Kus-kus-sum Feature – Spring 2025

As spring kicks off, the first buds are beginning to appear on the newly installed plants down at Kus-kus-sum. Thanks to the efforts of our volunteers this past fall and winter we’ve been able to expand the now thriving tidal marsh and riparian ecosystems which have replaced the former sawmill. Completion of the project is closer than ever with over 80% of the site now fully planted. 

What is Kus-kus-sum?

The Kus-kus-sum Project is Project Watershed’s largest restoration undertaking to date. With the help of our project partners, the K’ómoks First Nation and the City of Courtenay, we aim to convert the former industrial sawmill site into a healthy, naturalized tidal marsh and riparian estuarine ecosystem. 

Restoration began in 2021 with the removal of 12,000 m³ of crushed concrete surfacing. Since then, each subsequent year has seen significant progress in restoration including the removal of 2,000 tonnes of hydrocarbon contaminated soil, the creation of over 8,000 m² of tidal marsh habitat, and the planting of more than 13,000 native plants. 

The project has been made possible through the help of our partners, and funding from many sources including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, and countless private donors and businesses. Visit Friends of Kus-kus-sum – Project Watershed for a complete list of contributors. 

What have we been up to recently?

Throughout this fall and spring our volunteers and staff planted an additional 3,500 native plants, including almost 1,200 tidal marsh rushes and sedges. Our dedicated team of volunteers has been instrumental in getting these plants in the ground and making sure they thrive in their new home. 

Our project team and partners group continues to work behind the scenes to complete the necessary soils testing and documentation work required to move the remaining excess soil off site. Most of the soil excavated from Kus-kus-sum was artificially added during the mill’s operation to increase the land available for industrial operations. We have identified a likely receiving site for the remaining soils which will allow us to finish regrading the last section of the site and pave (or unpave in this case) the way to project completion! 

What’s happening next?

This spring we’ll be looking for volunteers to help manage invasive species on site and to continue mulching newly planted areas to help them weather the summer drought. Throughout the peak growing season, we’ll be conducting various monitoring surveys to track the progress of our restoration efforts including plant inventories, bird counts, pinniped monitoring, and carbon sequestration to name a few. 

Later this summer, expect to see construction machinery returning to the site. We’ll be working with our local contractors and engineering team to remove the soil stockpiles, complete the regrading of the tidal marsh and channels, and put the final touches on the remaining riparian areas. We’ll follow this work with a final round of native species planting in the Fall.  

Once this work is completed, the long-awaited wall removal can begin. We hope to get started with removal of the retaining wall through the winter of 2025/2026.