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    CONVENING FOR ACTION IN THE COWICHAN REGION: “What is possible for climate resiliency in the Cowichan? We are at this really unique moment in our community about what is possible, how do we drive it, who is going to drive it,” stated Cindy Lise, co-lead for the Cowichan Climate Gathering, a collaborative initiative for collective impact


    “I have been doing collective impact work in the community for more than 10 years. It takes time, it really does. It is only NOW that it is really starting to have a profound impact on some of the other initiatives that we are doing. It is really hard to do really hard work unless you trust and have a relationship with the people doing the work.We know it takes a sustained effort and a sustained backbone or people at the helm to drive it. And so, for this big climate gathering piece, we are at hello! But some of the work behind it is decades in,” stated Cindy Lise.

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    COWICHAN REGION CLIMATE GATHERING IN DECEMBER 2024: “The network of networks within the Cowichan region is like a forest ecosystem in a way. There are connections happening in these networks that are beyond what we can fully characterize,” stated Keith Lawrence, lead person from the Cowichan Valley Regional District and co-moderator


    “I see myself as merely a narrator speaking about a shared experience that we all had in planning the Cowichan Region Climate Gathering. We just know that ultimately, the network of networks can help us to work together towards a common vision,” stated Keith Lawrence. “It was recognized from the beginning how important it would be to ground the event in the traditional ways of the local First Nations communities and people in the region. And we recognized that we needed to have this big space discussion about climate action to connect a network of networks within the region.”

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    GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “Inter-regional collaboration allows us to support each other in addressing problems that transcend boundaries,” stated Zoe Norcross-Nu’u, Comox Lake Watershed Protection Coordinator


    “When the regional districts on the east coast of Vancouver Island present a united front, it is so much stronger than us trying to speak as an individual local government, especially for a small one within a larger provincial context when you are one among many. In a provincial context, we are just one tiny voice. Coming together as neighbouring regional governments has strengthened our relationships and increased inter-regional communication and sharing of methodologies, ideas, strategies and information–all our communities are benefitting!” stated Zoe Norcross-Nu’u.

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    GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “It is exciting to follow the work of the British Columbia Partnership for Water Sustainability and see how their approach exemplifies network leadership as I have conceptualized it. Their success is so similar to what I have seen in my research,” stated Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern of the University of California at Berkeley


    “The network emerges around a common goal, rather than a particular program or organizational model. The community mobilizes the resources from throughout the networ based on existing relationships Once a network is up and running and proves itself to be effective, it becomes the primary vehicle for change, rather than the individual organizations themselves. Once you put committed people in a room together and build trust amongst them, and allow them to experiment and learn, that is when amazing and wonderful things happen,” stated Jane Wei-Skillern.

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    A VISION WITH A TASK IS THE HOPE OF THE WORLD: “Honouring of Jody Watson with the 2023 Watershed Moments Award is both timely and a great example how one individual with a long term vision and determination can make a difference,” stated Eric Bonham at the Partnership for Water Sustainability Forum held in Nanaimo (October 2023)


    “Early in her career, Jody Watson realized the importance and value of local government-community relationships built upon mutual trust, respect and common purpose. In her role as Supervisor of Environmental Initiatives, Jody has emphasized collaboration and teamwork at every opportunity. Creative community partnerships are being forged to address changing circumstances. An able communicator and mentor who ‘walks her talk’, Jody is both a visionary and a pragmatist, for the vision and task are equally important, and that is what makes the difference,” stated Eric Bonham.

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    BRING SCIENCE INSIDE LOCAL GOVERNMENT: “The job of a scientist is to provide the best advice to help people make a good decision,” stated Dr. Dave Preikshot, Senior Environmental Specialist with the Municipality of North Cowichan


    “Scientists walk that tightrope between being overly reactive or not bringing the appropriate dynamics to bear on a situation. That is the debate in so many policy decisions which ultimately are up to senior managers, politicians and the public to make. Hopefully, scientists can provide information that helps. I believe that scientists need to talk to politicians, managers, and community members. However, it is really hard to keep everybody interested over the long term that characterizes ecosystem management questions. That is a challenge I face,” stated Dr. Dave Preikshot.

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    BLUE ECOLOGY IS A PATHWAY TO WATER RECONCILIATION: “Rather than wondering how much more can we take or impact land before we need to stop, instead we should ask how much longer should we let the water and land heal, before we ask for more,” stated Michael Blackstock (September 2023)


    The Blue Ecology video documentary seeds the idea that hope lies within the spheres of influence for local governments, whether Indigenous OR non-Indigenous. At its heart, Blue Ecology is about taking responsibility for care of the land and passing on the intergenerational baton. The video also seeds the idea that making it so requires a change in attitude to achieve the five Blue Ecology principles – Spirit, Balance, Harmony, Respect, Unity. The primary audience is local government. The Watershed Moments goal is to help remove their fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.

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    PARTNERSHIP FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY PASSES ECOLOGICAL ACOUNTING BATON TO VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY: “I just wish that partnerships like this existed among all research projects. Unfortunately, they do not,” stated Graham Sakaki, Regional Research Institute Manager


    “There are lots of partnerships that exist for selfish reasons. But the EAP Partnership is selfless, and from all angles. It is a leap of faith for member local governments. Partnership for Water Sustainability commitment to passing the baton is unwavering. The EAP Partnership was set up in a really unique, really valuable and viable way right from the beginning. The Partnership for Water Sustainability made the connections to the three local governments. Vancouver Island University, as a smaller university, is very focused on applied research and community engagement. This is a good fit for the EAP mission,” stated Graham Sakaki.

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    MOVING TOWARDS WATER BALANCE: “Budgets can be aligned with best practices, ecological know-how and boots in the stream to steward the critical infrastructure that is our watersheds,” stated Paul Chapman, Executive Director, Nanaimo & Area Land Trust


    “Our discussions lead to an expanded common vocabulary. Sustainable Service Delivery, Eco-Assets and Eco-Asset Management, the Ecological Accounting Process, Municipal Natural Asset Inventory, Riparian Deficit, and watershed stewardship are some of the words in our new common tongue. The rabid environmentalist, the cold-hearted accountant and the aloof engineer could come together and focus on a common goal – Water Balance. At a very key level, it is about our relationship with water and with each other. We design and build our communities based on our relationship to water,” stated Paul Chapman.

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    MOVING TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE COMOX VALLEY: “Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery is much more than setting some money aside for infrastructure replacement. It must be a comprehensive and integrated approach that links the past, present and future,” stated Geoff Garbutt, City of Manager, City of Courtenay


    “In my mind, the phrase Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery is a euphemism for make the right decisions, think about the future, and then take action. It has got to evolve because the future is NOT the past. We also need to adapt moving forward. So, that means Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery has got to reflect where the community is going as well. If you are only going to make decisions that maintain your assets as they are, that is insufficient. The process needs to evolve to meet the community’s changing needs,” stated Geoff Garbutt.

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