YOUTUBE VIDEO: “Learn from the past, gain an understanding of tools to help guide new development and new processes for a future for streams, salmon and stewards,” stated Zo Ann Morten in her co-keynote call to action at the Nanaimo Water Stewardship Symposium
Note to Reader:
The Nanaimo Water Stewardship Symposium has been captured in its entirety in a set of five videos that have been uploaded to YouTube for ease of access by those who are curious and/or interested to learn about what transpired on April 11-12 in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Or simply refresh their memories. The individual presentations have been uploaded separately.
In her co-keynote presentation, Zo Ann Morten (Executive Director of the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation) reflected on the role stewardship groups have played since the early 1990s, as advocates for stream-protection, collaborating with decision-makers and providing important on-the-stream observations and actions.
Evolving Role of the Freshwater Stewardship Sector in BC
“After listening to Bob Sanford (public lecture) and Kim Stephens, I find myself simultaneously depressed and uplifted. A little depressed at the situation the world is in, but at the same time uplifted that at least we know a bit about our past, where we are now and maybe even a bit about where we are going and how to improve our fate,” stated Zo Ann Morten in her opening comments.
“But mainly I feel uplifted because of you, yep YOU! Because of the power of the people, you care so others care. Starting in our home spaces and then stretching out into community, nationally and for some of you internationally, you have helped encourage people to change, to look around them and get curious as to the natural world and what she has to offer.
“Kim Stephens spoke to the Coho crisis of the 1990’s and the shift in thinking at that time. While my talk is to be on the history of stewardship I needed a starting point in time and so I have chosen this same timeframe.
Collective Action
“But let’s go back for a moment to you, you as an individual and you as a collective,” continued Zo Ann Morten. “It is my firm belief that government cares about fish and fish habitat, because you do, and because you are quite vocal about it.
“Not in the ‘chicken little’ the sky is falling, we are all doomed kind of way, but with a balanced approach. We now come from a place where we have the educational, science-based understanding of our environment, of our watersheds and how we can support the life that is struggling to survive within them.”
To Learn More:
To view the complete presentation by Zo Nnn Morten, click on the link to YouTube.
Download a copy of Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate: Convening for Action at the 2018 Nanaimo Water Symposium
