We have adopted the theme Keeping It Living, shared with us by Traditional Hereditary Chief Kwakxsistala Adam Dick, which describes indigenous practices that have been applied over the centuries to preserve plants, animals, and their habitat. The words encompass resource conservation and sustainability as well as constraints against taking too much or wasting abundant resources. The theme Keeping It Living embraces a commitment to an enduring and intentional strategy and represents a philosophical approach that has both an ethical and moral basis for protecting and restoring the sensitive habitats of the Comox Valley.

For those of us who live in or visit the Comox Valley, it means connecting and reconnecting with the natural world of which we are a part, enjoying its wonder and its life forces while building a human community that celebrates and cherishes the presence of this natural world around which we have gathered.

Dan Buffett, Regional Biologist, Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2008