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“Reconnect hydrology and ecology – what happens on the land in the creekshed matters to streams! That is the over-arching message for Day One of the symposium,’ states Paul Chapman of the Parksville 2019 Organizing Committee. “In opening the symposium, I will be reporting out on one of the substantial outcomes of the Nanaimo 2018 Symposium. Galvanized by what they learned, a diverse group of stewardship groups formed a ‘creekshed coalition’, united by water, before leaving the symposium.”

The opening presentation by Kim Stephens provides the bridge from the Nanaimo 2018 Symposium. “In leading off Module A, I will be looking back in order to look ahead. This means that I will re-cap the highlights from Nanaimo 2018 in order to frame expectations for Parksville 2019,” states Kim Stephens. “Three key messages from Nanaimo 2018 are: An informed and educated stewardship sector is a catalyst for action. Align efforts to re-establish creekshed function in the mid-Island region. Learn from those who are leading change. These takeaways also apply to Parksville 2019.”

“Each panel member has 5 minutes to tell his or her part of the panel storyline. The objective in ‘presenting at them’ is to prime the audience for town-hall interaction. Hence, the panel presentations must be streamlined and past-paced,” states Kim Stephens. “We want the audience to be champing at the bit to have a conversation to learn more. So, we are asking panel members to apply the Ignite format. The result will be a fast and fun set of presentations. For most speakers, having slides on a timer forces them to be far more concise and thoughtful than they would in any other format.”

“Stewardship groups have local knowledge about local water resources; and are the most invested and most connected to the land base. Participation in streamflow data collection is a way to educate them about creekshed hydrology, in particular correct data collection techniques and their importance for refining the water balance and understanding what the numbers mean. This would create understanding that would enhance their effectiveness as champions for reconnecting hydrology and ecology,” stated Neil Goeller.

“Opportunities to support continued dialogue, engagement and advancements in innovation across professional disciplines and jurisdictions engaged in water management, conservation and sustainability is of vital importance and genuine benefit,” states Nick Leone. “Going forward we will need to think and act more strategically to account for uncertainty through acknowledging what we don’t know, and variability in what we do know; and develop effective partnerships that get the vision right and produce sound strategies,” states Nick Leone. “

“The location of a new water intake site is a major piece of the water supply puzzle. The location is of interest to many in our community and First Nations have a traditional link to the river,” states Vaughan Figueira. “Using a sustainable approach weighing environmental, financial and social factors and in consultation with Department of Fisheries and Oceans, health authorities, provincial fisheries and regulators, the best location for a river intake is just above Highway 19.”

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.”

In the 1990s, Dr. Chris May’s seminal research defined the relationship between land use change and stream impacts. To protect and/or or restore stream ecology, and thereby achieve the goal of Sustainable Stream Restoration, communities must address the root causes of ‘changes in hydrology’ (water quantity). Chris May is both an environmental scientist and an engineer. He will open Parksville 2019 with a presentation titled The Science Behind the Whole-System, Water Balance Approach.