Lasqueti Island
Encyclopedia
Lasqueti Island is an island
off the east coast of Vancouver Island
in the Strait of Georgia
, Powell River Regional District
, British Columbia
, Canada
. A passenger-only ferry
connects the island to the community of French Creek
, near Parksville
. The ferry makes two to three runs per day, five days per week, weather permitting.
, commander of the Santa Saturnina.
, down 2.2% from the 2001 census
and a land area of 73.57 km² (28.4 sq mi).
Lasqueti Island is the least developed of the major Gulf Islands
. Its roads are mostly unpaved, and it is the only one of the larger Gulf Islands that is not connected to BC Hydro
's electrical power
grid. Solar
, wind
, micro-hydro and fossil fuel
ed generator
s power the island.
Lasqueti is neither tourist friendly nor tourist hostile. There is a hotel and a restaurant in False Bay, where the ferry arrives and departs. There is also a pizza parlour open at odd hours. The cookie stand operates on an honour system and is always worth checking out. There are at least two B&B's on the island, but business is seasonal. Transportation on the island is limited. Should you desire to visit the island it is recommended that you be somewhat self-sufficient. Potable water may be scarce at times, in different places on the island. One must take food along, because no markets exist on the island aside from an informal food cooperative. There is no camping allowed on the island.
Its sailing and sea kayaking is among the finest, but also among the most challenging, in lower British Columbia. Tides and currents may become foreboding without warning -- the winter weather down the Strait of Georgia has been responsible for various mariners' deaths.
and succulent plants.
which is almost entirely igneous and largely basalt
ic.
Minor:
, which is the site of a heritage farm of a former settler.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
off the east coast of Vancouver Island
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 Strait of Georgia
Strait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
, Powell River Regional District
Powell River Regional District, British Columbia
The Regional District of Powell River is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It includes the City of Powell River and a number of unincorporated areas...
, 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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A passenger-only ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
connects the island to the community of French Creek
French Creek
-Communities:United States*French Creek, former name of Frenchtown, El Dorado County, California*French Creek Township, Allamakee County, Iowa*French Creek, New York*French Creek Township, Pennsylvania *French Creek, West Virginia...
, near Parksville
Parksville, British Columbia
-Demographics:Parksville had a population of 10,993 people in 2006, which was an increase of 6.5% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2006 for Parksville was $55,524, which is below the British Columbia provincial average of $62,346....
. The ferry makes two to three runs per day, five days per week, weather permitting.
History
Lasqueti Island was named in 1791 by Spanish Naval officer José María NarváezJosé 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...
, commander of the Santa Saturnina.
Demographics
The island had a population of 359 in the Canada 2006 CensusCanada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, down 2.2% from the 2001 census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
and a land area of 73.57 km² (28.4 sq mi).
Lasqueti Island is the least developed of the major Gulf Islands
Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia , between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada....
. Its roads are mostly unpaved, and it is the only one of the larger Gulf Islands that is not connected to BC Hydro
BC Hydro
The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...
's electrical power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
grid. Solar
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
, wind
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
, micro-hydro and fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
ed generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
s power the island.
Community
It has a yearly Arts Festival on Canada Day Weekend, featuring local painters, photographers, sculptors, poets, fiction writers and historians. Lasqueti is also home to Canada's only annual public car burning festival. Though technically informal for legal reasons this celebration of the Spring equinox is a major revenue source in the pre-Summer economic lull.Lasqueti is neither tourist friendly nor tourist hostile. There is a hotel and a restaurant in False Bay, where the ferry arrives and departs. There is also a pizza parlour open at odd hours. The cookie stand operates on an honour system and is always worth checking out. There are at least two B&B's on the island, but business is seasonal. Transportation on the island is limited. Should you desire to visit the island it is recommended that you be somewhat self-sufficient. Potable water may be scarce at times, in different places on the island. One must take food along, because no markets exist on the island aside from an informal food cooperative. There is no camping allowed on the island.
Its sailing and sea kayaking is among the finest, but also among the most challenging, in lower British Columbia. Tides and currents may become foreboding without warning -- the winter weather down the Strait of Georgia has been responsible for various mariners' deaths.
Aquaculture and Agriculture
Aquaculture includes clams, geoducks, oysters, honey mussels, and prawns. Agriculture include seasonal vegetables, orchards, nuts, and berries. There are a few farms on Lasqueti Island. Their products range from blueberries, apple juice, eggs, to maple syrup. There also is a shellfish farm and a shellfish hatchery.Flora and fauna
The island has drier and wetter microclimates, the latter often characterized by red cedar and the former by native cacti, arbutusPacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...
and succulent plants.
Geography
Soils for the most part form shallow, stony deposits over bedrockBedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
which is almost entirely igneous and largely basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic.
Islands near Lasqueti Island
Major:- Texada IslandTexada IslandTexada Island is the largest island in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. Its northern tip is located about southwest of the city of Powell River and west of the Sechelt Peninsula on the Sunshine Coast. A former mining and logging area, the island still has a few quarries and old...
Minor:
- Jedediah IslandJedediah Island Marine Provincial ParkJedediah Island Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is a small, island which is quite beautiful. Anyone is free to camp on Jedediah island; but usually the only way to get there is by boat. The nearest access is from Lasqueti Island.-The Palmers:The Palmers...
- Finnerty Islands
- Jervis Island
- Bull Island
- Sangster Island
- Jenkins Island
- Sisters Lighthouse
Parks
An excellent provincial park exists on a nearby island, Jedediah Island Marine Provincial ParkJedediah Island Marine Provincial Park
Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is a small, island which is quite beautiful. Anyone is free to camp on Jedediah island; but usually the only way to get there is by boat. The nearest access is from Lasqueti Island.-The Palmers:The Palmers...
, which is the site of a heritage farm of a former settler.