Clayoquot Sound
Encyclopedia
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
in the Canadian province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It is bordered by the Esowista Peninsula to the south, and the Hesquiaht Peninsula to the North. It is a body of water with many inlets and islands. Major inlets include Sydney Inlet, Shelter Inlet, Herbert Inlet, Bedwell Inlet, Lemmens Inlet, and Tofino Inlet. Major islands include Flores Island, Vargas Island, and Meares Island
Meares Island
Meares Island is one of the many islands surrounding the Village of Tofino, British Columbia, Canada. Its name was given in 1862 by George Henry Richards, captain of HMS Hecate, in honor of John Meares...
. The name is also used for the larger region of land around the waterbody (essentially its watershed).
Origin of the name
The name Clayoquot is derived from the name of a first nations band, today known as the Tla-o-qui-aht, meaning "different" or "changing".History
First Nations have inhabited the area for thousands of years. The oldest dated location within Nuu-cha-nulth territory is 4200 years (at Yuquot, Nootka Island). However due to a number of factors, including rising post-glacial sea-level rise, most will date the beginnings of human habitation beyond 9,000 years before present.In the late 18th century, Clayoquot Sound was explored by various European and American ships, which were mainly involved in the fur trade. In 1791 the complex inner waters were explored and mapped by José María Narváez
José María Narváez
José María Narváez was a Spanish naval officer, explorer, and navigator notable for his work in the Pacific Northwest of present-day Canada. In 1791, as commander of the schooner Santa Saturnina, he led the first European exploration of the Strait of Georgia, including a landing on present-day...
and Juan Carrasco
Juan Carrasco (explorer)
Juan Carrasco was a Spanish naval officer, explorer, and navigator. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century. He was second in command of the 1791 voyage of José María Narváez, the first European exploration of the Strait of Georgia.Many details...
while their commander, Francisco de Eliza
Francisco de Eliza
Francisco de Eliza y Reventa was a Spanish naval officer, navigator, and explorer. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest...
met and befriended Wickaninnish
Wickaninnish
Wickaninnish was a chief of the Tla-o-qui-aht people of Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada during the opening period of European contact with the Pacific Northwest Coast cultures in the 1780s and 1790s...
, the chief of the Tla-o-qui-aht
Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations
The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations , are a Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation in Canada. They live on ten reserves along the Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. They are part of the Nootka Confederacy and governed by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. There were 618 people...
peoples.
Indigenous peoples and governments
The members of three major First NationsFirst Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
band governments of the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples inhabit the Clayoquot Sound re: the Hesquiaht
Hesquiaht First Nation
The Hesquiaht First Nation is a Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations government based on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.- Introduction :...
in the North, the Ahousaht
Ahousaht First Nation
The Ahousaht First Nation is a First Nation government based on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, focused on the community of Ahousaht, British Columbia. It is a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council...
in the middle, and the Tla-O-Qui-Aht in the south, focused on the village of Opitsaht
Opitsaht
Opitsaht, spelled also as Opitsat and Opitsitah, is a community of the Tla-o-qui-aht people of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation, located at the SW end of Meares Island in Clayoquot Sound. During the era of the Maritime Fur Trade, Opitsaht was the seat of Wickaninnish, chief of the Tla-o-qui-aht, and...
on Meares Island
Meares Island
Meares Island is one of the many islands surrounding the Village of Tofino, British Columbia, Canada. Its name was given in 1862 by George Henry Richards, captain of HMS Hecate, in honor of John Meares...
. The village of Tofino
Tofino, British Columbia
Tofino is a district of about 1,650 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada, located at the western terminus of Highway 4, on the tip of the Esowista Peninsula, at the southern edge of Clayoquot Sound....
lies opposite Opitsaht on the southern promontory of the entrance to the sound.
Ecology, parks and terrain
The land around Clayoquot Sound includes vast coastal temperate rain forest, rivers, lakes, marine areas and beaches. It includes part of the Pacific Rim National Park ReservePacific Rim National Park Reserve
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a Canadian national park reserve in British Columbia made up of three separate regions: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. The entire park encompasses 511 km² of land and ocean. The park is characterized by rugged coasts and...
and some of Strathcona Provincial Park
Strathcona Provincial Park
Strathcona Provincial Park is the oldest provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, and the largest on Vancouver Island. Founded in 1911, the park was named for Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, a wealthy philanthropist and railroad pioneer. It lies within the...
. The total size of the Clayoquot Sound region, including both land and water, is 350000 hectares (864,868.1 acre). More than 200,000 hectares have been part of a multi-year study using Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) to identify areas prone to geologic and geomorphic hazards, in particular, landslides, soil erosion, and sedimentation, as well as identify and characterize terrain conditions associated with these hazards.The region contains the largest area of intact (unlogged) temperate rainforest left on Vancouver Island.
Clayoquot Sound is home to wolves, black bears
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, cougars, grey whales, orca
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
s, porpoise
Porpoise
Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen...
s, seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
s, sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
s, river otters, bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s, osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
, Marbled Murrelet
Marbled Murrelet
The Marbled Murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow...
s, Pacific Loons, Roosevelt Elk
Roosevelt elk
The Roosevelt elk , also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America...
, marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
s, and raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s.
Logging protests
The sound has been a focal point for conflict between the forest industry and environmental protesters.In 1984, the first logging blockades in Canadian History occurred on Meares Island. The BC government decided 90% of Meares Island would be logged, and in response the blockades occurred. In the end, a legal application from the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation was granted, imposing a legal injunction on logging on Meares Island. As of December 2009, this injunction still stands.
In the summer of 1993, protesters responded to the 1993 'Clayoquot Land Use Decision', made by the British Columbia government, permitting logging in 2/3 of the old growth forest
Old growth forest
An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...
in Clayoquot. As a result of the Clayoquot Land Use Decision, over 12,000 individuals attended logging blockades in Clayqout Sound, resulting in over 850 arrests. Activists eventually gained the support of major organizations such as Greenpeace and the Sierra Club Activist Australian rock group Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
also brought attention to the conflict when they performed an early morning concert at the protesters' camp. The Land Use Decision still stands today.
Clayoquot Sound was designated a World Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 2000. This designation brought World recognition of the ecological importance of Clayoquot Sound, and a $12M monetary fund to "support research, education and training in the Biosphere region".
At the end of July 2006, a new set of Watershed Plans was approved, opening the door for logging in a further 90,000 hectares of forest in Clayoquot Sound, including the pristine old-growth valleys
As of 2007, both logging tenures within Clayoquot Sound are now controlled by first nation logging companies. Iisaak Forest Resources controls Timber Forest License (TFL) 57 in Clayoquot Sound. MaMook Natural Resources Ltd, in conjunction with Coulson Forest Products, manages TFL54 in Clayoquot Sound.
See also
- Kennedy LakeKennedy LakeKennedy Lake is the largest lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Located northeast of Ucluelet on the Island's central west coast, the lake is formed chiefly by the confluence of the Clayoquot and Kennedy Rivers. Outflow is via a short stretch of the Kennedy River into Tofino...
- Cougar AnnieCougar AnnieAda Annie Rae-Arthur, later Ada Annie Lawson but better known as Cougar Annie, was a pioneer who settled near Hesquiat Harbour at Boat Basin in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada....
- Clayoquot Arm Provincial Park
- Clayoquot Plateau Provincial ParkClayoquot Plateau Provincial ParkClayoquot Plateau Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada....