CERCA Symposium - Expected Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Communities & Estuaries
Summary Review of the Symposium by Geoff Strong, Co-Chair CERCA (Climate Scientist)
The symposium was well attended by some 80 registered people, was well received, and achieved almost all of its objectives, which were:
To assess current and expected impacts of climate change at the global, provincial, and local scales.
To discuss how climate change, pollution, and unsustainable development of land, estuaries, and resource use affect estuarine ecosystem integrity and coastal communities.
To share experiences on estuary restoration and conservation initiatives, and discuss strategies to mitigate current and expected adverse impacts.
The field trip was organized for the benefit of Symposium participants interested in learning more about the Cowichan Estuary. Starting at the Stone Church in Cowichan Bay, a vantage point located in the center of the Bay overlooking the entire estuary, a brief introduction to the key features and issues related to the estuary was given.The next stop was at the Comiaken Bridge spanning the Cowichan River North Fork. Walking along the dike built in the early 80s by the Province and Ducks Unlimited to protect pasture land against seasonal flooding, issues related to the dike, sluice gates, log debris covering salt marshes, agriculture in estuaries and adjacent floodplains, urban expansion etc. were discussed along the way. Prior to the dike construction the pastures the dike protects formed part of the salt marshes of the estuary.The next stop was at the Western Forest Products saw mill site. Issues and problems related to the mill such as the (free of charge) use of a 17 acres mill pond (Crown Land), destruction of one mile of prime riparian habitat along the shoreline of the mill pond, periodic dredging of a channel connecting deep water with the mill pond used for log boom transport, daily grounding of log booms destined for the mill at low tide in non-compliance with a Crown License of Occupation Agreement, noise and light pollution, etc. were hot topics of debate. Sharing information with representatives of other estuary groups participating in the field trip and jointly realizing the need for cooperation to strengthen our advocacy role proved to be an encouraging experience.Another topic discussed was the blue carbon issue, one of CERCA’s priorities. Within this context the the proposed clean-up by CERCA of salt marshes, in particular Mariners Island, currently covered by logs washed up over decades was highlighted.The next point of interest was the Westcan Causeway and Terminal which effectively cuts the estuary in half. Discussions concentrated on CERCA’s proposed breaching of the causeway in order to enable proper estuary ecosystem functioning, circulation of water and channeling freshwater from the South Fork of the Cowichan River to the southern section of the estuary which requires breaching the man-made road.The field trip ended in Cowichan Bay village, a Cittaslow community which has turned into a prime tourist destination in summer. Problems related to float homes and water contamination but also opportunities offered by the estuary for nature-based tourism were issues of interest to the group.Visiting and seeing the estuary through the eyes of CERCA was a rewarding experience for everyone as reflected by the feedback received.
