May Day Murmuration: How do we evolve a regenerative bioregional culture in the Salish Sea?

I am in Olympia, Washington and my personal focus is on local government reform and restoration infrastructure to support the evolution of regenerative bioregional culture. I’d like to work with you on the development of a network of Public Interest Science and Design Teams (PISDT).

I want to propose some strategies for building that network outside our dominant institutional and colonial patterns, based on reciprocity, consent, and our personal values.

Register here

Here is a 3 minute invitation 

Here is a 30 minute invitation

Clean and Reliable Water Matters      Register Here  
Water is life. A secure andreliable supply of water is essential for all life forms.

 This webinar willdemonstrate that water is becoming increasingly insecure and unreliable due toclimate change and increased demand by a growing population. Although a globalchallenge, this webinar will demonstrate the nature of this risk in Canada andhow governments and communities are rising to the challenge.

 Dr. John Pomeroy, director of the University of Saskatchewan Centre forHydrology, the Canmore Coldwater Lab and head of Global Water Futures, one ofthe largest university-led freshwater research programs in the world, willdemonstrate how water supplies and water quality across Canada are already atrisk due to increasing frequency of floods and droughts, chemicals affectingour drinking water and conflicts between ecosystem and human needs. This riskwill increase over time unless changes occur in the way we govern our mostprecious resource.

 Fortunately, creativesolutions are being developed both at the federal and provincial levels inCanada. Terry Duguid, MP for Winnipeg South, and Parliamentary Secretaryto the Right Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister for Environment andClimate Change, will outline the role of the proposed Canada Water Agency tocoordinate science and monitoring services across the federal government andwork with the provinces to track changes in hydrology and climate. Thisessential information will enable governments to adapt the management of ourwater resources to reduce risk.

 In1997, Duguid founded Sustainable Developments International, a firmspecializing in environmental management. In 2000, he became Chair of theManitoba Clean Environment Commission and subsequently took leadershippositions with the Manitoba Climate Change Task Force and the Manitoba EmissionTrading Task Force. He has a lifelong interest in science and its role in thebetterment of society and has a Masters Degree in Environmental Design.

Oliver Brandes, aleading practitioner in policies relating to watershed governance andengagement with Indigenous peoples, will review a new initiative being launchedby the BC provincial government on watershed security to ensure that watershedsare resilient to climate change. The strategy will be supported by a specialfund so that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities can be engaged inworking with governments to manage risk to their water supplies.

 Brandes, an Adjunctprofessor at the University of Victoria's Law Faculty and Director of the PolisProject on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria, undertook anindependent expert review in 2017 of drinking water source protection, whichhas since resulted in regulatory change. Brandes is also an advisor on a numberof innovative watershed management projects in the Koksilah, Cowichan, Skeena,Nicola and Coquitlam watersheds in BC, as well as to the First NationsFisheries Council, Freshwater Legacy Initiative and the Centre for IndigenousEnvironmental Resources.

1. BobSandford,Chair of the Global Water Futures at the United Nations University Institutefor Water, Environment and Health, and an award-winning author and editor ofmore than 35 books, will co-host this informative program.

Cut Broom at any of these locations

Courtenay:

 - Rotary Trail  between 5th Street and 17th Street-  Small plants can be cut and dropped. Larger broom can be stacked besidethe trail. Please let me know if there is any stacked and needing pick up.

 -The Ridge (housing development off Comox Logging Road atBuckstone)  - walkway by the pond and leading up to Stoneridge Ave - broomcan be stacked along the path. Please let me know if there are any pilesneeding pick up.

- Lerwick Rd, between Malahat and Valleyview - there are afew scattered plants. Park at Mark Isfeld School. Everything is cut and drop.

- Ryan Road between Crown Isle Drive and Anderton Road - TheComox Valley Rotary Club will be cutting broom along here on May 16th but theywon't be able to cut all that is there. You are welcome to get a head start onthe area. Everything is cut and drop.

Cumberland:

- area around the Chinese / Japanese cemeteries - Cut anddrop smaller broom. Larger broom can be stacked beside the road.. 

- No. 1 Japanese Town in Coal Creek Historic Park -Some new growth throughout the park that can be cut and dropped. 

 - Orchard Park - broom should be piled at the bottom of thepark adjacent to Comox Lake Road. There is also broom on the other side ofDunsmuir Ave from Orchard Park. Small broom can be cut and dropped. Largerbroom can be piled beside the road.

CVRD:

- Knight Rd between Lazo Rd. and Siefferts's Farm - we cuthere 3 years ago and a few plants were either missed or have come up sincethen. Cut and drop.

 - Royston - Cumberland Trail - there is a patch of broomabout 2.5 km. down the trail from the Trent Rd parking lot. A good place to cutfor a couple of people who would like to combine a bike ride with somebroombusting! Let me know if this interests you and I will send you a map ofwhere the broom is.

Comox:

- Hawkins Rd- leading down to Goose Spit. Small broom can becut and dropped. Pile larger broom at the side of the road.

-NE Woods - pick a spot and cut away! Cut and drop smallplants. Pile large plants in a place that is accessible for a truck to drive inand pick up.

Indigenous Conservation Agreements in Canada:  webinar registration

Entering into conservation agreements provides enriched opportunities for Indigenous communities to support their stewardship priorities.

 A new report from MakeWay and the Firelight Group - available in English and Inuktitut - scans six conservation agreements to identify best practices that are consistent across successful agreements, including maintaining harvesting rights, creating opportunities for self-determination, developing a long-term, relationship-based approach, and more.

 Indigenous conservation agreements provide an opportunity to develop a land-based economy, one that brings Indigenous employment, business, and land and resource management to the forefront. We're hosting a dialogue between Senior Negotiator for Parks Canada Shanna MacDonald, Negotiator and former Chief of Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation Steven Nitah, and Director of Self-Determination at Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Kunuk Inutiq, exploring lessons learned and implications for the future.

 Register here to join us on Tuesday, May 11th at 12-2pm PST.

 We look forward to seeing you there! Please feel free to pass the report, and this invitation, along to your networks.  Link to Report