AT PARKSVILLE 2019: On April 4, the theme for Day Two of the Symposium on Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate is RESTORATIVE LAND DEVELOPMENT >>> “Yes, we can decrease our destructive footprint while at the same time increasing our restorative footprint!” (REGISTRATION NOW OPEN)
Note to Reader:
Everywhere one turns these days, some form of the words “renewal”, “restoration” or “regeneration” appear. Storm Cunningham was the catalyst of that global “re” trend when he published The Restoration Economy in 
2002. This was followed by reWealth in 2008. Coming in 2019 is his third book, RECONOMICS: The Rise of Resilient Prosperity.
In The Restoration Economy, Storm Cunningham included a working definition of restorative development as follows: the process of adding new value to natural or built assets, ideally in a manner that detracts neither from their other preexisting values, nor from the value of other assets.
Storm Cunningham’s books are meant to launch a new dialogue, not to resolve or end one. He believes that we need to start talking about, thinking about, and researching the “whole” created by the myriad activities that are already restoring our built and natural environments worldwide.
At the Parksville 2019 Symposium, Storm Cunningham will deliver a FREE public lecture to provide the bridge between the first and second days of this watershed moment. He will close Parksville 2019 with an inspirational message based on what he has learned about Vancouver Island initiatives.
Four Cascading Modules
The April 4th program on Restorative Land Development comprises four cascading modules. Each builds on the last, and each sets the stage for the next.
In Module A, the spotlight is on the Regional District of Nanaimo’s Drinking Water & Watershed Protection Program (DWWP). Ten years ago, the RDN embarked on delivering a service never before established by a Regional District in BC. The first decade of the Plan (2009-2018) built a strong foundation of public outreach and science. In 2019, the RDN is updating their Action Plan for DWWP to incorporate learnings from the implementation thus far, and integrate elements that will be the focus of an actionable vision for the next decade and more.
In Module B, a 5-person panel will engage participants in a Town-Hall Session titled Make Where We Live Better. The panel will build on Module A’s “actionable vision” theme, and will prime the audience for the the town-hall segment by sharing vignettes about success stories in four regional districts along the east coast of Vancouver Island. Inspirational in scope, these long-term and emerging initiatives demonstrate what is achievable when there is a restoration imperative. The town-hall segment will focus on how the lessons learned to date might inform the RDN’s DWWP Action Plan update.
Module C will showcase two long-term initiatives that represent a range of situations: Bowker in the urban heart of the Capital Region; Brooklyn in the suburban Comox Valley. They are beacons of hope. Degraded over generations, and buried for much of its length, Bowker restoration demonstrates how a good strategy is the path to success. Implementation is approaching the second decade and is bringing the creek back to life. Situated within the Town of Comox, the lower Brooklyn Creek Corridor is a regional amenity destination. Lessons learned from the Brooklyn experience are informing implementation of a whole-system, water balance strategy for development that protects and enhances the package of ecological services made possible by the hydrology.
In Module D, Storm Cunningham will reflect on what he heard throughout the 2-day symposium. He will connect dots when he relates Vancouver Island initiatives to the essential ingredients for restorative land development: a vision, strategy to deliver the vision, and commitment to implement an ongoing program. He will emphasize that the process of restoring our planet and revitalizing our communities is becoming a rigorous discipline, with the proper education and tools.
In January 2019, a detailed Agenda will be released for April 4. A set of detailed Abstracts will flesh out the scope and expectations for each module, and will include information about speakers.
TO LEARN MORE:
For the complete storyline, download the PARKSVILLE 2019 BROCHURE. This is a comprehensive package that maps out the field day plus 2-day symposium. To read two announcements published in November 2018, click on the links below:
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO REGISTER: https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/event/2019/Parksville-Water-Stewardship-Symposium JOIN US IN PARKSVILLE ON APRIL 2-3-4
