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“There are lots of layers to this partnership and projects. Not only is there a transition strategy, but there are also the partnerships with the local governments plus integrating other grad students, There are so many different parts to EAP. And with each part you can go down a distinct pathway that helps local governments. And that is what Sam Gerrand has done in such a holistic way with his master’s thesis which moves EAP from a stream-by-stream approach to a regional scale,” stated Anna Lawrence.

“In late 1996, in came Erik Karlsen from the Province as the spokesperson for the first Fish Protection Act. He convened discussions with environmental, engineering and planning staff. Those were such fantastic discussions. There was a really good alignment and call to action on making streamside regulation work. It was a major advancement but a lot of stress as well. Streamside regulation was being portrayed as a huge land grab. There was a lot of back and forth to move from something that was site-specific to more of a hardline edict with the province,” stated Susan Haid.

“We can do a better job of this, and we know that is what we must do. It just takes somebody to come up with the idea for how to do it. And that is what the Partnership for Water Sustainability has done with the EAP methodology and metrics. EAP, the acronym for Ecological Accounting Process, is about maintenance and management (M&M) of stream corridor systems. The spotlight is on outcomes. EAP is cutting edge. It is innovative, very new and very unique. And it has the ability to really change the game. The framework that we have set up ensures this will happen,” stated Graham Sakaki.

BC Transit’s handyDART facility in the Town of View Royal is now home to young salmon and trout. “This is a joyful moment. It’s the reason we have the Salmon-Safe program ― to encourage land and water stewardship that help wild salmon thrive,” stated Theresa Fresco. The new stream has riffles and pools, as well as purposely placed rocks, logs and weirs that break up the water flow, introduce oxygen to the water, and reduce stream bank erosion. The stream has also created a wildlife corridor connecting to the forest along Craigflower Creek.

“The Tatalu is 30 kilometres long and another of Metro Vancouver’s most productive salmon streams. Underneath, an aquifer plays an essential role in regulating the river’s levels and temperature. Soon, much of it could be covered with cement and asphalt and the river constrained by a commercial/ industrial development following a recent decision by Metro to extend Surrey’s urban containment boundary. It is one step away from being developed as a commercial and industrial centre,” stated Daphne Bramham.

Kim Hyatt made significant contributions to DFO in significant and lasting ways, including his work on the Wild Salmon Policy, advice relating to salmon restoration and recovery under the Columbia River Treaty and climate change impacts to salmon populations. His passion for discovery and excitement for innovation resulted in a number of long-standing relationships with First Nations and external organizations—relationships that Kim built on trust, commitment, and honest communication.

“Protection of salmon and their habitat from the adverse impacts of urban development is a challenging task that requires an all-of-government response. Findings from this research highlight the variable involvement and guidance provided from the higher levels of government in Canada. As one expert noted, the province must provide more clarity on direct regulatory obligations which have compliance initiatives in place to enforce them. Inadequate statutory foundations and enforcement of current regulations have only hindered the implementation of nature-based solutions to protect salmon in cities,” stated Andrea McDonald.

“According to the federal, provincial, and local government employees and the stewardship group volunteers I interviewed for my Masters research, data collection is currently siloed and unorganized. Many people are collecting essentially the same data, but because there’s very little communication and data sharing going on between them, it means a lot of duplicated efforts, which is a huge waste of resources given that monitoring is often time consuming and expensive to conduct,” stated Nikki Kroetsch.

EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, satisfies a local government need for a financial methodology and metrics for valuation of ecological assets. Most importantly, EAP interweaves the financial, social and ecological perspectives within a single number. This number is defined as the Natural Commons Asset (NCA) value. The end goal is an annual budget for ‘maintenance and management’ of stream systems. The NCA value puts the discussion of natural assets (stream systems) on an equal footing with constructed assets (physical infrastructure).

“EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, provides local governments with a tool to establish benchmarks for maintenance and management of stream corridor systems in the built environment. The Partnership’s desired outcome is that local governments would apply the EAP methodology and metrics to determine real numbers for budget planning purposes. Then inter-departmental conversations would have a starting point for operationalizing M&M of natural assets within Asset Management Plans,” stated Kim Stephens.