Clayoquot Sound
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Clayoquot Sound (usually pronounced /ˈkleɪkwɒt/ or /ˈklækwɒt/)[citation needed] is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. 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. The name is also used for the larger region of land around the waterbody (essentially its watershed).
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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 and Juan Carrasco while their commander, Francisco de Eliza met and befriended Wickaninnish, the chief of the Tla-o-qui-aht peoples (formerly called "Clayoquot").
The land around Clayoquot Sound includes vast ancient coastal temperate rain forest, rivers, lakes, marine areas and beaches. It includes part of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Strathcona Provincial Park. There is no legal protection in Clayoquot Sound outside of Parks. The total size of the Clayoquot Sound is 3,500 km² (land and water area). Clayoquot Sound contains the largest area of intact (unlogged) temperate rainforest left on Vancouver Island.
Clayoquot Sound is home to wolves, black bears, cougars, grey whales, orcas, porpoises, seals, sea lions, river otters, bald eagles, osprey, Marbled Murrelets, Pacific Loons, Roosevelt Elk, and raccoons.
[edit] Origin of the name
Clayoquot is the traditional anglicized name of the Tla-O-Qui-aht people. Three major First Nations groups inhabit Clayoquot: the Hesquiaht in the North, the Ahousaht in the middle, and the Tla-O-Qui-Aht in the south, focused on the village of Opitsaht on Meares Island. The village of Tofino lies opposite Opitsaht on the southern promontory of the entrance to the sound.
[edit] Logging protests
The sound has been a focal point for conflict between the forest industry and environmental protesters -- both very weighty groups in British Columbia -- particularly in the summer of 1993, when protesters responded to the 1993 'Clayoquot Land Use Decision', made by the British Columbia government to permit the logging of the majority of the old growth forest in Clayoquot. Protestors engaged in a massive campaign of peaceful civil disobedience, including blocking access to logging sites, which resulted in over 850 arrests out of over 12,000 protesters. Activists blocked logging roads, established a 'peace camp' at the site and eventually gained the support of major organizations such as Greenpeace and the Sierra Club. Activist Australian rock group Midnight Oil also brought attention to the conflict when they performed an early morning concert at the site. The Land Use Decision still stands today.
The protests of 1993 remain the largest act of peaceful civil disobedience in Canadian History. Clayoquot Sound was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2000. This designation brought World recognition of the ecological importance of Clayoquot Sound, and a monetary fund to promote ecological economic alternatives. However, this designation brought no new environmental regulation or protection, nor did it bring an end to logging. The main things which changed is that the volume of trees logged has diminished greatly, and the logging is now done under the auspices of a First Nations consortium rather than by a multinational logging company.
At the end of July 2006, a new set of plans was approved, which opened the door for the logging of tens of thousands of hectares in Clayoquot Sound's pristine old-growth valleys, again infuriating environmentalists.
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 49°05′57″N 125°49′15″W / 49.09917°N 125.82083°W
