Comox Valley Naturalists Society

July, 2003
Frank Hovenden

The first article I wrote in this column was about our estuary. It was only fitting as the estuary of the Puntledge (Courtenay) River is the heart and centre of the ecosystem that we inhabit. I thought I would give an update on one group's efforts to improve the natural habitat of the estuary.

The years have not been kind to the estuary. It has been dredged, channelled, rip-rapped and filled in. A modern city has encroached upon it yet it is still a place filled with natural wonder.

Salmon still congregate here, albeit in smaller numbers, before swimming upstream to spawn. The marsh hollyhock still blooms, and a few Sitka spruce still remain to house the nests of the American bald eagles. That the estuary has changed is undeniable, however it is far from dead. Restoration efforts can help to turn things around.

The Comox Valley Naturalists have started to lend a helping hand to aid in the awareness, restoration, and protection of the estuary. The Naturalists are working to remove invasive alien species and replace them with native species. Invasive species are plants that have been transported by humans to places where they do not belong and are not normally found. For example purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) was introduced to North America from the gardens of Europe. Here in North America this plant has no enemies that feed upon it and has spread in places like an uncontrollable cancer. It is capable of completely dominating a marsh to the detriment of the native plants that occupy it. This has far-reaching consequences on other creatures such as birds and ducks that soon find themselves without habitat to forage and live in, but only a field of purple loosestrife.

Unfortunately many of these destructive aliens are attractive plants in their own right. Without education many people are unaware of the destruction that a beautiful flower like yellow flag iris is doing to our native environment.

The project to rein in the alien invaders started out as most do, through the determination of a single person with a vision. That person was Betty Lunam, a past president and director of the Comox Valley Naturalists. For many years Betty toiled with a small group of volunteers to eradicate purple loosestrife, from the estuary and surrounding areas. Her work ranged from lobbying Courtenay Council and the Regional District to outlaw the sale of the plant, to countless hours spent in the muck digging and hand pulling the alien invader out by its roots.

The Naturalists have realized that a single species approach was not entirely successful in improving the estuary habitat. The approach has been replaced in recent years by a more holistic view. Although this sounds impressive it translates on the ground as “more money, more people and more work”. It is a task well worth the effort as attested by the thousands of residents and visitors who enjoying the estuary via the walkway through Lagoon Park.

Efforts to fund raise have brought in contributions from diverse organizations such as the Canadian Nature Federation, Ducks Unlimited, and International Forest Products. Ernie Sellentin who holds a degree in environmental science from Royal Roads University has been employed the last two years as full-time Coordinator of the project. This summer he has been assisted by Heather West, a recent graduate of North Island College’s environmental assessment technology program. Along with a crew of students, the task of removing the invaders from the estuary continues.

The good news is that purple loosestrife is on the decline. In 1999 over 25,000 plants were removed while last year that number has dropped to less than 8000. The bad news is that other invasive alien plants are still choking our estuary and the list is growing. Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), yellow-flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor), and various knotweed species (Polygonum cuspidatum, sachalinense & polystachyum) are all firmly entrenched in and around the estuary.

Native plants are now being reintroduced to areas cleared of the alien species. As this problem did not occur overnight neither will its cure. Restoring the estuary is a long-term project. It will require the cooperation and efforts of all of the community, however the first step in this long journey has been taken. See the full report CVNS Wetland Habitat Restoration Project for more information.

Click on a link below to view the CVNS newspaper column.