Working with the K’ómoks Nation towards Q’waq’wala7owkw on their unceded territory.
Project Watershed has raised over $2.9 million for Kus-kus-sum and they are closer than ever to acquiring and restoring the site to natural habitat for fish & wildlife, climate change mitigation, reconciliation and community health.
Project Watershed needs volunteers to help us harvest willow cuttings, and then plant them alongside sections of Mallard Creek.
The kiln cast, glass coho salmon sculpture created by Christopher Smith is currently being displayed at the Old House Hotel. The sculpture, “Salish Sea Silvers”, retails at $4,750 and Chris will generously donate 100% of the proceeds to the Kus-kus-sum project. In fact, he has already donated $1,600 to Kus-kus-sum for a sculpture bought in August of 2020.
We were finally able to hold the Paintings, By The Numbers event on Sept 12, 2020. The event raised over $25,000 for Kus-kus-sum and despite the fact that it was very different than we had planned preCOVID, it turned out to be a success.
Nikki Wright from Seachange Marine Conservation Society and Maria Cantazaro from the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) visited our kelp research site at Oyster River and our saltmarsh projects. Maria is a researcher working for the PSF on a report looking at the importance of nearshore, habitat connectivity and estuarine habitat to Pacific salmon.
Ken Kirkby and Nana Cook have donated 43 of their paintings and seven from their collection to raise funds and awareness for Kus-kus-sum through the engaging and powerful medium of art and the promise of getting a great deal. Each painting is worth between $1,500 and $4,000.
Suggested Grades: 4- 11
The World Wildlife Fund and the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) have released a variety of resources for both professionals and community scientists researching forage fish. This includes a spawning survey guidance document, as well as QEP and Community Scientist sampling methodologies and data sheets.
NIC biology students are getting a unique opportunity to help with an important forage fish research project, thanks to a partnership between NIC and Comox Valley Project Watershed.
The Kus-kus-sum project that Project Watershed is spearheading will not only create habitat for fish and wildlife, help mitigate climate, and increase green space, it will also help our community put reconciliation into action.
This video follows a forage fish field day, from sampling to the counting of eggs, in the late fall of 2019.
While many citizen science groups have begun conducting spring/summer forage fish spawning surveys, we still need a few more volunteers to cover some of the beaches in our area. Specifically we need volunteers for Quadra Island and Campbell River.