“Heart of the Watershed”: a Symposium on the Courtenay River Estuary

October 3and 4, 2008

Florence Filberg Centre, Native Son's Hall and the K'omoks Band Hall

If rivers are the veins and arteries of a watershed, and wetlands are the kidneys that cleanse the water, then the central element of the watershed must be the heart: in the case of the Comox Valley, that heart is the Courtenay River Estuary.

The Heart of the Watershed is a symposium event initiated by Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, happening October 3 and 4, 2008. The intent of this unique event is to increase awareness & knowledge of the work that has been done and that needs to be done to preserve and enhance the ecosystem health of the Courtenay River Estuary.

The Courtenay River Estuary is one of the most important estuaries on the east coast of Vancouver Island. There are many ongoing & recent issues that will impact the sensitive habitat along the estuary's shores. At the same time opportunities are presenting themselves to preserve and restore portions of the estuary. The aim of the symposium event is to create a community partnership with a plan of action dedicated to put nature first in preserving and enhancing the health of the Courtenay River Estuary ecosystem. 

The symposium program in general will include the history of the estuary, present condition & challenges, and future vision for the estuary .The intended audience for the symposium will include environmental groups, professionals, policy makers, and the public. Events will include speakers, workshops, displays and field trips. Planning partners for this event have included members of the Tsolum River Restoration Society, Comox Valley Land Trust, Comox Valley Naturalists Society, Comox Valley Water Watch Coalition, Puntledge River Restoration Committee, Millard-Piercy Watershed Stewards, City of Courtenay Planning Department, Landworks Consultants, Georgia Strait Alliance, and DFO.

The opening speaker will be Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon, award-winning author and political scientist, soon to be based at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ontario. Other featured speakers will include Dr. Will Marsh, Professor Emeritas at the University of Michigan and adjunct professor of Landscape Architecture at UBC, and Dr. Rob Butler, senior research scientist with the Canadian Wildlife Service and Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Other presenters will include the Nature Trust of BC, Ducks Unlimited Canada, DFO, Georgia Strait Alliance, Seagrass Conservation Group, Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society, Ministry of Environment, and more.

For more information contact Symposium Coordinator Krista Kaptein kapteink@shaw.ca or 250-338-2383. Check the Project Watershed website  www.projectwatershed.bc.ca for regular updates, program and registration information.

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