, staff and community to long-term implementation. “There are many staff members that have made this happen,” stated Mayor Jack Froese. “Council makes policy and we approve policies. And then it is our wonderful staff that carry out the policies.”

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    BLUE ECOLOGY – A Realignment of the Water Story: “It must be simple to understand, yet inclusive and firmly grounded in reality, embracing both science and spiritual values in equal measure,” stated Eric Bonham, founding member, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC


    “The news from the natural world this last summer has been mostly about water or lack thereof, understandably so, given the devastating hurricanes experienced in the southern states and the equally devastating fires raging throughout British Columbia,” wrote Eric Bonham. “Given the central role of water in these changing circumstances calls for a re-visit of the water story.”

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    BLUE ECOLOGY WORKSHOP – MODULE 3 (Nov 28, 2017): “Climate change is no longer in the future. It is here. It is real. If we are to adapt, and be quick about it, we really must move beyond ‘shock and yawn’,” says Bob McDonald, national science commentator for CBC Television


    “A recent interview with a UN diplomat got me thinking. The real issue is public engagement, he said. We are at a moment of truth. Unless the climate message offers hope, he explained, individuals will not be motivated to take action in the face of change. Yet action does need to happen quickly. Because Blue Ecology is a message of hope, I believe it is an idea whose time has come,” stated Bob McDonald.

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    WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT (Nov 28, 2017): “The flood, drought and fire extremes of 2017 provide both the backdrop and a focus for the Blue Ecology Workshop,” states Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia


    “Opportunities for land use, infrastructure servicing and asset management practitioners to make a difference are at the time of (re)development. To those folks we say: share and learn from those who are leading change; design with nature; ‘get it right’ at the front-end of the project; build-in ‘water resilience’; create a lasting legacy,” wrote Kim Stephens. “The Partnership spotlight is on how to ‘bridge the gap’ between talk and action. That is mission possible.”

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    BLUE ECOLOGY WORKSHOP – MODULE 4 (Nov 28, 2017): “Blue Ecology is a means to focus, with new watery eyes, because an attitude switch needs to be thrown on the current crisis of climate change,” says Michael Blackstock, independent scholar and developer of the Blue Ecology ecological philosophy


    “Hydrologists and water managers can help build a brighter future by rediscovering the meaning of water, and interweaving the predominant Western analytical models with the more intuitive indigenous models,” stated Michael Blackstock. “Blue Ecology is an incremental example of how we can interweave cultural perspectives on water, but that is just a starting point in this new era of interweaving.”

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