Queen
Charlotte Islands >
Ballad
of Ninstints, Gwaii Haanas N. P.
Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia
Diverse natural history and rich First Nation's culture.
A vast wilderness, of magnificent old growth rain forests, ancient
aboriginal culture, and abundant wildlife, the Queen
Charlotte Islands are one of the richest biological and cultural
regions of North America and British
Columbias!
Made up of 1,884 islands, the Queen Charlotte Islands, are both
a geological and geographical treasure chest. A mix of wild beaches,
some rock-shrewn and covered with fossils, others sandy and dotted
with sand dunes. Lush marshes provide ideal nesting for waterfowl,
while the rain forest provides a protecting canopy which allows
the abundant flora and fauna to thrive in this Galapagos of the
North!
 The
Queen Charlotte Islands have been the ancestral home of the Haida
people for thousands of years. These ancient people named the
remote archipelago Haida Gwaii, and in Haida legend, it is the
place where time began.
The natural history of Haida Gwaii is extremely diverse and supports
many subspecies of flora and fauna which differ from those found
on Canada's coastal mainland, as well as many species that exist
nowhere else in the world. This is thought to be the result of
the Islands escaping the last ice age and becoming a refuge for
various forms of plant and animal life, which continue to flourish
there to this day.
The largest land masses of the Queen Charlottes are known as
Graham Island and Moresby Island. These islands share common features
including many inlets, bays, and sounds which penetrate the land
from all sides, as well as extensive wilderness area, and distinct
flora and fauna which have evolved over thousands of years.
Moresby Island is the smaller island of the two and the least
accessible. Moresby Island also encompasses the Gwaii Haanas National
Park Reserve(Gwaii Haanas is translated to mean - the place of
wonder). Most of the Ecosummer kayaking and sailing in the Queen
Charlotte Islands are done from Moresby Island, and Gwaii Haanas
National Park Reserve.
 The
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve is dominated by the San Christoval
Mountains which reach an elevation of 1,123 metres. There are
vast varieties of flora between the meadows and bogs of the lowlands
to the mountain peaks, in fact the Queen Charlottes hold the largest
concentration of biomass or living matter than anywhere else on
the planet.
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve also embraces the ancient
and now abandoned Haida village site of Ninstints on Anthony Island.
Ninstints Village was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
in 1981 in recognition of its cultural value and importance to
the history of mankind.
Other abandoned Haida village sites on Moresby Island outside
the boundaries of Gwaii Haanas include Skedans and New Clew on
Louise Island, and Tanu on Tanu Island each with treasures of
their own including some of the finest examples of original totem
poles in the world. The Haida is a nation legendary for its art.
Their art is seen as a way to preserve their connection to the
past, inspired by their ancestors, and shaped by their surroundings.
Graham Island is the largest and most heavily populated of the
two, containing several significant communities. A distinguishing
feature of Graham Island is Naikoon Park, which is one of two
large parks found on the Queen Charlottes.
 Naikoon
Park features two ecological reserves: Tow Hill and Rose Spit.
Tow Hill is a prominent landmark in the park, a massive outcrop
of basalt columns rising from flat bogs at the mouth of the Hiellen
River. Tow Hill rises 109 metres in height and is the second highest
point in the park after Argonaut Hill (150 metres). Rose Spit
offers excellent viewing of migrating birds, who rest at Rose
Spit and feast on the abundant food supply rendered by the up
welling ocean currents.
Today, people are attracted to the Queen Charlotte Islands because
of their relative isolation, recreation, and native culture. Kayaking,
cultural enlightenment, boating, whale watching, beachcombing,
camping, hiking, and fishing are among the main draw cards of
visitors to Haida Gwaii, as well as the undisturbed, pristine
wilderness.
Our kayaking tours in the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia
Sea Kayaking in Gwaii Haanas, Queen Charlotte Islands, BC
[TOP]
|
