The Ahousaht First Nation has announced the fantastic news that over 80% of their Clayoquot Sound lands on the west coast of Vancouver Island are to be protected.

Last week the Ahousaht First Nation band in Clayoquot Sound near Tofino, that has the largest tracts of old-growth forests in their territory of any Vancouver Island band, announced their land use plan vision. They plan to designate 82% of their 170,000-hectare territory as WIKLAKʷIIḤ7 or Ahousaht “Cultural and Natural Areas” that prohibit logging, mining, and oil and gas development, including most of Flores and Vargas Islands, and the Sydney, Ursus, Pretty Girl and Bulson Valleys.

This is the largest leap forward in old-growth forest conservation on Vancouver Island in over 20 years! Great thanks to the Ahousaht people and leadership, and the conservation groups for their excellent work to develop this vision over many years.

By Ken Wu
Ancient Forest Alliance
Victoria
British Columbia

Related:
Press Release: Ahousaht Land Use Vision
DeSmog Canada: This First Nation Just Banned Industrial Logging and Mining from Vancouver Island Territory
Chek News: Ahousaht First Nation applauded for Logging Ban (Video)
Nuu-cha-nulth ‘Ha-Shilth-Sa’: ‘No’ to Industrial Mining and Logging, say Ahousaht Ha’wiih

Map Credit: Ahousaht First Nation

5 reasons to visit our one-of-a-kind Canadian surf camp in Tofino

We can all feel it; summer is around the bend. The days are getting longer, the air is getting warmer, and for our little town of Tofino BC, the excitement is building. We all wait in anticipation throughout the rainy winter to indulge in breathtaking sunset surfs, local cuisine, and evenings with friends from all over the world. For those coming to experience our little piece of paradise, summer in Tofino feels like an endless adventure.

Since 1998, Pacific Surf Co. has offered the highest-quality surf products and services as we spread the love and joy of surfing to all those who visit us. We’ve combined this passion with the local expertise of Tofino Travel Co. to create Pacific Surf Camps, a truly unique way to experience Canada’s pristine West Coast.

Photo Credit: Robert Fiorella

Our all-inclusive Pacific Surf Camps are exactly that – all inclusive. Not only do you get expert surf coaching, comfy accommodations, great food, transportation and surf swag bags, but you also get insider’s access to the good life in Tofino, tours of Pacific Rim National Park, and a tonne of laughs and good times with your local guide, Drew Burke. Our surf camps provide a real look at Canada’s beautiful, tree-lined and wave-lapped coast, and when you head home you’ll be leaving with all the skills you need to surf confidently on your own.

Photo Credit: Paul Levy

Five reasons that our All-Inclusive Pacific Surf Camp is the perfect holiday to make your surf dreams come true:

1. You’ll get morning surf coaching at Tofino’s surf breaks provided by Pacific Surf Co.’s experienced, water-loving instructors.

2. Your lessons are accompanied by video analysis and in-depth introductions to the style and science of surfing.

3. You’ll experience Tofino like a local – hitting up all the hidden and not-so hidden spots locals love to hang out at. Days will seem dreamy as you hang out at the Tofino Brewing Co, check out the surf gear at Storm Surf Shop, and feast on local cuisine each meal of the day.

4. You’ll explore Pacific Rim National Park – a true gem of Canada’s coast – with an expert guide that knows every inch of the rugged coastline.

5. At the end of your trip, you’ll receive a personalized, professional photo package documenting your progression in the water.

Visit www.tofinotravel.com/5-day-pacific-surf-camp/ for more details and to book online today!

Contact Information:

Pacific Surf Co.
Website: www.pacificsurfschool.com
Email: info@pacificsurfschool.com
Phone: 250-725-2155

Tofino Travel Co.
Website: www.tofinotravel.com
Email: info@tofinotravel.com
Phone: 250-725-2202
Contact: Drew Burke

Photo Credit:
Featured Image: Paul Levy

Norway’s salmon-farming industry is hitting a wall. Because salmon farming began earlier there than in British Columbia, I wanted to get a glimpse of where we might be headed if our industry continues on its current path. This is the reason I organized the Wild Salmon Delegation to Norway, which spent two weeks there this month.

What we found is an industry beset by problems such as disease outbreaks, sea-lice infestations and farmed-salmon escapes. The situation in Norway is dire — one headline we saw read: “Five years left to save wild salmon.”

Norway’s fisheries minister Per Sandberg spoke at the Wild Salmon in the North conference in Alta, Norway, acknowledging “the mid-Norway situation has been very serious since the end of December.” The crisis is so bad that the Norwegian industry is making headlines by beginning to shift to closed-containment.

B.C.’s industry is over 90 per cent Norwegian-owned, uses the same methods to rear fish and is plagued by similar problems. Will a shift to closed containment in Norway lead to a similar shift here?

The place where I live — Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — is renowned for old-growth forests and the battles to protect them. But not many people know there are 20 salmon-farm tenures in the sound, with 15 of them held by Cermaq, a Norwegian-based company.

The global salmon-farming industry originated in Norway in the 1970s. By the ’80s, Norwegian salmon-farming companies began to move into British Columbia’s pristine waters. Today, B.C.’s salmon-farming industry is over 90 per cent Norwegian-owned.

While overseas, we learned about the similarities and differences between British Columbia and Norway, heard the emerging Norwegian consensus that open-net pen salmon farming is a dinosaur technology, and witnessed the tide change unfolding daily in major Norwegian media.

Dan Lewis (third from right) of Clayoquot Action with the Wild Salmon Delegation in Norway. Photo: Clayoquot Action Tofino

Norwegians were surprised to learn about the nitrogen pump in B.C. — wild salmon transport ocean-based nitrogen up rivers and fertilize the growth of ancient temperate rainforests. This connection between wild salmon, monumental cedars and the bears, wolves and eagles was novel to them. They also wanted to learn about the importance of cedar and salmon to indigenous cultures throughout B.C.

Delegate John Rampanen, a citizen of Ahousaht First Nation, met Sami indigenous people of northern Norway, who have depended on reindeer and wild salmon for millennia, learning that they are also negatively impacted by industries such as salmon farming and mining.

Some things are different in Norway, where, for example, the biomass of farmed salmon is 1,000 times bigger than the biomass of wild salmon, and the wild-salmon economy is a thing of the past.

In British Columbia, the wild-salmon economy is eight times bigger than salmon farming — supporting indigenous, commercial, recreational and sports fisheries, as well as a $1.4-billion ecotourism industry. Salmon farming puts this pre-existing economy at risk.

A clear consensus emerged over the two weeks in Oslo, Bergen and Alta, through meetings with wild-salmon advocates, academics and journalists. When asked the question: “How can Canada avoid the problems Norway is experiencing with open-net pen salmon farming?”, without hesitation every person we asked replied: “Shifting to closed-containment production is the only way forward.”

Signs of a tide change beginning to sweep the industry were breaking daily in major Norwegian media. Dagbladet, the country’s second biggest paper, ran a story pointing out that catches are plummeting in the Alta, “the world’s best salmon river,” as the amount of farmed salmon in the nearby Altafjord increases. The production manager of Grieg Seafood’s operations in Alta was quoted saying: “The only solution is to get the fish into closed containment.”

The following day, the front page of the Bergen paper read: “CEO of Marine Harvest prepared to invest US $100M: if everything works as planned, closed-containment systems will replace open-net pen salmon farms.” It has taken decades for this industry to acknowledge that their problems will only be solved by isolating farmed salmon from wild salmon.

Young Pink Salmon with sealice infestation in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia. Photo Copyright: Alexandra Morton

The question for Canada is, do we wait another couple of decades before acknowledging that salmon aquaculture has undesirable side-effects?

While B.C. salmon runs are greatly diminished from historic levels, what is left is world-class and definitely worth fighting for. Wild salmon face a multitude of challenges, but aquaculture is one that is entirely within our ability to regulate.

Moving salmon farms out of the ocean into closed containment will allow wild-salmon populations to rebound and continue to support cultures, economies and ecologies throughout the province as they have for millennia.

By Dan Lewis
Executive Director
Clayoquot Action
Article reproduced with the kind permission of Dan Lewis.

Contact Information
Clayoquot Action
Box 511, Tofino, BC, V0R 2Z0
Email: info@clayoquotaction.org
Phone: 1-877-422-9453
Website: www.clayoquotaction.org

More Information
Alexandra Morton
For nearly forty years, Alexandra Morton has dedicated her life to restoring the balance between the people and the wild salmon off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.

Photo Credit
Feature Photo: The Wild Salmon Delegation in Norway. Photo: Clayoquot Action Tofino

Hot Springs Cove is a splendid hot spring located in Maquinna Provincial Park on Vancouver Island in the remote northern end of Clayoquot Sound. The undeveloped natural hot mineral spring pools are still enjoyable in their natural state, reached via a pleasant two-kilometre boardwalk through old-growth rainforest from the landing on Openit Peninsula.

This part of Vancouver Island rests on an unstable portion of the earth’s crust, known as a fault. This major fault, extending offshore from Mate Island north along the west side of Hot Springs Cove to Hesquiaht Lake, is associated with intense heat and pressure generated from deep within the earth.

The hot springs are created by surface water flowing through a fault in the earth’s crust to a depth of about five kilometres. The water is heated to a temperature of 109 degrees Celsius and forced back to the surface by hydrostatic pressure, where it discharges through a fissure at an average temperature of 50 degrees C (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

The west coast of Vancouver Island was rocked by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake that hit 18 kilometres east-northeast of Tofino at a depth of 24 kilometres on Wednesday, 7 January, 2015. No property damage was reported, but officials from the Hesquiaht First Nation community of Hot Springs (Refuge Cove) village on the west side of the cove reported that the spring’s water was cool the day after the quake, and the sulphur smell was absent.

This news was chilling for the numerous adventure companies in Tofino, Ahousaht and Hotsprings Village that offer tours and transportation to Hot Springs Cove, which is only accessible by water or air. Equally distraught were the thousands of visitors from around the world who flock to the fabulous springs every year for a relaxing soak.

Fortunately, what nature takes away she is sometimes generous enough to restore, and by the Friday, just two days after the shake, the water was starting to warm again, and by the following day, Hot Springs Cove was back to its normal, steaming, blissful 50-degree best.

Plank on the Boardwalk to Hot Springs Cove. Clara said Yes! Photo: Ocean Outfitters, Tofino

This is not the first hot spring to suffer the consequence of an earthquake in British Columbia. Following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that rocked Haida Gwaii on Saturday October 27, 2012, the three hot-spring pools on Hot Spring Island, or Gandll K’in Gwaayaay, were cold and empty. The shifting tectonic plates and reorganization of stress had evidently affected the pathways the water took to the surface. However, staff from Gwaii Haanas National Park announced in May 2014 that there was increased water flow, higher temperatures, and greater thermal activity than at any time since the earthquake, so the springs on Hot Spring Island could also return to normal over time.

More Information:
Hot Springs Cove
Maquinna Provincial Park
Tofino

Photos Above:

Relaxing soak at Hot Springs Cove, Vancouver Island. Photo: West Coast Aquatic Safaris, Tofino

Fast, safe and comfortable boat for the Hot Springs Cove tour. Photo: The Whale Centre, Tofino

The Boardwalk to Hot Springs Cove. Photo: Remote Passages Marine Excursions, Tofino

Sea temperature – nine degree Celsius. Neoprene. Southeast Winds. Tall spruce trees. Towering coastal mountains. All things that package together to create the little pocket of heaven on Vancouver Island’s west coast that is Tofino, home to some of Canada’s best cold water surfing.

It hasn’t always been that you could step out onto Long Beach or Cox Bay in Tofino on any day and see an ocean swimming with surfers. Only since the 1960’s, when the improving technology of neoprene wetsuits blended with the building of a road from the interior to the west coast, has surfing taken off in one of Canada’s most pristine and popular tourist destinations.

Pacific Surf Company began indulging visitors from far and wide in the sport of cold water surfing in 1998, and has been loving it ever since. Offering lessons, rentals, and shop merchandise year round, Pacific Surf Co. guarantees you the best west coast, cold water surf experience possible.

Cold water surfing popularity is on the rise globally, leaving many people around the world shaking their head and wondering why, or how crazy one has to be to dip into water recorded below ten degrees Celsius. Well, Pacific Surf Co. gives you four reasons why cold water surfing beats out the seemingly more attractive warm water surfing.

Colder water = smaller crowds.
It is true that getting into that thick wetsuit, pulling on a hood, boots, and gloves, will deter some of the usual crowd that normally would eagerly plunge into the ocean to try their chance at a wave. One of our favourite things about cold water surfing is the escape you can often find from the busy sea that warm water surfing usually attracts.

Stunning, more remote landscapes.
Our charming town of Tofino included, cold water surfing often hides in some of the world’s most beautiful, more remote, locations. Norway, Iceland, Northern Ireland, and yes, Canada, all offer stunning landscapes of tall trees, towering mountains, and addictive non-stop waves.

Forget about sunscreen (except maybe for your face).
Your wetsuit has many functions; one being to protect most of you from the sun’s powerful rays. No more worrying whether or not the white cream you carefully applied hours ago is going to last through your session. When you’re surfing in these parts of the world, all you’ll need is just A little zinc-based sun protection to take care of your face.

Meet the other, dedicated surfers just like yourself that are willing to brave colder temperatures.
Along the way, cold water surfing brings together amazing people who know the biggest secret of all in cold water surfing. You don’t actually get very cold.

Visit Pacific Surf Company online or at their store location in Tofino, British Columbia. You’ll find us on the right side of Campbell Street as you drive into downtown Tofino, next door to our friends at Storm Surf Shop.

Pacific Surf School
430 Campbell Street
Tofino, BC
V0R 2Z0

Phone: 1-250-725-2155
Toll-free: 1-888-777-9961
Website: www.pacificsurfschool.com

Photo Credits:
Top and Bottom Image: Robert Fiorella
Middle Image: Tucker Sherman

More information on Tofino, British Columbia.

From the symbolic 2010 Olympic Winter Games inukshuk, to totem poles, ornate masks and sculptures you see showcased all over British Columbia, it’s easy to get immersed in Canada’s First Nations art scene. And its artists like Roy Henry Vickers that have put First Nations art on the map and walls of galleries worldwide with a colourful 40-year career.

There’s no mistaking Roy Henry Vickers’ signature artwork. The bold colours, hard lines and symbols depicting nature are as instantly recognizable as they are world-renowned.

His art has been given to royalty, including Queen Elizabeth, and he is the recipient of the Order of British Columbia, the Order of Canada, and a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. In 1993, Russia’s Boris Yeltsin and former U.S. president Bill Clinton received artist’s proofs of Roy’s “The Homecoming” as the province’s official gift during their Vancouver Summit. And in 2003, a video featuring Roy was part of the successful Vancouver 2010 Olympic bid.

An impressive resume to say the least. He’s also an accomplished carver, keynote speaker, and best-selling author including his latest retrospective release “Storyteller.”

Born in 1946 in the village of Greenville in Northern BC, Roy has stuck to the shores of the northwest coast ever since, including many formative years in Tofino. It was here that he honed his artistic skills and made friends in the business community.

Among them were Bill and Joan Pettinger – the visionaries that bought Pacific Sands in 1972. Bill and Joan took Roy under their wing and encouraged him to build an art gallery in Tofino. They helped him learn about business and before long, the Eagle Aerie Gallery opened to an enthusiastic market of art lovers. It now welcomes over 500,000 visitors a year from all over the globe.

Roy recently came to town and stayed with us and it turns out he had a surprise.

He gave us a heads up that in celebration of his 40 years as an artist he was unveiling two new works in his Gallery including one he’s dedicated to Bill and Joan. He said he called it “Sunset Point.”

In his public announcement of the artwork, Roy said, “When I walk the beaches and see the sunset at places like Sunset Point my memory goes back to those days of new adventures and a new career as an artist. I am grateful to the Pettinger Family and all their friends who helped me to become who I am today.”

See that image above? That’s “Sunset Point.” Spectacular or what?!

And if you’ve stood in Cox Bay at sunset and witnessed that vantage point, you know that Roy has absolutely captured its mystic magic.

As you can imagine, Bill and Joan’s sons Dave, Rick and Bill Jr. are thrilled and moved by this tribute to their parents and Pacific Sands. What an incredible honour that will live on for Pettinger generations to come.

Interested in this limited edition “Sunset Point” print? It can be purchased from Roy Henry Vickers’ Gallery by clicking here.

For more on Roy’s rare and revered creative process, check out this short video on “The Making of a Roy Henry Vickers Print”:

Originally published July 31, 2014 by www.pacificsands.com.