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On June 4th, Project Watersed held its 22nd Annunal General Meeting in the board room of the new K’ómoks First Nations Administrative Building. Current board Chair, Paul Horgen welcomed the full room to the meeting held on the traditional territory of the K’ómoks people. He introduced the current seven person Board and recognized the four support staff of the Society. Horgen highlighted the many outreach activities fulfilling the society’s mission of public information and public education. Horgen specifically highlighted the November public forum at North Island College on the future of the decommissioned sawmill site. He mentioned the effort with the Emily Carr art students as they created images of the K’ómoks Estuary and described the significant presence Project Watershed left at the 2016 Salish Sea Conference in Vancouver.

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Photo by Caila Holbrook- Chair Paul Horgen welcoming Newton the Newt to the Comox Valley Project Watershed society family.
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The Society’s mission involves restoration and research in the Valley watersheds. Horgen reviewed the breach of the Airpark Lagoon and mentioned the positive effects observed on increased fish migration through the lagoon and the appearance of new shore birds and water fowl in the lagoon area. Three other activities were mentioned including salt marsh restoration in Royston, eelgrass planting in the subtidal areas of the estuary (total area now exceeds 6000 square metres), and the success of the bull kelp restoration facilitated by board Director Bill Heath.

Staff Biologist Jennifer Sutherst was given the floor and she described the projects for the upcoming year including Simms Park Restoration, Glen Urquhart and Mallard Creeks Invasive Species Removal, sawmill site preliminary scope study and our new Rotary sponsored estuary signs.

Director Tim Ennis updated the membership on progress with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Interfor with respect to acquiring the decommissioned sawmill site. A meeting with Interfor and representatives from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has been scheduled for early July to discuss conservation strategies for rehabilitating and acquiring the site. Tim announced that Project Watershed and the K’omoks First Nations will from this point forward refer to the decommissioned site as Kus Kus Sum which in the K’ómoks language means burial place—the site has special meaning to the K’ómoks people.

Brian Storey, treasurer, reported on the Society’s finances and pointed out that Project Watershed contributes a half million dollars to the Comox Valley economy on a yearly basis.

After the treasurer’s report, Project Watershed’s mascot was “christened” Newton the Newt as a result of the “Name the Newt” contest with the winning name submitted by Brielle Jupe of Ecole Robb Road.

Board elections were held and then the keynote speaker, Colin Levings, was introduced. His talk dealt with salmon and their migrations through estuaries. He noted the special nature of the K’ómoks Estuary that contains all five species of Pacific salmon.

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