Parksville 2019 on YouTube > Beacons of Hope on Vancouver Island – “Bowker and Brooklyn creek restoration success stories are provincially significant precedents. Inspirational in scope, each has a long history,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, in his context presentation for the afternoon session on Day Two of the Symposium (April 2019)
Note to Reader:
The Parksville 2019 Symposium has been captured in its entirety in a comprehensive set of videos that have been uploaded to the Partnership for Water Sustainability’s YouTube Channel for ease of access by those who are curious and/or interested to learn about what transpired on April 2-3-4 in Parksville, British Columbia.
Because memories are short, each morning and afternoon session kicked off with a context presentation by Kim Stephens. These set the scene for what was to come, while at the same time reminding delegates of the big picture.
Module C on the afternoon of Day Two was titled ‘Moving Towards Restorative Development’. It featured two Vancouver Island restoration case studies that are “beacons of hope” – Bowker Creek in the Capital Regional District and Brooklyn Creek in the Comox Valley.
In providing an overview of the two case studies, Kim Stephens quoted Jody Watson to set the context for the afternoon session: “Our collective ‘baseline’ or memory of what a healthy creek should look like has shifted significantly,” says Jody Watson. “In Bowker Creek we are changing the way we develop our land by attempting to re-engineer the hydrological function back into our urban landscape. We are, in some ways, cultivating a new land ethic.”
The presentation by Kim Stephens was titled BEACONS OF HOPE: Bowker & Brooklyn Restoration Success Stories are Inspirational. View the 12-minute video clip that is posted on YouTube:
What Do You Wonder?
The story of Parksville 2019 is told in a magazine-style narrative titled “RE-CAP AND REFLECTIONS”.
The “re-cap and reflections” document was written for two audiences – first and foremost, for those who attended Parksville 2019 and wish to have an accessible and quotable reference document at their fingertips, so that they can share the story with others; and secondarily, for those who have heard about Parksville 2019 and are curious to learn more about the ‘story behind the story’, so that they may understand why this event represents a watershed moment for so many who were there.
About Parksville 2019
Close to 200 delegates attended this 3-day event. Parksville 2019 comprised a field day followed by a 2-day symposium. The program objectives for Parksville 2019 helped to inform and establish expectations. It was a matter of providing context and then being clear and succinct about the desired takeaways.
To provide relevance for streamkeepers, the theme for Day One was Sustainable Stream Restoration. To capture the attention of those in local government, the theme for Day Two was Restorative Land Development.
To Learn More:
Download a PDF copy of the Re-Cap and Reflections document at: https://waterbucket.ca/viw/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/05/Parksville-Symposium_re-cap-and-reflections_May2019.pdf
Download a PDF copy of the presentation by Kim Stephens titled BEACONS OF HOPE: Bowker & Brooklyn Restoration Success Stories are Inspirational.
