CERCA celebrates its 5th anniversary
It is hard to believe that in August 2017 the Cowichan Estuary Restoration and Conservation Association (CERCA) is celebrating its fifth Anniversary. It feels only like yesterday that a handful of estuary aficionados got together in August of 2012 deciding to re-vitalize the former "Cowichan Estuary Society" dormant already for a number of years. And equally surprising that CERCA's founding group of five by now has grown into a charitable society with more than 110 members showing an impressive record of achievements for such a short period of time.
Beginning in 2012 with a multi-stakeholder workshop open to everyone who wanted to attend at the freshly opened Nature Center, we jointly identified what could and should be done to restore the ecological health of the Cowichan Estuary based on an assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. At the same workshop we decided on the most fitting name for our group that should reflect the ultimate goal of our future efforts embedded in the vision developed at this event. Restoration and conservation would from here on guide CERCA's activity program for the benefit of the estuary and the watersheds of the Cowichan and Koksilah Rivers on which the estuary depends. This holistic approach adopted by our group from day one continues to characterize CERCA's remarkable track record.
Our first project following CERCA's registration as a non-profit Society in 2012 was the development of a comprehensive "mobile estuary exhibition" jointly with the Royal BC Museum. The display highlights the ecological complexity and importance of estuaries, more specifically, the Cowichan Estuary's history, cultural and economic importance to First Nations and early white settlers, but also illustrates the adverse impacts it has suffered from various sources, the reason for CERCA's restoration efforts. The mobile exhibition continues to serve as an effective educational tool, having been on display locally at the Duncan Mall, the Cowichan Valley Regional Library, and the Duncan Forest Museum.
This was followed by our first well attended Symposium on "Expected Impacts of Climate Change on Estuaries and Coastal Communities" supported by the CVRD featuring eighteen high profile presenters from Government agencies, Academia, and estuary conservation groups held at our local VIU facilities.
The next project jointly implemented with UVIC focused on a "Perception Poll" involving Cowichan Bay Electoral Area D residents. The polling results perfectly reflect CERCA's vision for the estuary.
Two major estuary restoration projects for which CERCA raised over $ 300K were completed in 2014. (a) Breaching the Westcan access road in partnership with Western Stevedoring in the heart of the estuary enabling salmon spawn from the Cowichan River to access the last eelgrass field left in the estuary. (b) In partnership with Ducks Unlimited and Western Forest Products restoring Mariners Island salt- marsh where more than 10,000 logs in different stages of decomposition washed onto the marsh over decades were removed.
Another CERCA project implemented with financial support from Sidney Anglers Association involved a herring habitat enhancement initiative in Cowichan Bay applying a method successfully employed by the "Squamish Streamkeepers" in other parts of the Salish Sea. Unfortunately so far herring have not used the enhanced spawning habitat.
2017 is the second year for CERCA's highly successful swallow recovery project in the estuary with a 60% occupancy rate of the 54 nesting boxes placed in the estuary.
Another major project carried out in cooperation with Western Stevedoring and financial support by Island Savings -CERCA's major sponsor- focused on the construction of the Cowichan Estuary Nature Trail-Open-Air Classroom which follows the abandoned CN railroad bed leading to the Westcan Terminal in the center of the estuary. Numerous CERCA volunteers laboured for a full month in March 2016 eliminating massive amounts of invasive scotch broom prior to trail widening, constructing a parking lot, trail kiosk, and platform and placing signage developed with support from the Royal BC Museum. In-kind contributions for this project were received from Sinclair Construction, Duncan Paving, Cowichan Rentals, and Dogwood Lumber and a major donation by the True Grain Bakery.
CERCA's second Symposium with over 140 pre-registered attendees, 11 high profile national and international presenters on "Climate Change and the Economy" was held in 2017 at the Ramada in Duncan. The raving testimonials received reflected the quality of the event.
Also worth mentioning is a visit of a high level Chinese delegation from the Tianjin estuary, one of China's largest estuaries earlier this year. Following a site visit and lively discussions CERCA signed a cooperation agreement with the delegation who showed special interest in CERCA's blue-carbon sequestration research jointly implemented with UVIC's Institute of Ocean Sciences. Also of great interest to the Delegation was the 3-D model of the estuary which we completed this year with the help of Dr. Vadeboncoeur. Another research project to be completed within 2017 is the estuary habitat mapping, a project supported by DFO.
Looking back at the past five years we can be proud of what we have achieved so far but also have come to realize how much more remains to be done to reach our ultimate goal: a fully rehabilitated estuary. It will not be an estuary the way it looked like prior to the arrival of white man in the Cowichan Valley. It undoubtedly will be quite different in the light of expected impacts of climate change resulting in rising sea levels. Monitoring effects of climate change and other man-caused impacts will be part of our future work program.
But let's not talk about gloom and doom on a day like this when we want to celebrate CERCA's fifth birthday on August 6th at the most fitting Maple Grove Park in Cowichan Bay. Come and join us for an afternoon of fun and music.
Dr. Goetz Schuerholz
Chair CERCA