Cowichan Valley Docent, Genevieve Singleton, teaches children about salmon.
We want the people of the Cowichan Valley to understand and value that their well-being is interconnected with the well-being of their watershed.
Mukw' stem 'o' slhilhukw'tul: everything is interconnected.
Indicators:
- All students in grade 2 would participate in at least one place-based learning experience to form a connection to their watershed.
- All students in grade 9 would participate in an outdoor place-based experience to help them understand how their well-being is interconnected with their watershed.
- An annual tally would be available, tracking the overall educational and stewardship opportunities offered to help residents of all ages understand and value their watershed.
Rationale
The Cowichan Watershed Board (CWB) is seeking a sustainable future for the people and ecosystems of the Cowichan watershed. Supporting that vision over the long term requires a deeper understanding of the interconnectivity between our quality of life and the health of the watershed that supports us. As such, the CWB and its many partners are working to build watershed connections through classroom programs, guest lectures, watershed tours, citizen science, public meetings, and more. Engaging children is about building early connections to nature through watershed experiences, and the local public school curriculum reflects that. Several of our Watershed Connections member groups are able to provide excellent nature-based experiences to all levels of students. Other organizations, including the CWB itself, offer adult focused education and experiences, such as free Speaker Series by both CWB and Nature Cowichan, Annual River Cleanup, World Water Day activities in Lake Cowichan, Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre open hours (or volunteering opportunities), hands-on stewardship work days in and around Somenos Marsh, the Garry Oak reserve, Maple Mountain, Lake Cowichan, supporting bluebird recovery, etc. plus birding, hikes, and more.
Connect with a Watershed Connector!
The following are some of many organizations and individuals who offer a wide variety of ways for people to immerse themselves in watershed learning and connection. Check them out! Also consider signing up for their newsletters to keep up to date.
Cowichan Watershed Board - Monthly Speaker Series at VIU-Cowichan. Contact Katia Bannister katia@cowichanwatershedboard.ca
Quw’utsun Cultural Connections Society - Workshops and land-based volunteer opportunities. Contact Sandra Thomson sandra@qccsociety.ca
CVRD Parks - land-based volunteering. See the Teachers' Guide to Visiting CVRD Parks and Trails and more information for school visits here. Contact: Elizabeth.Aitken@cvrd.bc.ca. Read Elizabeth's profile here.
Somenos Marsh Society Many hands-on volunteering opportunities. Contact Phaedra Douglass. phaedra@somenosmarsh.com
Stream to Sea Program, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. In class hatchery opportunities and more. Contact Alli Roberts. stream2seaeducation@gmail.com
Genevieve Singleton, naturalist/educator who offers Nature Walks, often with Quw'utsun knowledge keepers. Email Genevieve at twinflower4@gmail.com
Cowichan Land Trust. See many resources on website, e.g. Best Water Ways Educator's Guide. Contact Stephanie Cottell. stephanie@cowichanlandtrust.ca
Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre. Nature interpretive centre overlooking the Cowichan Estuary. Drop in by donation during open hours, parent/tot programs, camps, class programs, aquarium. Estuary Explorers aligns with K-4 curriculum. Contact info@cowichanestuary.ca
Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society. Many hands-on projects welcoming volunteers. They also offer a coffee table book about the Quw'utsun watershed, Witnessing the Water. Contact President Judy Brayden at clrss.information@gmail.com
Cowichan Tribes First Nation - Lulumexun marine team is very active in and around the estuary with research and monitoring programs to reconnect Quw'utsun Mustimuhw to their territory, with some programs welcoming other volunteers as well. Watch their facebook page for more. https://www.facebook.com/Lulumexun
Nature Cowichan offers many talks, walks, and volunteer opportunities. They also house a Nature Cowichan calendar on their website to help everyone find other nature related events and activities available.
Cowichan Estuary Restoration and Conservation Association always has research and restoration projects underway in the Bay. Contact CERCA here.
Rodger Hunter leads an educational watershed tour - Greendale Trestle tourstop.
Progress (2018, update pending)
Watershed Tours: Based on the idea that “seeing is believing,” CWB has hosted dozens of full-day guided bus tours, starting with the weir and shorelines of Cowichan Lake to the estuary at Cowichan Bay. Tour guests learn about the ecology, challenges, successes and politics of keeping the Cowichan watershed healthy.
Public lectures: Since 2014, through a partnership with Vancouver Island University’s Cowichan campus, CWB has co-hosted a monthly speakers series, providing free public lectures by experts on relevant watershed issues. Read about all the speakers - past and present - here.
The Cowichan Valley Naturalists and Cowichan Stewardship Roundtable similarly host monthly lectures, and the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre offers films and other educational events.
March 2023 XPey' (Cedar) Speaker Night at VIU Cowichan with Speakers from Quw'utsun Cultural Connections and BCMoF Cowichan Lake Research Station.
Classroom Coordination: The CWB’s watershed IQ group seeks to identify gaps and opportunities for collaboration between the many environmental education programs offered by groups such as the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society (CLRSS), Cowichan Land Trust, DFO, the Cowichan Lake Salmonid Enhancement Society, Cowichan Valley Docents, and the Cowichan Green Community. The group works with classroom teachers to get all children out for a watershed experience at least once during elementary school. Work is ongoing to streamline this effort so that all children connect with their watershed during these formative years.
Shoreline Education: The Cowichan Shoreline Stewardship Project was initiated in 2014 to engage and educate residents about riparian areas. Volunteers from the CLRSS visit shoreline owners to explain the benefits of natural vegetation. A survey measured owners’ knowledge of riparian protection bylaws and attitudes about balancing their recreational needs with the ecological value of retaining natural shoreline vegetation. Restored sites were used as demonstration areas for riparian tours to engage a wider audience including media, politicians and other property owners. As a result, now property owners are approaching CLRSS to have their properties restored, instead of volunteers having to reach out to the property owners.
Families pitch in for annual River Cleanup events.
River Clean-up: For 10 years, annual river clean-ups encourage citizens to get their hands wet at one of two coordinated full-day events. The CLRSS organizes a Cowichan Lake clean-up, and the CWB and Cowichan Tribes co-host the lower river clean-up. About 200 volunteers turn out annually to help remove litter and debris from the river and shorelines.
Next Steps
- Continue to develop tools and protocols to improve lines of communication/working relationships between aquatic environmental educators in Cowichan Valley
- Write grant proposal for funding to allow for full school district participation in salmon education watershed field trips
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