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TRANSCRIPT
Evergreen’s
Urban Watersheds Forum 2014
Connecting watershed stewards in BC’s Lower Mainland
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This program is made possible by our funders:
And our partners:
Evergreen is a national non-profit working to inspire action to green cities. We believe we can solve even the most pressing urban environmental issues by bringing diverse people together, inspiring them with possibilities and engaging them in identifying solutions and taking action. The need has never been more urgent.
To help create greener, more sustainable cities, we focus on four key areas: Children and Nature, Food, CityWorks and Greenspace.
As part of our Greenspace initiatives, we are proud to deliver the Uncover Your Creeks program. A regional watershed education program designed to connect communities with nature and one another through hands-on watershed restoration and dialogue.
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“My favourite part of the forum was the opportunity to hear from and connect with watershed stewards from around Metro Vancouver.” – Forum participant
Why an urban watersheds forum?
Through Uncover Your Creeks and other programs, Evergreen is fortunate to work
with municipalities, academic institutions, First Nations, non-profits and volunteers
from around the region.
When we started digging into watersheds in the Lower Mainland, we were shocked
and thrilled at the amount of stewardship of varied scope and scale taking place.
It became apparent that dedicated, skilled, knowledgeable stewards from around
the region were lacking opportunity to tell others about their work. The objective of
the 2014 Urban Watersheds Forum was to fill that communication gap with
dialogue, a needs and yields assessment and a Regional Stewardship Map.
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The information collected through the activities is presented in this report.
The forum activities were intended to provide as many opportunities as
possible for sharing information. The forum took place over two days – one
day dedicated to dialogue and the second to a field trip to local restoration
sites.
Day 1:
• Traditional welcome from Shamentsut Slhanay from Squamish Nation
• Themed Information
• Open Space dialogue sessions to answer burning questions
• Keynote address from DG Blair, Director of the Stewardship Centre for BC
• Pecha Kucha-style stories from
• Carmen Rosen, Artistic Director, Still Moon Arts Society
• Aliya Dossa, Youth4Tap Co-Founder
• Sarah Primeau, Landscape Architect, space2place landscape
architects
• Diana Eddowes, Program Manager, Earthwatch
Day 2:
• Field Trip to Creekway Park and Lower MacKay estuary
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“It was great to hear thoughts from such a wide range of people and disciplines.” –Forum participant
Who was there?
The highest value of the forum was held in the participants themselves. Watershed stewards joined us from across the Lower Mainland, sharing their experience, perspective and passion. Stewards came from across sectors, watersheds and municipalities.
With representation from:
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers
Fraser Basin Council
WWF Canada
City Park Stewards Volunteer
Douglas College
SFU
UBC, IRES, SCARP
Metro Vancouver
City of Vancouver
Langley Environmental Partners
City of Burnaby
Community Mapping Network
Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust
Institute for Urban Ecology
David Suzuki Foundation
Instream Fisheries Research Inc.
City of North Vancouver
Seymour Salmonid Society
Tri-City Green Council
Georgia Strait Alliance
City of Coquitlam
Youth 4 Tap
City of Surrey
Port Moody Ecological Society
False Creek Watershed Society
St. George Rainway
BCIT
BCSEA
Connecting Environmental
Professionals
Jericho Stewardship Group
Stewardship Centre for BC
South Coast Conservation Program
Stoney Creek Environment
Committee
Canadian Freshwater Alliance
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Diving into Urban WatershedsTo maximize opportunity for small group conversation and to allow participants to delve into some pressing urban watershed issues, participants rotated through themed stations. At each station, participants engaged in a different activity designed to provoke dialogue and action and directed by a skilled volunteer. The themes were Climate Adaptation, Diverse Urban Ecosystems, Health and Watershed Consciousness, Citizen Science and Watershed Research, Urban Water Managementand Stewardship.
The information collected at each of the stations is presented in the following pages.
It is intended to illustrate the concerns, questions, opportunities and challenges held by watershed stewards from around the Lower Mainland. You can see some of the major themes that arose from these conversations on page X.
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Station 1: Climate Adaptation
Innovation in the City“One way make adapting
to climate change smoother is to improve communication between
experts and communities.” - Forum
participant
Globally, different climatic zones will be affected by climate change in
different ways, but locally there are predicted impacts we can expect. The
extent to which these impacts will affect us – their intensity and duration - is
not known. We can, however, plan to build resilient communities that can
withstand the predicted impacts.
We asked participants to visit a list of predicted impacts of climate change in
Lower Mainland watersheds and respond with ways to adapt to each impact.
What became apparent is that many potential adaptations would increase
our resilience with respect to multiple impacts. Below and on the following
page, responses have been summarized into the most innovative adaptations
and the most frequently suggested, respectively.
ImpactsSea Level Rise
Extreme High and Low Flows
Less Snow Cover
Warmer summers and
winters
Wetter fall and winter
Drier spring and summer
More frost-free days
Change in flora and fauna
Toward resilience
Innovative AdaptationsRainwater catchments
Site-specific runoff targets
Assisted migration of native plants
Passive energy in homes
Permaculture practices for land use
New ways to share information and
communicate
Carbon and Water pricing and
taxation
Stormwater hydroelectricity7
Population
Growth
Land use
variability
Sea Level Rise
Basic Human
Needs
Climate Change
Need for connection
with people and
nature
Amount of
water on
earth
Weather
Limited Funds
Differing
values
Urban space
and paved
surfaces
Lost species
and habitat
Size of
watersheds
Natural Disasters
Laws of Nature
Change is
constant
Municipal leadership Water use
Responsible waste disposal
Daylighting and restoration
Civic Engagement
Emergency Preparedness
Willingness to change
Species at Risk
Value of culture
Education and awareness
Share best practices
Social Media as a tool
Black and Grey water separation
Community Art
Environmental injustice
Holistic communities
Citizen Science
VoteTap
water
Local
campaigns
Be a steward
Accept risk, support innovation
Native
plant
gardens
Advocacy
Water
re-use Water
conservation
Education and
awareness
Rainwater
collection
What are the elements of urban
watershed management that
cannot be changed?
What influence
can communities
have?
What influence
can individuals
have?
Station 2:Diverse Urban Ecosystems
Connection in the urban sphere
We asked participants to share with us the things they value. What we
learned was that diversity – of the biological, social and economic worlds
- makes a healthy urban system.
We learned that watershed stewards in BC’s Lower Mainland prioritize
seven aspects of urban systems and feel connected to the system
through a variety of activities, interactions and opportunities.
Education• Local ecological
knowledge
• Nature
Interpretation
Nature in the City• Access and proximity
• Recreation
• Visible water and streams
• Human connection to
nature
Human and Environmental
Health• Adequate, clean water supply
for humans and environment
• Clean air
• Healthy local food
• Functioning forest systems
Biodiversity• Intact, resilient
ecosystems and habitat
• Wildlife
• Healthy soil
• Wetlands and natural
stormwater attenuation
Spirituality• Peace, quiet and
clarity
• Calm
• Source of life
Community
Connection• Inclusive, engaged,
responsible citizens
• Family and friends
• Diverse community
resources
• Art and creativity9
What are our common values?
Naturally, when we asked participants to
value things, the conversation eventually
moved toward the economy; how can we
place a dollar value on ecosystems,
relationships, spirituality and health? Or should
we at all?
There were some unifying themes in the
discussion. We’ve posed those themes here as
questions that we invite you to consider in the
context of your organization, community or
watershed.
• Is it possible to place a value on nature?
• What is the cost of pollution? Can we put a
dollar value on it?
• What is the difference between cost and
value?
• How much, if anything, are we willing to pay
for a healthy environment?
• What do things like reduced ecosystem
services and privatization of water utilities
mean for the future of our urban
watersheds?
• What is the value of uninterrupted habitat?
• What links exist between monetizing
ecosystems and our health?
• Does reduced access to nature threaten
our spirituality and culture?
• Does placing a monetary value on nature
lead to its commodification?
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Station 3: Health and Watershed Consciousness
Interacting with our watersheds
Watershed consciousness can mean different things to different people; to Evergreen it means …
• Intellectual and spiritual awareness of
watersheds and how they are connected to our well being
• Relationship between watersheds and humans now compared to before urban development
• Our experience and interaction with watersheds within and outside our cities
Our connection to watersheds is often linked to our health. It’s been shown that we can gain health benefits from interacting with healthy natural spaces. For example, in Japan, patients are prescribed walks in the forest – or forest therapy – to improve their physical and mental health.
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“My watershed connects people to place.” Mark Sloat, City of Burnaby
We asked participants to draw their interaction with their watershed today contrasted with their interaction with their watershed in 50 years.
The results showed a creative, informed, innovative and passionate citizenry who acknowledged ecological, social and economic aspects of a healthy watershed and, based on what we have the power to do in our cities, predicted some of the ways our watersheds might be different in the future.
Some common visions for the future included:
• Incorporating green space for humans and animals into urban environments
• Reducing pollution
• Reconnecting habitat; and
• Maintaining clean drinking water sources.
Participants expressed the need for innovative problem solving, public education and engagement and accurate valuation of water as an ecological good.
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Station 4: Citizen Science and Watershed Research
What do the data say?
As watershed champions we are all familiar with how critical watersheds are to communities, cities, fisheries, agriculture and industry. Ongoing research helps us understand what we can do to prioritize watershed health and function. By including community members in local research initiatives, they gain a better understanding and connection with their watersheds.
We asked participants to
imagine the current state of their watershed and brainstorm its strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and obstacles they have encountered or might encounter. You can see the results on the following page.
What role do researchers and
citizen scientists play in capitalizing on these strengths and opportunities? And addressing these weaknesses and obstacles?
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Station 5: Urban Water Management
What’s your role?
In Metro Vancouver, “Traditionally, stormwater management dealt mainly
with conveying the excess runoff through a drainage system to the nearest
waterway. Today, stormwater management is evolving to integrate
stormwater infrastructure planning with relevant municipal planning
processes - such as Official Community Plans, Neighbourhood Concept
Plans, recreation and parks plans, and even strategic transportation plans -
to address impacts of rainwater on community values.” –Metro Vancouver
At station 5, we asked participants to share with us the types of influence they
have, as individuals and members of communities, over urban water
management. Consider the responses on the following page – is the same true
in your watershed?15
# o
f R
efe
ren
ce
s to
Ad
ap
atio
n
Potential adaptations to predicted climate changes in
Metro Vancouver
Water ConservationReduce Impermeable
SurfacesNaturalize waterways and shorelines
Capture rainwater in barrels,
catchments and rain gardensConstruct and restore natural and
stormwater wetlandsInvasive species management
Residential greywater useXeriscaping
Improved legislation for stormwater management including infrastructure
upgrades
Limit development in floodplains and other sensitive areas
Critical Environmental Flows
Station 6: Stewardship Map
Action and collaboration in the community
At the Forum, participants shared information about their projects,
organizations and watersheds; we put all of that information on a map.
Missed out adding your project or organization? Want to edit your
contribution? You can do that – just click here to visit the map.
The Uncover Your Creeks collaborative online space is where watershed
stewards, volunteers, neighbours and seekers of information can learn
about urban watersheds, initiatives in the Lower Mainland and how they
can get involved. You can visit us at www.uncoveryourcreeks.ca.
I live in the ___________ ____________ watershed.17
The power of community in the city
Through the station activities, watershed stewards from around the Lower Mainland shared
their thoughts on some of the most pressing urban issues today. Many noteworthy questions, conversation points and concerns were expressed and captured through each of the activities, which demonstrate that, as a group, citizens of the Lower Mainland have a thorough understanding of urban watersheds and what their future could look like.
Some of the broad-scale ideas that arose across themes included:
Deep concern for future of ecosystems and human health in urban watersheds.
Desire for innovative solutions to pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change, conservation and habitat preservation at the household, neighbourhood, municipal and regional scales.
Desire to gain and share more information and encourage an informed, engaged, active citizenry in the Lower Mainland.
Yearning for meaningful interactions with nature for health, recreation and spirituality.
A need to combine intact and resilient ecosystems with long-lasting infrastructure
A desire to utilize and support the art community for engagement and awareness
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Over the day and a half of
the Urban Watersheds Forum, many connections, commonalities and opportunities to work together were identified.
On the other hand, the
problems we face in our
watersheds remained. The Open Space session allowed participants to bring forward issues they wanted to address in a safe, collaborative and constructive conversation; it allowed them to build on what they had uncovered during morning activities with more in-depth explorations into important topics.
Open space works by the
participants creating the
agenda and hosting conversations. An empty schedule is provided and the spaces populated with the most pressing issues in the room.
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Defining problems and generating solutions:
Open Space conversations
The participant-generated and lead conversations varied widely.
Summary points indicate the key aspects of each conversation:
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Indigenous/”decolonial” planning1. Importance of relationship building
2. Indigenous communities must develop the process in collaboration from
the start, not just be invited later or not at all
3. Decolonization + planning = recognizing that people are gaining from
the theft of lands
Water metering1. Water pricing should reflect actual costs and encourage conservation
2. Water metering is essential as a first step in raising water consciousness
3. Make water usage information more relevant, frequent and able to
encourage a change in behaviour
Building the water movement1. Conservation pricing as part of the Water Sustainability Act
2. Makre sure watershed-scale groups are doing the planning
3. Need more education and outreach in public space
How to encourage environmentalism in youth1. Educate about the full urban water cycle
2. Talk about tough issues early
3. Innovative engagement strategies
Communication and community involvement1. Casual human interactions to build community
2. Beauty and fun to motivate involvement and connections
3. Move beyond fear-based culture and legislation
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Open space conversation summaries, continued:
Incentivising and encouraging green infrastructure (2 conversations)1. Encouraging with financial incentives
2. More education and communication to public, developers and politicians
about multifunctional value
3. Establish more collaborative partnerships (e.g., academia and gov’t)
Water quality sampling1. Need for collective group to assess data and determine parameters
2. Explore validity of citizen science
3. What happens to the data??
The Economic Value of Natural Systems1. Potential to establish a value system for natural resources like air and water
2. Required global shift in perspective allowing natural systems to be viewed as
critical
3. Low recognition between health and well-being and healthy natural
systems. How to link actions, ecosystems and health?
Making watersheds a top priority for municipalities1. Creating one resounding voice from the community
2. Meaningful community engagement in OCP and ISMP processes
3. Follow through on (ISMP) plans with accountability to community
“The forum was not limited to those with existing knowledge.” – Forum participant
At the forum, we asked participants
to share with us their Needs and Yields. Needs are the things they’re looking for to be successful or push their project or organization to the next step – e.g., reach more volunteers, create partnerships, educate a broader group. Yields are the things they can offer – e.g., social media expertise, monitoring skills, coordination capacity. Needs
and yields were shared with participants. You can see some examples from the forum below.
We all make contributions to our
watersheds. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge and share your strengths, resources and skills with the community. Need something? Ask your neighbour or fellow steward, visit the stewardship map, resource library, or contact us and we can do our best to help you or connect you with someone who can!
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What I need to do my work better…
Funding for Citizen Science
Network of stewards in Fraser Basin
Internship on Watershed governance
Map of Metro Vancouver Watersheds
Less red tape at City Hall to activate
climate adaptation initiatives
Community support for budget
changes for daylighting
Stronger relationship with municipality
What I have to offer…
Species at Risk stewardship
Watershed Management Plans
Facilitation Skills
Volunteers, water sampling equipment,
tools and resources
Social Media expertise
Freshwater health assessments
Creativity and art linked to watershed
awareness
To bring context to our Day 1 dialogue and to get everyone outside, we visited
two of Metro Vancouver’s most recently restored urban stream systems.
Our first stop was Creekway Park with Nick Page from the Vancouver Park
Board. We learned that the restored stream is the first phase of a project
intending to meet the social, environmental and cultural needs of the
community. The stream will eventually be connected to the upstream
Sanctuary in Hastings Park and to Burrard Inlet downstream, providing a
connection between foreshore and upland habitat.
You can see an interactive map of the plans for Creekway Park and the
surrounding area.
The Field Trip: Site 1Creekway Park
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Our second stop was the Lower MacKay estuary in North Vancouver with
Ken Ashley from the BCIT Rivers Institute and Angela Negenman from the
City of North Vancouver.
Historic encroachment on the estuary by industry had severely limited its
hydrological and ecological functions. These changes negatively
affected salmon and trout populations in the MacKay River system.
Restoration of the estuary is being undertaken by Dr. Ashley and his
students of Ecological Restoration and includes reshaping the channel,
revegetating and guarding against invasive species. This will be the first
of three estuaries restored on the north shore of Burrard Inlet with the help
of many partners.
The Field Trip: Site 2The Lower MacKay Estuary
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What’s next?
We appreciate support from our partners and volunteers, who encourage the evolution of our programming. The next steps for Evergreen’s Uncover Your Creeks program include:
• Launching a collaborative online space - uncoveryourcreeks.ca – to provide a platform for connection between stewards, provide resources and share watershed stories.
• Sharing what we’ve learned at the forum with government, academic and community partners
• Continuing to facilitate on-the-ground action in Lower Mainland Watersheds
• Facilitating public discussions about climate adaptation in urban watersheds
What’s your role moving forward?
We encourage you to share your watershed stories via our blog! Email us with your watershed story.
Talk with your friends, neighbours and colleagues about your observations, vision and concerns for your watershed. By including different perspectives in the conversation, we can inject innovation, collaboration and depth to our strategies for the future.
Take action – follow your passion! Stewardship can mean different things to different people. Be active in your watershed in the ways that are meaningful to you.
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Thank you!
We would like to thank all of the Urban Watersheds Forum participants for
contributing their time, expertise and passion to making the day a
success.
We would also like to thank our team of bright and keen volunteers – from
left to right, Lucy, Joni, Jessica, Ace, Joyce, Abi and Ran - without whom
the day would not have been possible! 26