OUTREACH & AWARENESS RAISING FOR PARKSVILLE 2019 SYMPOSIUM: UBCM newsletter spreads the word to all local governments in British Columbia – “restorative land development results in sustainable stream restoration”
Note to Reader:
The article below is reproduced from the The Compass, the newsletter of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) in January 2019:
Water Stewardship Symposium in Parksville
Delegates at the Parksville 2019 Symposium will learn how local government partnerships with stewardship groups can be transformational and respond better to a changing climate. A field day on April 2 will be followed by a two day symposium about Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate on April 3-4.
The program brochure for the symposium is now available. The daily symposium themes are Sustainable Stream Restoration and Restorative Land Development. The over-arching message is that “restorative land development results in sustainable stream restoration”.
Why Restorative Development is Necessary
The way we have historically developed and drained land has disconnected hydrology from ecology. The consequences of this disconnect are more erosion and flooding, loss of baseflow and aquatic habitat, and an unfunded infrastructure liability for stream stabilization. The bottom-line is that decades of in-stream enhancement work will not be enduring if hydrological function is not restored. A goal of restorative land development is to restore the integrity of the natural water balance.
Storm Cunningham, author of The Restoration Economy and reWealth, is one of three prominent headline speakers from the United States who are part of the Parksville 2019 presentation team. He has been called “the world’s thought leader on community revitalization and natural resource restoration”. An evening lecture by Storm Cunningham is the bridge between the two symposium days. He will also close the symposium with an inspirational message. “Restoration comprises the largest new economic growth cycle since the beginning of the industrial revolution,” states Storm Cunningham.
Benefits in Reconnecting Hydrology & Ecology
Guided by a whole-system, water balance approach, restorative land development would: reconnect hydrology and ecology; reduce stream erosion, flooding and the associated infrastructure liability; increase the dry weather baseflow in streams; and stem the loss of aquatic habitat and fish.
A decade of effort on Vancouver Island, by partnerships of local governments and community stewards, is demonstrating success on the ground where it matters. They are on a pathway to reconnect hydrology and ecology. The Bowker Creek and Brooklyn Creek restoration stories, for example, are provincially significant precedents. Each has a long history. Each demonstrates how local government partnerships with stewardship groups can be transformational and ‘make where we live better’. These precedents represent a range of situations: Bowker in the urban heart of the Capital Region; Brooklyn in the suburban Comox Valley.
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. Designed to paint a picture of the field day and 2-day symposium, a series of announcements have delved into the details of the cascading program to inform, educate and establish expectations. 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
