Protected areas are those with a defined boundary within which there is a recognized degree of conservation policy in place. The policy can be international, national, provincial, or municipal, in scope. In our area, we have examples of each level of protection, and the degree of protection varies.

In combination, these areas provide assurance that the intact natural systems within these areas will remain relatively free from the impact of human activities such as industrial resource extraction and development.

• Ecological Reserves [provincial authority] provide the highest level of protection, prohibiting public access, collecting, and development. They tend to be small in area, and remote.
• National Parks [National authority] such as Pacific Rim allow public access while offering a strong protection, management, and educational mandate.
• Provincial Parks provide a similar protection & conservation mandate.
• UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves [International mandate] such as Clayoquot WBR, are designated areas where research, education, and conservation are the key objectives, while protection from industrial development and resource extraction is not assured. Instead, a collaborative approach to sustainable development, applying research and innovation to minimize impact, is employed.

An ecosystem is a area of the biosphere which has naturally-occurring boundaries, such as a watershed or a valley, within which the natural resources, flora & fauna have collectively established a functional, balanced, sustainable natural order.

The dominant giants of the area are Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, and Sitka Spruce. Douglas-Fir, often thought of as the ‘classic’ temperate rainforest species, prefers drier, well-drained slopes, so it is not as abundant along the outer coast. Other species include Western Yew, Grand Fir, Amabalis Fir, Red Alder, Pacific Crabapple, and Shore Pine.

The term ‘species’ refers to a plant or animal that is genetically different from all other plants or animals to the extent that it can only reproduce within its own species. For example, dogs & cats are different species, and cannot interbreed, whereas Beagles and Terriers are both dogs, and they can interbreed.

Scientists  have defined any forested area receiving 60 or more inches of rain per year on average, as a “rainforest”.

The original, naturally-developed forest of the outer coast area of BC is located in a “temperate” climatic zone [as opposed to a ‘tropical’ zone, for example.
Because this is the forest that developed here since the end of the last Ice Age [which ended some 10,000 years ago], it is dominated by specimens of trees which are many centuries old…some may be more than 1000 years old – that’s old-growth!

Tides here average 12 feet in vertical range, with annual extremes exceeding 14 feet.
That is about half the vertical range of the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, and much less than the world’s highest tidal ranges which exceed 50 vertical feet.
Our tides are described as “semi-diurnal and unequal” by marine hydrologists. This means they occur twice a day [2 highs alternating with 2 lows] and with each high and low separated by about 6 hours, on a 24 hour cycle.

Yes we can take you out along the tidelines to explore, discover, and learn about the amazing variety of flotsam & jetsam tossed up by waves, storms, and tides…

The tidelines are a natural ‘sorting zone’ where natural treasures from thousands of miles away are often found, along with thousands of local specimens of limpets, barnacles, clams, mussels, chitons, urchins, sand dollars, whelks, turban snails, olive shells, crabs, shrimp, winkles, and periwinkles, to name just a few.

In protected areas such as National Parks, Provincial Parks and Ecological Reserves, it is illegal to collect plants, animals, and natural objects.
On public beaches of the outer coast, such as Chesterman Beach, Cox Bay and McKenzie Beach, the local etiquette is “Take only Pictures, Leave only Footprints”.
It is important to remember that collecting live specimens of shellfish, starfish, seaweeds, sand dollars and other shells, will lead to a very smelly experience within a day or so!