Project Watershed has created the Ken Kirby Challenge to honour the final wishes of the renowned 'warrior painter.'
In June of 2023, as one of his last acts of generosity, the painter and activist donated $100,000 in original paintings to Comox Valley Project Watershed Society to help fund restoration work at Kus-kus-sum and beyond. Kirkby passed away later that month. The paintings will be used for the Paintings, By The Numbers event in the Comox Valley on Sept. 14.
“We challenge others to take a feather out of Ken’s hat and match this generosity with financial contributions. It is our goal to raise $80,000 in Ken's name to support our work,” says Caitlin Pierzchalski, Project Watershed executive director. Once the group reaches the goal, they will plant a Sitka Spruce grove in Kirkby’s name on the Kus-kus-sum property and create a salmon sign for the fence alongside it.
“Our salmon habitat restoration work touched on a theme Ken spent much of his life supporting,” reports Caila Holbrook, the society’s manager of fundraising, education and outreach. “It was his hope that his generosity would spark an outpouring of donations to Project Watershed.”
When speaking at an earlier event about the Kus-kus-sum Project, Kirkby had said “We are all in this together and with our hearts and minds in the right place -- we are unstoppable.” His words ring true as the $8M project returning an 8.3-acre sawmill site to natural habitat nears completion. “We have about $1 million left to raise to complete the project and every donation gets us closer to the finish line,” says Pierzchalski.
Over the years, Project Watershed has become a powerhouse in environmental work. Based in the Comox Valley the small group is making tangible gains on many big issues including habitat loss, climate change, shoreline hard-armouring and salmon stock decline. Donations to the group can be made at projectwatershed.ca and will be used to combat these issues as they collaborate with the local First Nations, municipal governments, community volunteers and youth. Those interested in Kirkby’s work can purchase a Paintings, By The Numbers ticket and receive an original Kirkby oil painting. All funds from the tickets will go to Project Watershed.
Kirkby was a world-renowned painter whose eventful life has been captured in various books such as Ken Kirkby: A Painter’s Quest For Canada, and Ken Kirkby: Warrior Painter. He was a high-spirited individual who believed in donating 80 per cent of his income and much of his life to social and environmental improvement.
Kirkby’s moniker, Warrior Painter, arose from his passionate and self-funded 31-year-long campaign to raise awareness about Northern Indigenous rights. He made an impactful presentation to the Canadian Parliament in 1992 and helped increase support for Inuit peoples. In 1993, Kirkby was awarded the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation for making significant contributions to Canadian society.
Later in his life, Kirkby used his “warrior-painter” methods to combat salmon stock depletion and habitat destruction in B.C. Among many achievements, he helped the Nile Creek return from near extinction to a healthy functioning salmon stream.
His final donation of paintings to Project Watershed brought his total giving to the group to approximately $300,000 since 2018, when he first heard about the Kus-kus-sum Project.
“We hope many participate in this challenge in remembrance of Ken and in support of ecological restoration, research, and education on Vancouver Island,” says Holbrook.
