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Flux is a core technical concept, and one that Gilles Wendling stresses when making presentations. “In order to visualize the flux between the aquifers and the Englishman River under low summer flow conditions, we created a series of images,” he states. “In my experience, it is important to both remind and emphasize that an aquifer is NOT an underground lake. This fact is not necessarily understood by everyone. So we need to be clear that an aquifer simply consists of saturated layers of sand and gravel in the subsurface. The water is always moving.”

“Among many people who study these things, it’s a given that adopting a ‘whole-system, water balance’ approach to rainwater management and creekshed restoration is our best chance at both reestablishing healthy, ecologically sound waterways and mitigating the many impacts of climate change,” wrote Elizabeth Quayle. “One of the primary challenges local governments face is that there are often multiple organizational bodies operating across a single watershed, each with their own, misaligned, policies.”

“Sustainable water management is a central concern and focus of the work of FLNRORD, as we see the increasing effects of seasonal floods and drought that are predicted to increase as a result of a climate change,” stated Neil Goeller. “The 2019 water symposium will showcase approaches to land use planning, and maintenance and restoration of watershed function that can mitigate negative impacts, while drawing on the shared efforts of government and community to successfully face these challenges.”

“At Parksville 2019, the story of how a strong foundation of public outreach and science was built over the first decade will lead into a lively discussion on opportunities and emphasis for the next 10 years of water sustainability initiatives. It is the successful cultivation of awareness and data that will inform policy and planning in order to make better land and water decisions and tackle regional water issues in the next decade. The RDN is positioned to tackle regional water issues and help to create a vision to chart a new course to a sustainable water future,” states Julie Pisani.

“The issues around effective water management, and certainly as it pertains watershed planning and restoration efforts, aligns well with fisheries conservation and management considerations, including long-term water security and allocation, habitat productivity and ecosystem resiliency, and implications for Government and community-supported stock enhancement efforts,” stated Nick Leone. “Fostering improved partnerships, collaboration and data/information exchange, in addition to sharing of technical and management innovations is of particular importance .”

“Once upon a time, a conversation between an RDN Electoral Area Director and RDN staff resulted in a proposal to create a drinking water and watershed protection function and service area in the RDN Electoral Areas,” recalls John Finnie. “Subsequently, over 10 years ago, the Regional District of Nanaimo Board and Electoral Area residents supported a referendum to create this function.   Barely.  It was a challenging process and a very close decision, and could have been defeated. But the right decision was made.”

The way communities 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. “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,” stated Glen Brown, General Manager, UBCM Victoria Operations.

“With ongoing education, partnership and collaboration, we will positively transform people’s outlook to realize the connection wild Pacific salmon have with everything that is British Columbia,” stated Jim Shinkewski. “The Pacific Salmon Foundation is pleased to support this symposium as it is well connected to our mission of salmon conservation and watershed health. It is a good opportunity to empower the stewardship community to address current and future challenges related to a changing climate and to celebrate past accomplishments in this area.”

“Through innovative storm water management approaches in urban areas that mitigate the impacts of development on natural hydrology, the development community can play a strong role, but only with broader support of the community. Dialogue is the key to any strategy and this symposium creates the opportunity for discussions that create the energy, and understanding, in the community to provide direction to current and future policy makers,” stated Bill Derby.

“We are pleased to lend our support to the education and advancement of watershed stewardship on Vancouver Island through the efforts of local and provincial partners for the symposium in Parksville,” stated Nigel Gray, Principal Planner. “Environmental stewardship and natural systems based land development are key components to our approach to our land use planning and landscape architecture service areas. It is our hope that the Parksville 2019 Symposium will affect the further evolution of local policy development and regulatory frameworks in the mid-island region.”