"Heart of the Watershed" - a Symposium on Restoring the Courtenay River Estuary (Oct 2008).

Working on the unceded territory of the K’ómoks First Nation .

Working with the K’ómoks Nation towards Q’waq’wala7owkw on their unceded territory.

The event on was a great success. Thanks to all for your participation. If you would like to join the action group, or contribute any further comments, please contact Project Watershed.

Below are some sample videos (first 5-10 minutes) and slide presentations given at the “Heart of the Watershed” Symposium on the Courtenay River Estuary on October 3, 2008!

(DVD’s were made of most presentations at our event and these are being made available for borrowing from the Project Watershed Office.)

Please note the Acrobat Reader (pdf) files of presenters’ slide shows next to the video clips.

Friday Morning Opening Address
Mary Everson, Comox First Nation Addressing Symposium Attendees


Friday Morning Presentations
Wedlidi Speck, First Nations Perspective on Estuary Environment

Dr. Rob Butler – Function and Importance of Estuaries

Dr. Will Marsh – Planning for Sustainable Systems	Dr.Will Marsh’s Morning Presentation

Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon – The Upside of Down	Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon Presentation

Dan Buffett: Ranking of Estuaries in BC: Where does the Courtenay Estuary Fit In?	Dan Buffet Presentation

Tim Clermont: State of the Courtenay River Estuary	Tim Clermont Presentation


Friday Afternoon Case Study Presentations
Michele Deakin: Englishman River Estuary	Michele Deakin Presentation

Shannon Anderson: Campbell River Estuary Management

Peter Law: Cowichan River Estuary Management	Peter Law Presentation
Rob Lawrence & Pam Shaw: Nanaimo Estuary Management	Rob Lawrence & Pam Shaw Presentation

Friday Evening Presentations
Dr. Will Marsh – Moving Toward a Sustainable Courtenay River Estuary	Dr. Will Marsh’s Evening Presentation

Dr. Rob Butler: Restoring the Strait of Georgia Ecosystem


Saturday Case Study Presentations
Mike Richards: Green Boating	Mike Richards Presentation

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Event Synopsis

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 Comox Valley, that heart is the Courtenay River Estuary.

The Courtenay River Estuary is one of the most important estuaries on the east coast of Vancouver Island, with national and global significance. There are many ongoing & recent issues which will impact the sensitive habitat along the estuary’s shores including the banks of the Courtenay River. At the same time opportunities are presenting themselves to preserve and restore portions of the estuary.

On October 3-4, 2008, this unique event focused on the “Heart of the Watershed”.

The symposium was designed to be of interest to policy makers including elected officials & municipal staff, science & planning professionals, representatives from environmental organizations and concerned citizens.

The “Heart of the Watershed” event’s objectives were to:

– increase awareness and appreciation of the estuary, educate, & inspire participants to take action

– establish the connection between a healthy resilient ecosystem and a healthy resilient community

– create an action group of professionals, policy makers, community environmental representatives, and concerned citizens, to carry forward with management planning, stewardship, and monitoring of the Courtenay River Estuary