Comox Valley Naturalists Society

Sunday, January 16, 2005
Jack Minard - Tsolum River Restoration Society
The River's Story

The ancient abundance of the rivers and streams that enter the Comox Estuary was utilized by First Nations peoples for ten to thirty thousand years. The near-collapse of the fishery resource in 1993 was brought about in a short 130 years after the arrival of the Valley's earliest settlers.

A combination of human activities added up slowly but relentlessly over this relatively short time to almost destroy the natural abundance. Apart from the activities is a difference in attitude. First Nations retained a spiritual connection with the ecosystem while Europeans came with an attitude of controlling nature and extracting the resources. This difference in attitude underpins the future of the resource.

The TRRS grew out of the discovery of the acid mine drainage from the Mt Washington Copper Mine. Many people have worked for many years to restore the stocks in the Tsolum River. We now are taking a much more holistic look at the entire ecosystem. We are identifying the limiting factors, working in concert with industry, First Nations, Government, agencies and the landowners along the river to address the restoration of this once bountiful river.

The future of the system is in our hands and does require our assistance for at least another decade or so. The TRRS is developing a recovery plan that lets nature take over and we cease all human intervention.

Visit the Tsolum River Restoration Society web site for more information on the organization.

Click on a link below to view descriptions of previous guest speakers.