SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED SYSTEMS, THROUGH ASSET MANAGEMENT: "We are looking at the water cycle with fresh eyes to develop new approaches, methodologies and tools," stated Kim Stephens in his keynote presentation to the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable (June 10, 2017)
Note to Reader:
On June 10, 2017, the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable convened a Community Meeting for the purposes of discussion about sustainable watershed management in the Lower Coquitlam River. The Roundtable invited Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, to make the keynote presentation. This provided an outreach opportunity for spreading the word regarding the vision for Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management.
What Happens on the Land Matters!
The keynote presentation was structured in two parts. In the first part, Kim Stephens talked about the Regional Team Approach and its relevance when describing the accomplishments of the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable.
In the second part of the keynote, Kim Stephens introduced the Roundtable audience to the Partnership for Water Sustainability’s vision for Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management.
Before speaking to these two themes, however, Kim Stephens connected the dots to the work of Ian McHarg a half-century earlier.
Ecosystem Resilience: Call to Action to
“Design with Nature”
“In 1967, Ian McHarg wrote Design with Nature. It was published in 1969. It is fascinating to read the Preface to the 25th anniversary edition because McHarg provides his reflections on what led him to write the book, and the state of understanding at that time.
“In 1967, wrote McHarg, science had not yet discovered the environment. This statement provides a perspective on how far WE have come in only 50 years.
To Learn More:
Click on What Happens on the Land Does Matter! – Moving Towards “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management” to download a PDF copy of the complete PowerPoint presentation by Kim Stephens.
Visit Coquitlam River Watershed Community Roundtable Meeting to learn about the event held on June 10, 2017.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW (34:23)
Sustainable Watershed Systems
Funded by the governments of Canada and British Columbia through 2018, the program for Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management is designed to bring state-of-the-art hydrology into engineering standard practice, explained Kim Stephens.
By proving out a methodology, added Kim Stephens, the program is setting the stage for integrating ‘watershed systems thinking’ and adaptation to a changing climate into Asset Management for Sustainability Service Delivery: A BC Framework.
