SEHAB ROUNDTABLE CONTRIBUTION - SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND REPRESENTATIVE – DON LOWEN
COMMUNITY ADVISOR – TOM RUTHERFORD
MAY 13, 2006
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Overview – Tom Rutherford, Community Advisor
Based on presentations made at the May 6/06 Community Partners Recognition Day for South Vancouver Island partners, community programming is alive and well. Most participants are engaged, effective and inspired.
The community’s ability to protect habitat is always an “in your face” challenge. Tom is concerned that the effects of global warming will affect the morale of community partners. The
Department needs a strategy to deal with this possible outcome of climate change on salmonid populations. In the face of this, is public involvement still a meaningful experience? The Department needs to find ways to ensure that it is.
Common Themes in Presentations Made at Community Partners Recognition Day - Based on reports from 20 organizations supported by Tom, these recurring themes emerged:
1. The Department’s inability to respond to habitat issues.
2. Decrease in presence of Fishery Officers.
3. Constituents feel powerless.
Volunteer Recognition
Community Involvement Recognition Day, May 6/06 - Tom Rutherford (Chair), Don Lowen, Peter
McCully and Micqualyn Waldie planned this biennial recognition event for Tom’s clients. A full day of group presentations, workshops, awards and great food included talks by Dr. Don McKinlay, DFO Senior Enhancement Biologist (“The Past, Present, and Future Role of Hatcheries for B.C. Salmon”) and Dr. Peter Ross, DFO Research Scientist (“What do marine mammals tell us about the state of the ocean?”)
Approximately 85 representatives from 35 organizations attended. Ten groups received awards for years of participation.
Reception for Tom Rutherford – Those attending the above event conspired to surprise Tom Rutherford with a lunch reception on the same day, honouring twenty-five years of outstanding public service. James Boland, who designed and implemented the Public Involvement Program, Salmonids in the Classroom, and the SEP Task Group, spoke on behalf of the Department. Peter McCully (Goldstream Volunteer Salmonid Enhancement Association) spoke on behalf of DFO’s community partners.
Three of the four original Community Advisors – Bob Hurst, Don Lawseth and Trevor Morris – joined James, Tom and his family at the head table. The organizers collected about $2.5K for a cash gift for the Rutherford's.
Education
Shorekeeper Training Weekend October 22/23 – Victoria Stream Team - The Victoria Stream Team
presented a Shorekeeper Training Workshop for Greater Victoria secondary students, April 28
and 30
th
. The agenda included mapping, ID and inventory skills required to assess the health of the intertidal area of a shoreline.
th
, 29
th
SEHAB ROUNDTABLE CONTRIBUTION - SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND REPRESENTATIVE – DON LOWEN
COMMUNITY ADVISOR – TOM RUTHERFORD
MAY 13, 2006
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Ten students from five institutions participated. Fisheries and Oceans staff provided classroom
instruction Friday evening and assisted with onsite work through the weekend at Patricia Bay. DFO contracted Shelee Hamilton to oversee onsite work.
Classroom Incubation, South Vancouver Island - Projects in the five school districts that encompass Tom Rutherford’s area all enjoyed outstanding success this year. Although reports are still coming in, it appears that mortality rates are very low. I will include a detailed report in the fall roundtable submission.
EcoMotion Summer Institute - August 28
th
to 30 
th
- From August 28
th
to 30 
th
, EcoMotion Institute offers   three days of inspiration, healthy movement and relaxation. All activities will take place in or leave from the Mary Winspear Center in Sidney.
Community and classroom educators will find ways to develop teaching and organizational skills that will further our collective effort to create stewards. EcoMotion will feature case studies of, and journeys to, some of Greater Victoria’s field study sites and venues. Workshops include “what to do when the bus arrives”, the specifics of the new science curriculum (BC Ministry of Education), unit and lesson planning ideas, and the art of storytelling.
To receive an information/application package, contact Don Lowen at 388-4756 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Community-Based Social Marketing - How effective is your outreach program? Research demonstrates that simply providing information usually has little or not effect on behaviour. Join environmental psychologist and community based social marketing guru Doug McKenzie-Mohr for a one-day workshop to learn more effective approaches to delivering programs that change environmental behaviour. Registration fee of $145 covers lunch and a free copy of Dr. McKenzie-Mohr’s book Fostering Sustainable Behaviour: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing. To register see www.waterinthecityvictoria.ca/registration or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More information on this approach can be found at www.cbsm.com.
Salmonpeople – The Victoria Tour (Peter Donaldson and Don Lowen) - Salmonpeople is a watershed of partnership projects based on the power of stories and the life work of educator, community facilitator, and performance artist, Peter Donaldson.
Peter Donaldson and Donald Lowen are building a community coalition to bring the Salmonpeople Tour to Victoria as a civic centerpiece for catalytic change. The tour requires a broad and diverse coalition of local entities to cross-promote it with their own programming and stewardship efforts. Here’s the calendar so far: 
1. On August 30
th
, Peter will present a storytelling workshop at the EcoMotion Institute. (See above.)
SEHAB ROUNDTABLE CONTRIBUTION - SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND REPRESENTATIVE – DON LOWEN
COMMUNITY ADVISOR – TOM RUTHERFORD
MAY 13, 2006
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2. From September 21
st
to 23
rd
, Peter and Don will organize three days of sustainability workshops with students, teachers, business leaders and community groups.
3. On September 24th, the coalition will collaborate with a local theater to co-produce Salmonpeople.
Current coalition members include the Watership Foundation, Greater Victoria School District, Victoria Stream Team, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. To find out how you can participate, contact Don Lowen at 388-4756 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..