Vol. 26 No. 71 i t y r Yo ur
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COMOX VALLEY RECORD
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A division of
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September 7, 2011
Yo ur
WEDNESDAY
ANNIVERSARY
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NCE 1986
www.comoxvalleyrecord.com
INSIDE
Duane Zeinstra dominated at Saratoga Speedway. ■ B5
BIG BIRD(S)
AFTER THE CRASH The coroner (right) and RCMP investigate a fatal rollover early Tuesday morning on the Inland Highway north of Cook Creek. RCMP indicate a woman died when a car travelling southbound with two occupants swerved and rolled into the median while avoiding a deer that jumped onto the road. PHOTO BY ERIN HALUSCHAK
Lindsay Chung
K’ómoks, Project Watershed
Record Staff
The work to gain National Historic Site Status for the ancient aboriginal fish trap systems in the Courtenay River estuary took two major steps Sunday afternoon. The K’ómoks First Nation (KFN) and the board of directors of the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society signed a Memorandum of Agreement to work together for the protection and preservation of the Courtenay River Estuary during a celebration of the estuary at the Puntledge RV Campground in Courtenay. Dr. Paul Horgen, chair of the National Historic Site Commit-
tee (NHSC), officially launched a community bid for National Historic Site Status for the ancient aboriginal fish trap systems in the estuary. “I’d like to officially announce today that we are going to move forward with a joint bid for National Historic Site status for the Courtenay estuary ancient fish trap systems, K’ómoks First Nation and the community of the Comox Valley, to move this forward,” Horgen announced during the celebration, hosted by the KFN and Project Watershed Society. Sunday’s celebration, MCed by Fran Prince, opened with a wel-
come by Coun. Barbara Mitchell of the K’ómoks First Nation and included dancing by the Kumugwe Dancers and performances by Emily Spiller. Archeologist Nancy Greene and geologist David McGee have proven that the Courtenay River estuary possesses the remains of thousands of wooden stakes, which suggest that civilization occupying this area had an extensive fishery using wood-stake fish trap systems, and based on this important find, Project Watershed is co-ordinating a communitywide effort to make a submission to the National Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada for
National Historic Status for the Courtenay River Estuary. Melissa Quocksister, KFN member on the Historic Site Committee, told the crowd that the band is behind the work being done to secure National Historic Status. “I’m a member of the K’ómoks First Nation, and our ancestors built these fish trap systems which you can see in the estuary still today, and the way they were built and just the way they used the tides and their traditional knowledge to trap these large quantities of fish is just amazing,” she said. “The research that was done by Nancy Greene and David McGee really shows exactly how incred-
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Dlr#7478
Alliance formed, heritage bid launched
The eagle falls from the sky, its feathers, curved with the force of the wind, its huge talons reaching upwards. From wingtip to wingtip, the bird measures 10 feet. Its current home is a 20x30-foot garage. But someday, wood sculptor Wes Seeley hopes his eagle will soar in a much large space. He’s put in 1,500 hours on the project and estimates he has another 2,500 hours to go, 40 on the head alone.