Stewardship and sustainability are ‘ecobuzz’ words that are
rapidly becoming mainstream as Canadians think more about
fresh water resources. Thank goodness!
We are accustomed to hearing that one-fifth of the world’s
fresh water sources are located within our boundaries, but less
comfortable with the fact that only 2.6% is in southern Canada
where most of us live. We know that rivers were the highways
for voyageurs and explorers that resulted in a vast country of
2,000,000 lakes, bordered by three seas and the American
land mass. But few of us realize that 22,000,000 people live in
watersheds, where at least 10% of the local water flow is critical
to their lifestyle, according to Canadian Geographic’s web section
on watersheds.
Rivers and lakes are important reservoirs of fresh water but it
is estuaries that most directly reflect the Unitarian principle of
“respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we
are a part”. Estuaries are nodal points, the most fertile spots on
the planet. These brackish bays, in which fresh and salt waters
mingle, host insects, plants, bushes and trees, tadpoles and mature
fish, small and large wild animals, migrating birds—and
families of people—because they are bountiful and beautiful
places.
We are estuary residents who live along the Courtenay River
Estuary, at the base of one of the 595 watersheds in this country.
Only three kilometres long, the Courtenay River is one of the
world’s shortest navigable rivers. The Comox Glacier dominates
our Vancouver Island Valley from its position in the Beaufort
mountains. Two major watershed rivers join near the northern
Condensory Bridge at 1st Street in the City of Courtenay; the
moveable bascule 17th Street Bridge is the southern crossing
near Comox Bay.
In this small urban area, a heart-shaped estuary has supported
life for millennia. It is the second most important estuary in British
Columbia, after the huge Fraser River, with some geologists
arguing that it comprises the northern boundary of that massive
outflow. In the middle part of the last century, this was one of
the prime sports fishing destinations in Canada.
British Columbia has 442 estuaries, but only eight are considered
Class 1. The classification is based on habitat size, intertidal
biodiversity and use by fish and waterfowl. The Courtenay River
Estuary provides habitat for 145 bird species (more than 70,000
birds), 218 plant species, 29 fish species (including all five species
of pacific salmon) and innumerable species of intertidal
animals (clams, worms, and microbes). It is the major stopover
for migrating trumpeter swans.
The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society has been concerned
with restoration of all local watersheds, but for the last five
years has focused on the Estuary. An environmental stewardship
group, it works with local governments and the community to
preserve and restore a beauty of nature that is primed for a return
to abundance (www.projectwatershed.ca). Major industries along
its shores, contributors to a steady decline during the past 75
years, have been removed. One example is a large sawmill near
the bridge with log storage where the Estuary met the ocean at
Goose Spit. A large, obsolete cement tower along the western
shoreline road, has also been removed.
In 2010 five local governments—a city, town, village and two
rural districts—adopted a new Comox Valley Regional Growth
Strategy plan that received a 2011 provincial award for its sustainable
management component, including the Estuary, to insure
future protection.
And now we know that pre-contact aboriginal populations living
along the shores managed this highly productive estuary for
centuries. A major archeological study is being prepared by two
local workers for publication. It demonstrates that the Courtenay
River Estuary possesses the remains of thousands of wood stakes,
comprising a coordinated system of fish traps, that utilized the
tides. Two distinct intertidal fish trap types have been identified:
the Winged Heart and the Winged Chevron. This suggests that
the ancient inhabitants of this area had an extensive fishery using
passive fish trap systems. The researchers (who wish to remain
unidentified for the present, during their final work on their
manuscripts) conclude that harvesting was based on knowledge
of fish behavior, understanding and replication of sophisticated
engineering principles, and an appreciation of sustainability
that operated for more than 1,300 years. This significant study
stimulated the formation of a community committee to propose
National Historic status for these trap systems. The Project
Watershed Society has assembled stakeholder representatives
and sponsors the committee. UNE SCO World Heritage status
might also be an achievable goal.
British Columbia has more than 25,725 coastline kilometers.
The Courtenay River Estuary is one of the most precious nodal
points. From a biodiversity perspective, it is threatened but not
lost. If these 21st-century stewards achieve their dream, they
honour an aboriginal tradition that sustained life throughout
many seasonal rotations. The legacy for all Canadians, including
other species in the interdependent web of existence, will sustain
abundant life for future millennia of diverse inhabitants.

Betty Donaldson,
Professor Emerita, University of Calgary, and
Paul Horgen,
Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto,
serve on the Project Watershed Board of Directors.
Betty Donaldson is a member of
the Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship.