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Comox Bay Farm Revitalization 
Courtenay, BC, December 19, 2002 – Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and its partners in the Pacific Estuary Conservation Program have applied to bring Comox Bay Farm into the City of Courtenay. The 192-acre farm is presently in the Regional District of Comox Strathcona.
DUC’s intention for the Comox Bay Farm is to maintain sustainable soil based farming to the benefit of wildlife and agricultural interests in perpetuity while integrating and improving community involvement on the land.
Under the proposal, the City of Courtenay would facilitate the amalgamation and subdivision of the current property from three titles to two titles. The resulting division would allow for the comprehensive commercial zoning of a 2.3 hectare parcel with agricultural zoning for the balance of the property. The farm will remain in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ARL) and continue to be regulated by the Agricultural Land Commission. Currently 75 per centof BC’s municipalities contain some ARL lands.
The benefits of the proposed amalgamation would result in a number of opportunities for the community. Working with local stewardship organizations, DUC will develop an educational interpretive center showcasing Vancouver Island’s wildlife conservation efforts and promote agricultural awareness and stewardship.
Evansdale Farms will revitalize the commercial site with the development of a new farm market. Visitors will be exposed to a managed agricultural-wildlife viewing area will having the opportunity to select from local agricultural and wood products.
The Comox Bay Farm lands were originally acquired by DUC in 1998 due to their significance for wintering Trumpeter Swans and migrating waterfowl. The Comox Valley is home to at least ten per cent of the worlds’ trumpeter swans. Comox Bay Farm is some of the most critical backshore farmland immediately adjacent to the Courtenay River Estuary and represents an integral part of the habitat needed by the swans.
