DOWNLOAD PROGRAM HERE for “Convening for Action in Nanaimo” at a 2-day water stewardship flagship event (April 11-12, 2018): Field Trip, Public Lecture & Symposium
What Do You Wonder?
The symposium is an outreach and professional development event, held under the umbrella of the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative, and is designed to foster a conversation in the Nanaimo Region about “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management”.
To Learn More:
Download a copy of the latest version of the PROGRAM BROCHURE
To register, visit https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/event/2018/Nanaimo-Water-Symposium
Field Trip to Buttertubs Marsh and 5-Acres Farm
Join the City of Nanaimo and the Nature Trust of British Columbia on a tour of Buttertubs Marsh that will trace the history of this special place and the growing stewardship legacy developing here. Several projects and initiatives are currently underway, including a study on determining the financial value of the marsh as a community asset.
The five-acre farm located in Harewood is the last farm of BC’s first agricultural community plan, an historic and innovative plan unique to Nanaimo. Today, this farm supports many values that are important to Nanaimo: historical, agricultural-food security, creative employment and environmental values.
Public Lecture – “The Hard Work of Hope”
Renowned author and speaker Bob Sandford, EPCOR Chair for Water & Climate Security at the United Nations University, will set the tone for the symposium. At a public lecture on the evening of April 11, his inspirational message will be a call to action.
The Hard Work of Hope, the latest book by Bob Sandford and co-author Jon O’Riordan, seeks to develop effective solutions to the growing urgency for global action on climate change. It builds on events that have transpired since the Paris Agreement in December 2015.
Stewardship Context & Program Overview for Symposium on Day 2
Context is important. In the 1990s, the first streamkeeper groups were formed in British Columbia. They had an immediate impact. They galvanized government into action.
A landmark success story was the Urban Salmon Habitat Program. It forged relationships between local governments and stewardship groups. This helped to set in motion a provincial ‘whole-system, water balance’ journey that continues to this day.
“Fast forward to the present. Anecdotal evidence suggests a groundswell of heightened awareness of the watershed context for “the creek that flows through my backyard”. Awareness is translating into involvement and empowerment to make a difference,” observes Derek Richmond, a Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, and Past-Chair (2011-2016) of CAVI-Covening for Action on Vancouver Island.
