History
This land zoned for conservation in Electoral Area C, was purchased in 2019 in partnership with the Comox Valley Land Trust and helped made possible by the support of the Morrison Creek Streamkeepers. Upon purchase of the land, the CVRD reached out to K’ómoks First Nation for its naming. After consulting with Elders and knowledge keepers, Hegus Rempel advised the CVRD that the K’ómoks people had chosen the name qax mot, meaning lots of medicine in the traditional ay̓aǰuθəm (ayajuthem) language. Ayajuthem is a Coast Salish language shared between the peoples of K’ómoks, Tla'amin, Homalco and Klahoose. qax mot is pronounced ‘qah (with an emphasis on the h) mote’.
Photo Caption: CVRD Board Chair Jesse Ketler, Electoral Area C Director Edwin Grieve, Morrison Creek Streamkeepers Director Jan Gemmell, Comox Valley Land Trust Tim Ennis, and K’ómoks Hegus Nicole Rempel
Features
The park protects a portion of Morrison Creek and associated water courses that supply cool, clean, year-round water for aquatic species. Morrison Creek watershed provides important fish habitat for pink, coho, chinook, and chum salmon, resident and sea-going cutthroat, rainbow, and steelhead trout, Dolly Varden char, and three types of lamprey; Pacific lamprey, the Western brook lamprey, and the Morrison Creek Lamprey.
Morrison Creek lamprey are found only in Morrison Creek. It is this extreme ‘endemism’ that supports this lamprey’s current status as “endangered”.
The park was named “qax mot” by the K’ómoks First Nation in 2021, which means “lots of medicine”. Read the news release to learn more.
Information
qax mot Conservation Area is accessible from Lake Trail Road. Vehicle parking is available at Linton Conservation Area northeast of the park entrance.
From the park entrance, a 1.8km trail follows an old road grade to Morrison Creek and proceeds around a short loop trail back to the Morrison Creek bridge. Trail marker signs indicate the park entrance and trail locations. The south west side of qax mot Conservation Area is restricted to park visitors to help protect sensitive habitat and wildlife living in this area of the park.
Location
4430 Lake Trail Road (address not marked).