Sweet & Salty: Estuary Musing by Ed Brooks
Have you ever noticed that when you walk by a river and if the flow, like your walk, is downstream, it will take less effort than turning around and walking back? Is your stride a little longer because of the downstream decline, or are you being affected by the visual information you are taking in?

Life can seem to be like that. Even though streams and rivers don't flow backwards, there is an exception to that rule. It’s called an estuary. A riparian zone. A place where waters meet. A place where different worlds meet and are in relationship to each other. The end of a journey and the beginning of another. A meeting place for families and species. A place where certain things thrive and are not to be found elsewhere. Sweet and salty co- exist here. A place of increase and decrease.

In actuality, most of the dynamics of lifeforce or change can be studied here. We, the residents of the Comox Valley, have such a zone here. But you already knew that, right? Uh Huh! Actually, to some it's just like another one of those nature shows on T.V. unless you get out there and explore it for yourself. If you take the time to visit it frequently, throughout the seasons, you will notice that this is far from being a static area. It changes dramatically and continuously and if observed year after year, you will notice that not only the channels and shoreline change, but all those plants that rely on it also change. Everything cycles and has its time.

Estuaries are also an area where even larger changes can be observed. Climate change has a huge affect on estuaries and an estuary, like a loving parent with a child, accepts and absorbs the ever changing reality.

Upcoming Events
Workshops & Courses:
February: Acrylic Painting with Tracy Kobus, Cost: $40 - course will run with 6 or more participants
March: Carving with Randy Frank, Cost: $85 - limited to 5 participants; Wetlandkeepers with Michele Jones, Cost: $110
April: Photography with Ed Brooks, Cost: $80 - limited to 6 participants;: Kids Art with Lisa Zervakis for 9-14 year olds , Cost: $40

To register call (250) 703-2871 or email infokeepingitliving.ca, more info and an event calendar can be found at www.keepingitliving.ca.

Support for Estuary Research and Restoration
Project Watershed started the Keeping It Living Campaign to raise awareness and funds for the protection and restoration of the Courtenay River Estuary and our efforts are already starting to pay off. Generous supporters from the business community, the arts community and concerned individuals have committed funds through our sponsorship program. Project Watershed also thanks the Vancouver Foundation for granting us financial support for 2010 and 2011. All of this will go a long way in helping us reach our goals.

We can't stop here. Restoring and protecting the Estuary is going to be a lot of work and there are many ways for you to get involved:
~join the Sponsorship Program – you can become a Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze Sponsor and receive a limited edition Bev Byerley painting of the Estuary
~ buy community way dollars from Project Watershed
~ submit art work to the Online Silent Auction and Art Competition
~ register for an Art Workshop
~ and last but not least become a volunteer

Find out more at www.keepingitliving.ca or by calling (250) 703-2871

Archeology in the Estuary - Nancy Greene
Did you know that the Courtenay River Estuary contains one of the largest concentrations of Aboriginal intertidal fish traps in North America?

More than 1,000 years before European settlers sailed into Comox Harbour in the 1850's, First Nations fishers constructed large traps by pounding long wood stakes into the estuarine sediments at low tide to form corral-like structures, some more than 40 meters in diameter. When the tide came in, the traps would have been capable of capturing immense numbers of fish such as salmon and herring, as well as other fish important to people living along the shores of the estuary.

Today the large traps are gone, but remnants of the wood stakes that were used to build the traps can still be seen protruding from the surface of the tideflat. Often the stakes appear in patterns that give clues to the original shapes of the traps.

In 2003, local archaeologist Nancy Greene and her husband David McGee undertook a multi-year study of the remains of the fish traps. With an enthusiastic group of volunteers, and the support of the K'omoks First Nation, they mapped the shapes and distribution of the traps and collected samples of wood for radiocarbon dating.

The shapes, large sizes and numbers of traps appear to be unique compared to other Aboriginal intertidal sites. And the traps appear to have been constructed and operated in a manner that ensured potentially large fish harvests for centuries without significant depletion of important fish resources.

Archaeologists at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Parks Canada suggest that the Courtenay River Estuary fish trap site has the merits of a Canadian National Historic Site. It is rare to find such a well-preserved and significant archaeological site located near an urban centre. As such, the site is an irreplaceable heritage asset for our community.

Download the attachment to see the page as it appeared in the Comox Valley Record.

Stay tuned for more on the Courtenay River
Estuary fish trap story as it unfolds.