Education Program Feature – Spring 2025

My favourite part was planting a willow tree and feeling like I contributed to something very special.

I learned that the killdeer uses itself as prey to protect its baby.

I learned about how saltmarsh helps salmon hide and about how pink salmon have a hump.

My favourite part was testing the water because I found it interesting seeing the salinity, pH and temperature to find if it is good for the fishes.

Over the last eight years, Project Watershed has been developing and running our Keeping It Living Education Program to educate youth about their environment and connect them with its stewardship. As tomorrows’ leaders, land use planners, and decision makers, youth are an incredibly important part of our community.

What is the Keeping It Living Program?

The cornerstone of this program is connecting kids with nature through interactive field trips. To deepen the learning experience, we provide an in-class presentation prior to the field trip and a reflective art/literature activity in the classroom afterwards.

Currently, the program is available to students in grades 1 to 11 from local schools. It focuses on estuary ecology and functions, and the learning materials and activities are tailored to each grade. Optional supplementary materials are also provided to teachers if they want to expand on the learning. Occasionally, we also give special presentations to students by request of teachers.

Volunteers are an integral part of our program as they help guide the students through the activities of the field trip. A volunteer’s knowledge and/or passion for stewardship really shines through and is infectious amongst the students.

Keeping It Living Spring 2025

On our field trips this year, we visited Little River Estuary and the K’ómoks Estuary at Kus-kus-sum and the Courtenay Airpark. By the end of May, and with the help of six community members and an intern from Royal Roads University, we will have provided the program to 22 classes and engaged approximately 437 students in environmental learning. These students came from Arden Elementary, Beachcombers Academy, École Puntledge Park, Huband Park Elementary, Lake Trail Community School, Mark Isfeld High School, and the Partners In Education (PIE) Program.

On the field trips, students participated in stewardship through picking up garbage, planting native plants, mulching plants, and removing invasive species. Planting and weeding were two of the most popular activities and some students were so into their task they didn’t want to stop! Students who visited Kus-kus-sum were also enamored with a nesting killdeer that was spotted on site.

In April, we also presented to Lake Trail Grade 8’s about climate change, its effects locally, and things they can do about it – like joining our eelgrass planting effort!

Our program has received a five out five from all the teachers, volunteers and parents we’ve surveyed to date. The quotes on this page are from students and teachers during our spring session

What’s happening next?

We have two more field trips this spring on May 14 and 21. After that, our next set of field trips will be in the fall. We’re always in need of volunteers to help guide students through the activities on the field trips and pass on the stewardship ethos. Sign up to see how much fun learning about our local environment can be!

The students gained a stronger sense of belonging and connection to this place and were able to make connections between where we are at by Morrison Creek, the Puntledge River and now the Estuary.

Students seemed to be quite captivated by the fact that Kus-kus-sum was once a thriving village and how interfering with nature has a profound impact on all living things. When we discussed highlights, most mentioned the thrill of weeding and planting.