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At the Parksville 2019 Symposium, DFO’s Nick Leone drew audience attention to the fact that 2019 is the International Year of the Salmon. This initiative has the potential to be a catalyst for outreach and research that inspires a new generation to ensure the resilience of salmon and people throughout the Northern Hemisphere, he said. “The International Year of the Salmon is not just about the fish. It is about us and our ability to adapt to change and resiliency,” stated Nick Leone. “Bring people together, share and develop knowledge, raise awareness and take action.”

“Has engineered stormwater doomed BC’s waterways? As population growth continues unrestrained and subsequent urban development expands the dimension of impervious surfaces, an increasing volume of polluted stormwater runoff will poison British Columbia’s waters, local species and natural ecosystems. It sounds like a doomsday prediction, and according to the keynote speaker at a recent provincial conference on water stewardship it’s going to take a major change in local government thinking to avert this disaster,” wrote George Le Masurier.

“The goal of making the world ‘less worse’ does not go far enough. Rather, we have it within our power to undo previous damage and make the world better,” stated Storm Cunningham. “The first step is to create an ongoing revitalization (or resilience) program, which constantly initiates, perpetuates, evaluates and adjusts local renewal efforts. The first job of that program is to facilitate a shared vision for the future. The second step is to create a strategy to implement that vision. Next, it’s best to do some policy work, adding policies to support that strategy, and removing policies that undermine it.”

“When those who wish to make the world a better place turn to big data and related breakthroughs in deeper communication in support of common understanding of issue such as water and water-related climate concerns, we find that we have arrived too late,’ stated Bob Sandford. “This space has already hijacked by the inevitable forces of power and greed. The public mind is already being heavily manipulated toward other ends. This is also why there has been a widespread resurgence of carefully orchestrated climate denial.”

“In embarking on the year-long journey to plan and deliver Parksville 2019, our vision and mission was to demonstrate the power of collaboration between the stewardship sector and local governments, and give folks hope that good things would flow from such collaboration,” stated Kim Stephens. “Hence, our main focus was on showcasing success stories that would be inspirational. At the same time, we had to bring to life the phrase ‘improve where we live through restorative development’. This meant that we had to connect the dots between the two ideas in order to demonstrate that some communities are moving beyond rhetoric.”

“The rhythms of water are changing in British Columbia. What happens on the land in the creekshed matters to streams – thus, the time has come to reconnect hydrology and ecology! Join delegates from the east coast of Vancouver Island and beyond, and attend a ‘watershed moment’ in Parksville,” stated John Finnie, Chair, Parksville 2019 Symposium Organizing Committee.

Join delegates from the east coast of Vancouver Island and beyond, and attend a ‘watershed moment’ in the City of Parksville for a field day followed by the 2-day symposium. “Delegates will learn how communities can apply science-based understanding to increase their restorative footprint and at the same time decrease their destructive footprint. Delegates will also learn about local government initiatives that are ‘getting it right’ and are moving along pathways that lead to restorative land development,” states Peter Law.

“Parksville 2019 is a milestone event on a multi-year ‘convening for action’ journey,” stated Kim Stephens. “The process is incremental. Each milestone builds on the last and points the way to the next. We do, we learn, we adapt. The ripple effects of the educational approach play out over time. Hence, the importance of ongoing reinforcement and reiteration of core concepts so that everyone understands the context, the goal, and what is necessary to achieve desired outcomes. Inform, educate and inspire those who are in a position to make a difference.”

“The Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia recently showed itself to be on the leading edge of watershed restoration by focusing a significant portion of their recent symposium on regional revitalization. I was asked to deliver most of that content to an audience that largely comprised Streamkeepers and other technical experts who do the on-the-ground work of restoring watersheds,” stated Storm Cunningham. Afterwards, he reflected on the connection between their work and community revitalization, and how making that connection could benefit their work.

Attract an audience balanced across sectors. Demonstrate the power of collaboration between the stewardship sector and local governments. Create an environment for sharing and cross-fertilizing experiences. Those were the objectives. “I just wanted to say thanks to you and everyone behind the great symposium! Great job!! It was an exciting few days, and I left feeling inspired and even somewhat empowered about finding ways to protect water. The importance of ecological services really hit home for me. There is lots of great work happening out there – thanks to all the organizers for bringing it all together,” said Laura Beckett,