Photograph Left to right Back row: Dave Davies (DFO), Dr Royann Petrell, Sylvain Alie, Dan Bowen, Ting-Ching Jerry Chou Front row: Tsung Han (Henry) Kue, Yan Zhang, David Eng, Heather Kempthorne, and Qing-Yuan Hebe He

A major question facing residents of communities like the Comox Valley is how we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  One approach is to establish strategies of conservation or use of renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.).  Another is to eliminate carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere through living carbon storage.  Living carbon is more commonly known as the long-term storage of carbon in the tissues of trees and plants in forests.

A special opportunity exists for those of us who live in coastal communities.  Blue carbon is a form of living carbon that occurs in aquatic environments where aquatic plants such as eelgrass act to store carbon in the soils and sediments. Greenhouse gas reductions (of carbon dioxide) can be achieved through uptake by estuarine “Blue Forests” moving these greenhouse gases to estuaries and Deep Ocean (sediments).

The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, through its Estuary Working Group, has launched a pilot project to evaluate carbon storage by estuarine vegetation systems and to assess the effects of community based restoration efforts on eelgrass meadows and their abilities to remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.  Recent reports indicate eelgrass can be as much as 90 times as effective as identical areas of coniferous forest in removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere. This project represents a long -term effort and has a “win-win” outcome for both carbon sequestration and habitat improvement.

Loss of, and damage to, eelgrass has affected whole populations of fish, including threatened salmon and herring, water fowl, shellfish, and other animals.  Many animals use eelgrass meadows for nursery areas, others swim or walk among the leaves, or burrow in the sediments.  Within eelgrass meadows, there is food and shelter for a wide variety of creatures. Therefore eelgrass restoration efforts automatically improve habitat and biodiversity in addition to their potential to positively affect climate change.

Should you be interested in making a contribution to this project or to become involved as a volunteer in the future, please contact Project Watershed at 250-703-2871 or Email at <volunteer.projectwatershed@gmail.com>

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, January 10, 2012

UBC Students and Volunteers with their Sediments and Eel Grass. Photo by M. Jones.

Students from UBC and volunteers from Project Watershedbraved the dark mudflats of the Courtenay River estuary last night in order to gather sediment samples and eelgrass shoots for a UBC carbon sequestration research project.  The low tide was at 10:30 pm, so Michele Jones led the group out into the dark to a lower intertidal area. Sediments were gathered from two different depths using hand tools .  In addition, 500 eelgrass shoots were harvested.

It’s a dirty job, but we got to do it!

Keeping It Living is guided by the phrase “return of abundance,” which comes from the name “Comox” (“K’ómoks”), which means “land of plenty or abundance.” With a mission to bring about the return of abundance, the Keeping It Living project is dedicated to the “preservation of marshes, sloughs, mud flats, gravel beds, shore grasses, shrubs, forest, streams, rivers, and watersheds that provide nutrients to nourish estuary life.”

Estuaries are the meeting places of rivers and oceans, where stream flows meet ocean tides. As ever-changing transition zones between fresh water and marine ecosystems, estuaries are both fragile and highly productive. In BC, estuaries occupy only three percent of the coastline, although they are used by eighty percent of marine life  at some point in their life cycles. The Courtenay River Estuary is no different; containing a wealth of biodiversity, it is a haven for numerous plant and animal species on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, dredging , channelling, rip-rapping, and industrial activity have taken their toll, threatening the biodiversity of the Courtenay River Estuary. The good news is Project Watershed is working  to make a difference.

Formed in 1993 by a group of citizens concerned about declining fish stocks, water quality, and urban development in local watersheds, the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society’s mission involves information, education, and action. In 2008, Project Watershed organized the Heart of the Watershed Estuary Symposium in an effort to preserve the valuable Courtenay River Estuary. With over 300 attendees, the symposium was a success in highlighting the issues affecting the estuary and raising its profile.

One of only eight Class 1 estuaries in BC, and second in importance only to the Fraser River Estuary, the Courtenay River Estuary is highly ecologically significant, providing habitat for 145 bird species, or 70,000 birds; 218 plant species; 29 fish species, including all five Pacific salmon species; and intertidal animals and organisms.

Building on the symposium’s success and this newfound information, Project Watershed formed the Estuary Working Group to help them move forward with recommendations from the event. Environmental organizations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, biologists, naturalists, and an archaeologist together created the Keeping It Living project.

The complexity of the estuarine system is reflected in the multi-stakeholder involvement in various aspects of the project. Building on Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s 2000 estuary management plan, and interest spurred by the 2008 symposium, Project Watershed is playing a coordinating role to meet objectives that are shared by other organizations, as well as the community at large.

As part of a steering committee convened by the Comox Valley Regional District’s Planning Department, the Keeping It Living team has drafted a long term management plan for the estuary. Once approved, it will be released to municipalities, First Nations, and federal and provincial governments for final approval and the Courtenay River Estuary Management Plan will be signed into law.

In addition to the official regulatory and management activities, the project has involved a broad range of people through estuary-focused literature, art, and sports. Day of the Estuary showcases displayed current research, volunteer opportunities, videos, and mapping. Engaging public audiences in ways that interest them—such as auctioning estuary art by local artists—has proven to be a successful strategy for education and awareness building.

Paul Horgen, Project Watershed’s Chair, said, “The Keeping It Living Campaign has brought an array of community members together showing that restoration and protection of the estuary is important to people from all walks of life. It has been very rewarding and inspiring to have this kind of community support. With this support behind us we have started many estuary focused initiatives and are confident these initiatives will make our grandchildren proud.”

In 2010, the Real Estate Foundation provided Project Watershed with a $15,000 grant for Keeping It Living. This project aligns with our mandate to support research and education on sustainable real estate and land use topics.

By Alicia Olive and Celina Owen

http://www.refbc.com/node/369

Picture from left are: Nancy Hofer, Allan Gornall, Coun. Jon Ambler, Mayor Greg Phelps, and, on the right representing Project Watershed, Lauren LaBossiere and Don Castleden. Photo by CV Echo.

Published: Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A series of environmental initiatives has resulted in this year’s ‘Courtenay River Estuary Keeping it Living Award’ being awarded to the City of Courtenay by the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society. The award, an original painting of the estuary by local artist Bev Byerley, is given annually to an organization in the Comox Valley in recognition of environmental leadership provided in protecting and restoring the estuary. The recipient keeps the painting to display for one year.

© Comox Valley Echo 2011

http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/community/133468168.html

The Comox Valley Project Watershed Society has chosen the City of Courtenay to receive its Courtenay River Estuary-Keeping it Living Award.

It was presented at Courtenay City Council’s regular meeting on Nov. 7.

The award, an original painting of the estuary by noted local artist Bev Byerley, is given annually to an organization in the Comox Valley in recognition of environmental leadership provided in protecting and restoring the estuary. The recipient displays the painting in a prominent place for a period of one year.

The City of Courtenay has been chosen in recognition of the action taken this past year in hiring their first environmental planner and their first climate change specialist. The efforts of these two planners in organizing an evening presentation on climate change at the Sid Williams Theatre last spring acknowledged the City’s awareness and appreciation of this important environmental issue.

Three hundred local residents were superbly informed regarding one of the most pressing global concerns of this century and one of particular importance to a coastal community such as ours.

The City also held a workshop on sea level rise in the Strait of Georgia and subsequently established a new high-water mark for the Courtenay River and estuary based on a projected increase in sea levels of .8 metres expected over the next 20 to 30 years. Further, the City recently introduced new draft amendments to the City’s Official Community Plan that call for improved riparian zones for the rivers, creeks and wetlands within its boundaries. These actions are critical to expanding protection for the Courtenay River estuary.

Finally, the City has given its support to a community campaign to obtain National Heritage status for the estuary. This designation is being sought based on the significance of the estuary as an important bird area, for its aquatic habitat and especially for the remains of extensive ancient First Nation fish traps in the estuary.

— Comox Valley Project Watershed Society

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.

Sponsored by the K’όmoks First Nation and Project Watershed Society

The K’όmoks First Nation (KFN) and the National Historic Site Committee (NHSC) would like to extend an invitation to all Comox Valley residents to take part in an historic signing ceremony. The signing is a celebration between KFN and the NHSC to launch a community bid for National Historic Site Status for the ancient Aboriginal fish trap systems in the Estuary. In addition, the Board of Directors of the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society and the KFN have reached a Memorandum of Agreement to work together for the protection and preservation of the Courtenay River Estuary.

The event will be held on Sunday, September 4th at the Puntledge RV Campground located on Condensory Road, at the upland end of the Estuary. The event will start at 3 PM with a welcome and traditional dancing by Kumugwe Dancers. This will be followed by the signing ceremony at 3:30pm.

Emily Spiller, Vancouver Island Music Awards 2011 female vocalist of the year, will perform at 4 PM and again at 5 PM. The announcement of the official bid for National Historic Site Status for the Estuary Fish Trap Systems will be made at 4:30pm.

In addition, the afternoon will feature Aboriginal art venders, traditional first nation’s food, Project Watershed Displays on the Estuary, the KFN I-Hos canoe and more.

“We hope the entire community can join us for this historic celebration,” says Paul Horgen, Chair of the Historic Site Committee and of the Board of Directors of Project Watershed, and Melissa Quocksister, KFN member on the Historic Site Committee.

Look for the signs!

Position: Mapping Centre Project Manager

Details: Project Watershed is looking to hire someone to manage their entrepreneurial arm “The Mapping Centre”. This includes developing and managing clients, contracts, billing and budgets as well as performing GIS/GPS work for clients. This position will run from September to March. At the end of the contract the position may be renewed funding and interest dependent. The hours for this position are flexible and will be partly dependent on work available. The main project management activities of this position are allocated 10 hours per week, time on clients could be over and above this allocation.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience Required:

-Potential candidates should possess general business management skills

-Be able to work with a variety of clients including community organisations and government personnel

-Training and experience in GIS and GPS an asset

Position: Estuary Working Group Coordinator

Details: Project Watershed is looking to hire someone to coordinate the activities of the Estuary Working Group which includes the National Historic Site Committee and Keeping it Living. Tasks will include developing and managing projects, taking minutes, managing communication, fundraising and organising public events. This position is for 14 hours per week and will run from September to March. At the end of the contract the position may be renewed funding and interest dependent.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience Required:

-Good interpersonal skills and experience working with non-profits or community organisations.

-Experience in creating and managing projects including organizing public events.

-Experience in creating/maintaining visual displays, presentations, posters, online elements such as blogs,etc…

-Effective writing skills for press releases, fund raising applications etc…

-Fundraising experience.

-A background or interest in ecology.

At our Day of the Estuary event in April, and subsequently at Earth Day, the Courtenay River Estuary – Keeping it Living group ran a campaign called Count me in for Conservation.

We asked members of our community to actively become involved by making a commitment to take action during the next year by becoming Courtenay River Estuary biodiversity stewards.  We wish to thank the following individuals who made a pledge because they want to sustain the quality of life in the Comox Valley.

Abigail – I will clean up around my community
Al – volunteer with Brooklyn Creek Watershed
Alex –  pick up a bag of garbage after I drum on the estuary
Alicia – pick up litter, helping signs, providing information to others
Ally – I promise to clean up a lot of garbage
Annelies – Je vais ramaser et netoier les rivere et les lac
B – donated $50
Bob – recycle
Calder – picking up litter
Caroline – streamkeeping, study the habitat of local birds and wildlife
Carolyn – picking up litter on waterways on the Island
Celia – get membership to an environmental group
Chris – financial support, Keeping it Living
Christine – volunteer with Brooklyn Creek Streamkeepers
Cierrah – pick up litter along the waterways
Darla – make a donation to an environmental society
David – making a donation to an environmental group
Don – pick up litter, donating to environment, political activist for watershed
Dora – recycle
Doug – studying habitat of local birds and wildlife
Fae – love the estuary
Frank – invasive plant removal
Georgia – to study birds
Gloria – to pick up garbage at the beach
Greg – keep supporting initiatives to protect the estuary
Hannah – clean up garbage
Helga – to nature-scape my yard and harvest rain-water (barrels, swales)
Hugh – picking up litter along waterways
J. – I promise to take care of the Trent delta
Jeanine – to pick up litter along waterways/estuary, continue riparian – planting, studying eagle habitat, donate to environmental organizations
Jennifer – act as regenerative re-visioner and work to be a catalyst for positive, holistic change, from the top down and bottom up
Karen – make donation to environmental organization
Karina – start composting at work
Kathleen – pick up litter along waterways
Kathy – to continue to volunteer with the Estuary Working Group
Lainie – picking up litter along the waterways
Lawrence – studying habitat of birds and wildlife
Len – picking up litter on paths
Lynda – a tree blessing and planting friends forever
Madeleine – pick up litter, study the habitat of birds and wildlife
Makalo – pick up litter
Marvin – volunteer with Millard Piercy Streamkeepers
Mary – donation
Mary – study habitat of local birds and wildlife
Maureen – donated $20
Maya – pick up litter
Mhari – study birds
Murray – volunteer with streamkeepers – Morrison Creek, habitat
Norma – Write a letter and enclose a cheque
O. – Donated $5
Pamela – I will vote for politicians who will make protection of the estuary a priority
Pat – picking up litter
Patti – work to have sewers on Sandpiper Drive
Paul – pick up litter, donate, educate
Penny – keep bees, encourage/help people to keep bees. Teach about bees
Ria- volunteering with one of the streamkeeper groups
Rick – study the habitat of local birds and wildlife
Robert – I will recycle
Ruby – learn about habitat
Sarah – focus my energy so that this remains a priority
Sharon – picking up litter along water ways
Shaya – make sure my garbage is picked up
Sky – always pick up litter
Sophie – picking up litter along the waterways
Steph – continue with swan counts and salmon projects
Steve – to explore, appreciate, respect and learn more about our local watershed
Stewart – donated $20
Sue – clean our dog trails ongoing
Teri – studying the habitat of local birds and wildlife
Terry – picking up litter, volunteer with streamkeeper groups
Tim – to support the estuary now and into the future
V. –  I’m going to keep clean and care about nature

Each person who committed to a stewardship pledge received a wooden stake that was  donated by Slegg Lumber and labeled Keep it Living, Our stake in the Courtenay River Estuary with the beautiful image that Andy Everson designed.