On Saturday evening, May 29th, at the Courtenay & District Fish & Game Protective Association a sold out crowd of over 200 residents of the Comox Valley were delighted by food, drink, sights, sounds and stimulating ideas, all to honour the Comox Valley’s most important natural resource, the Courtenay River Estuary. Seventeen pieces of art by local artists were sold, with half of the proceedings going to sponsor activities by Project Watershed on the estuary. In addition, a number of other inspiring pieces of art by local artists and photographers were on display for the participants to view and appreciate. A delightful finger buffet highlighting local food was prepared by Custom Gourmet Chef, Dawn McCrae. This was savored by all before the official program started and during the intermission.

After comments by Chair of the Project Watershed Board, Don Castleden, the keynote speaker, Dr. Scott Wallace, a local Comox Valley resident, and Sustainable Fisheries Analyst of the David Suzuki Foundation, informed the audience of how environmental scientist and economists are now able to put a dollar value on functioning estuaries, like our Courtenay River Estuary. “A typical estuary produces twice as much plant matter per unit area than a temperate rainforest. Compare a drive along the Dyke Road compared to a drive through Cathedral Grove; you would never believe that the estuary is producing nearly twice the plant matter per unit area.“ He went on to tell the audience which included local politicians Kate Greening and Jon Ambler that “several North American studies broadly estimate the annual economic benefits of estuaries at tens to hundreds of thousands $/ha. The Courtenay River Estuary is 1500 ha, so even using the most conservative of estimates, the estuary may provide 40 million dollars a year in services or about 1.5 times the operating budget of the Town of Comox.”

After a spirited intermission filled with wonderful treats of gastronomic delight from our Comox Valley, the audience was mesmerised by award-winning dramatist, Peter Donaldson, of Seattle and the impromptu formed Estuary Ensemble. This group told the story of the Courtenay River Estuary, describing in sounds, music and spoken word, how estuaries function and renew. They then told the story of our estuary, including a description of the First Nations fishing industry operable on our estuary for over 1000 years and how the Europeans arriving in the mid 1800’s changed all that. They also told the story of the sawmill and the industry on the estuary, including the disappearance of most of it in the first decade of the 21st century. The group then peered into the future, projecting a return of abundance of the Courtenay River Estuary and a sustainable Comox Valley at the beginning of the 22nd century suggesting how, with restoration efforts and attempts of sustainable agriculture, we could feed ourselves through local fisheries and agriculture even at a population of 250,000 people. The audience was entertained, stimulated and encouraged to project their thinking on the theme of the whole event, “Keeping It Living”.

MC Caila Holbrook of Project Watershed ended the evening with some additional historical comments, supported by Chair Don Castleden and the Estuary Working Group’s historian, Norma Morton. The audience was then delighted with 2 hours of dancing to Latin music from the local group, Luzna Orchestra. Many residents were shuttled to and from the Fish and Game Centre, by the Cona Shuttle, who donated their vehicle and time.

“We look forward to next year and our continued plan of building public awareness around this gem in our Valley. Not to mention another wonderful Gala event!” commented Paul Horgen, Project Watershed Board member.

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You can view some of the pictures of the event by clicking HERE featuring the work of local photographer Sarah Kerr.

More media (pics, video clips, sketches, etc.) and other contributions from the event can be sent to admin,,,keepingitliving.ca and we will share it through our network.

Thanks again to everyone for Keeping It Living!