CHI Guide.indd - Conservancy Hornby Island

This rocky cobble beach extends a long way out from shore at low tide. From
Phipps Point head east along Central Rd. to Savoie Rd. and turn left. At the end of
the road there is a turnaround with very limited parking and a narrow woodland
trail leading to the beach. Pooling of water occurs on the trail during wet weather.
At the base of the cliff is a pebbly and sandy beach. On your left, when the tide
is out you can walk along the beachhead towards Phipps Point. To your right is
Fossil Beach.
During the herring spawn numerous eagles and a variety of gulls occupy the
rocky shores. At low tides you can often find birds such as greater yellowlegs,
black oystercatchers, mallard, American widgeon, Northern pintails and mergansers. Often offshore surf, whitewing and black scoters parade back and forth in
large numbers. Ravens and blackbirds also frequent the area.
The large sandy beach fronting the trailhead is enjoyed by young families in the
summer months.
Where to find...
3 Rainforest Walk
Otter
A low-lying trail within the Regional Park, the path starts at the Lea Smith Rd.
entrance. This trail is for walkers only as it is especially sensitive.
The path passes through a beautiful area populated by some of the island’s
remaining first-growth trees. Dense forest: alder, Douglas fir, cedar and some
Sitka spruce. It is a favourite habitat of pileated and hairy woodpeckers.
A variety of mosses and lichens carpet the forest floor and drape the trees.
Every hue of rainforest green is visible along this trail.
Eagle Nest
Pinniped
Collishaw
Point
Garry Oak
Grassy Point
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Harwood
For details on each nature
icon, such as species and
seasonal information, please
see the nature viewing guide
page on our website.
Carmichael
Savoie Road
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Hidden
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New Horizons
Seniors Centre
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Map provided courtesy of HICEEC ■ Map Design: Marcel Morin
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www.conservancyhornbyisland.org/
nature-viewing-guide
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Mt. Geoffrey’s trail network is not shown,
buy a map locally to support trail maintenance.
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A rocky headland at the easternmost part of the island, the park has a wonderfully scenic 5km loop trail that leads along the Helliwell bluffs and through
dense forest. The Helliwell family donated the 69-hectare land parcel to the
Province in 1966. Flora Islet lies in the 2,803 hectare marine part of the Park.
Coastal bluffs, grassy meadows, a Garry oak grove, wind-shaped arbutus trees
and shore pine are found along the forest edge. The forest is composed of oldgrowth Douglas firs, cedar and alder.
Pelagic cormorants roost on the cliff ledges. Hundreds of them come in to roost
at dusk in the spring. Flora Islet and the rocks in its vicinity are home to Steller
and California sea lions. An elephant seal often lies on the pebble beach there;
it is his moulting place in summer. Otter families are apparent year round.
Harlequin ducks abound in fall and winter as do many other water birds. Spring
wildflowers proliferate on the bluffs and Flora Islet. Prickly pear cacti grow on
rocky areas close to the trail.
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Mount Geoffrey
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Nature
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Box 55, Hornby Island, BC v0r 1z0
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Mount Geoffrey is composed of two parks: Mount Geoffrey Regional Nature Park
and Mount Geoffrey Escarpment Provincial Park. Three major trails traverse the
face of Mount Geoffrey.
FORD COVE TO SHINGLE SPIT TRAIL is in the Escarpment Provincial Park with
access located at the ferry dock area and off Central Rd. at Ford Cove. Look for
park signage. Limited parking available.
This popular biking and easy wide walking trail connects the Ford Cove area
to the resort area by the ferry dock.
The trail follows a pathway through rock features and bridges over gullies and
streams, a seasonal waterfall and steep forested hillside of Douglas fir, maples
and cedars. There are many sea views along a rocky shore with limited access.
The two kilometers of rugged shoreline allows for shorebirds and mammals
such as mink and otter to be left undisturbed.
At the Ford Cove end of the trail within the park are the Ford Cove Family Orchard,
the Leaf House, a private cemetery, and numerous plantings of different species
of trees including a grove of large maples.
MIDDLE BENCH TRAIL begins at the summit of Mount Rd. There is limited
parking at the trailhead turnaround. The end of the trail connects with Euston Rd.
This is also a popular hiking and biking trail. Walkers have a choice of returning
along the same route or continuing on to Euston Rd. via a narrow trail.
The forested main trail has numerous offshoots of trails along the cliff edge offering magnificent views of Lambert Channel, Denman Island and Ford Cove Marina.
Large arbutus trees, Garry oak and large second-growth Douglas fir make up the
coastal bluff. The cliff and its slopes are a critical habitat during the spring and
summer for peregrine falcons, eagles, pileated woodpeckers and turkey vultures.
The northern alligator lizard has been spotted on rare occasion. Halfway along the
main trail a wetland occupies a large acreage of whispering aspen, sedges and
fescue. It is an excellent spot to view the herring spawn in the Lambert Channel
during late February or early March.
OUTER RIDGE TRAIL can be accessed from Euston Rd. or by the Strachan Valley
Rd. via the summit trail. Limited parking is available at both locations.
It is recommended that you purchase a trail guide to direct you to access this trail.
These are published by the Hornby Island Mountain Bike Association (HIMBA) and
available at the bike shop and gas bar for five dollars.
The Outer Ridge Trail if approached by the summit trail takes you along an old
logging road access with washouts in a few areas. Approaching the summit, a
small stand of white pine are visible before you meet the cliff trail, which takes you
through second-growth forest with veteran cedar and Douglas fir.
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Located to the north of Helliwell Provincial Park, Whaling Station is a popular
beach to visit. From the Co-op corner, follow St. Johns Point Rd. to Anderson Dr.
Several beach accesses are on the left with limited parking. Private homes ring
the beachhead.
The Bay has an expansive safe shallow sandy beach that’s a favourite spot for
young families during the summer months. At times during the summer, volleyball is played on the beach.
Forage fish habitat exists in areas of the beach. Often tide pools are created,
at which eagles are occasionally seen fishing for perch. Shorebirds such as
mallards, widgeon, scoters, mergansers and gulls visit during most months of
the year. In the Bay’s history there was a time when a whaling station operated.
Road
Bird
7 Mount Geoffrey Parks
The beach is a safe oasis on which to bathe and relax for the thousands of
visitors who congregate from all over the world each summer. Kids can wander
through the warm shallow waters and build sandcastles. Boats amass in the
Bay. Visitors can use the public tennis court and eat lunch at the picnic shelter.
To get to the main parking lot, turn left at the Co-op intersection (if driving from
the ferry) onto St. Johns Point Rd.. Take the first right after the gas station.
Most of the beach is within Tribune Bay Provincial Park and dogs are not
allowed in that area. Dogs are allowed on the portion of the beach that is not
in the Park (to the right of the big post as you reach the beach from the parking
lot) and are allowed on leash in the rest of the park.
The 600 m of beach at Big Tribune Bay is south facing and (like neighbouring
Little Tribune Bay) the water can be among the warmest on the BC Coast, with
south-easterlies blowing straight in.
The beach provides spawning habitat for Pacific Sand Lance, small “forage fish”
that are an important food source for many larger species. Offshore in the Bay,
eelgrass beds support biodiversity by providing food and shelter for fish and
invertebrates.
Behind the beach are trails passing through meadows, wetlands and forest
that are habitat for a variety of species. Morning, before the beach gets busy
with people, can be a good time to observe shorebirds, including sandpipers
and a heron or two. In late afternoon, osprey and bald eagles are often fishing
in the bay. The evening can bring a large presence of Canada geese. When the
tide is out, you will see a profusion of sea dollars (if they are black and “furry”
they are alive). Early summer brings the relatively harmless moon jellyfish and
water jellyfish; in later summer, the bright orange and larger lion’s mane jellyfish
(which does sting) can be abundant. Warm moonless summer nights can be a
great time to experience bioluminescence in the Bay.
Spray Point (the rocks between Big Tribune and Little Tribune bays) is a good
place to see otters, with many tide pools to explore. Seals are occasional
visitors to the Bay and there have been rare visits by an elephant seal.
As you walk in the meadow behind the beach, expect to see deer (with fawns
in the summer) and to encounter snakes catching the sun on the trail. The
Katimavic trail, which parallels the entry road into Tribune Bay Park, passes
through three types of forest ecosystems; there is a good chance you will hear
and/or see barred owls in this area.
The Bay is important to many migrating birds and the far sandstone cliffs are a
nesting ground for the pigeon guillemot.
5 Whaling Station Bay
hu
rs
For more on Conservancy Hornby Island, please
visit our website: www.conservancyhornbyisland.org
6 Big Tribune Bay Beach
This unique site has a gently sloping open grassy park area with a few benches
and a pebbly rocky shoreline. The beach area displays large outcroppings of
igneous rock. The parking area is very limited (only five or six spots) so usually it
is best to park on the road or bike or hike to the lookout.
The point offers a wide vista looking directly north up the Strait of Georgia.
To the left is Denman Island and behind it the Beaufort Mountain Range of
Vancouver Island. Directly north lie Comox and Campbell River. To the northeast
are Powell River and (closer in) the tip of Texada Island with its large white open
pit gravel mine. Behind it and to the northeast is the Coastal Mountain range.
It is one of the best places to gaze at the unobstructed star-filled night sky,
and to see both the mountains of Vancouver Island and the mainland Coastal
Mountain Range from one viewpoint.
In the spring, the open sloping field is filled with wildflowers and long grasses.
From the many sitting spots you can see waterfowl and seals year-round, and
sea lions seasonally. The beach is ideal for collecting beautiful multi-coloured
rocks for kids and adult rock hounds alike.
Grassy Point is an excellent spot on the island to watch sunsets, especially in
the spring to fall when the sun sets further north in the horizon.
Ostby Road
This area begins at the ferry landing. Walking north from the Thatch Pub is the
best route as private waterfront properties limit public access.
The spit is a shifting gravelbar that changes day-to-day, year-to-year. It provides
a good example of how ocean current and wave erosion cause the rebuilding
and moving of the upper tidal zone.
A large shell midden exposed by erosion is visible near the spit’s headland. The
area is home to harlequins, eelgrass beds and purple martins. Seals frequent
the bay year round and increasingly sea lions are seen in the winter. It is also a
favourite winter resting place for oystercatchers, gulls and cormorants. During
the spawning season, dozens of eagles often inhabit the fir trees around the spit
and you can see them soaring out to fish the herring.
4 Grassy Point
Art
This brochure highlights upland, shoreline and
marine areas that have a variety of habitats in all
seasons with accessible nature viewing. Enjoy and
respect these cherished places of nature.
2 Fossil Beach
Sollans Road
Conservancy Hornby Island is a Canadian registered
society with charitable status since 1991. The main
purpose of the society is to preserve and foster
stewardship of the human and natural environment
of Hornby and adjacent waters. Hornby is a unique
island situated in the north central Salish Sea
(Strait of Georgia) and is greatly affected by its
marine environment and by its location in the rain
shadow of Vancouver Island.
1 Shingle Spit
R oad
Conservancy Hornby Island
Located at the intersection of Sandpiper Drive and Porpoise Crescent, this is
a pebble and sand beach within a bay that runs from Dunlop Point around to
Downes Point. Sandpiper Meadow sits above the beach. There is limited parking.
A lengthy rocky foreshore is composed of flat-topped shale layers, boulders,
“honeycombed” sandstone and tidal pools. Surrounding vegetation includes mixed
coniferous trees, arbutus and a range of deciduous trees and shrubs. Features a
panoramic outlook: northwards to Helliwell and beyond to Lasqueti and Texada
islands and south-eastwards to the mountain spine of Vancouver Island. It is a
wonderful spot to watch the moonrise on clear nights, and the sunrise any day.
Harlequin ducks are plentiful for most months, surf scoters, widgeon, buffleheads
and mergansers live here in winter, and bald eagles and oystercatchers reside year
round. Sandpipers and other wading birds are also present.
11 Ford Cove
The Marina is located at the southwest corner of the island, at the end of the
road. Follow about 10 km along Central Rd. from the ferry. Here you will find
docks, a harbour, a store and restroom facilities. Access to the sandstone beach
is available at low tide. There is limited parking, especially in the summer.
The sheltered bay is sandstone and gravelly beach. It is a popular place to swim
off the rocks and for kids to play in the tidal pools.
A viewing place for winter storms, sunsets, sea lions in winter months, herring
spawn in the channel between Hornby and Denman, and lots of birds offshore
from Norris Rocks. Orcas pass through, and sometimes stop to fish and hunt
nearby. Purple martins, an endangered species, nest in boxes on dock pilings.
Juvenile herring schools fill the bay after the spawn and before they migrate,
and young salmon swim under the docks in the summer. This is a Kelp Restoration Area (marked by black buoys).
Trail
Flora
Islet
St. John
Point
Trail Head
Boat Launch
Beach
h
Public Washroom
Public Washroom
(summer only)
10 Norris Rocks
Access is by boat only. Please maintain your distance by boat, kayak, paddle-board, etc. to avoid disturbing wildlife. Please do not go ashore. This small
rocky islet 500 m off the southwest end of Hornby is located in the Marine
Conservation Area. Winter storm waves break over the islet at high tide.
Steller and California sea lions live here from November–April, and harbour seals
from May–October. Flocks of black turnstones are seen in winter. Gulls nest from
May–July. Arctic, Pacific and common loons, oystercatchers, long tailed ducks and
red phalaropes are observed on occasion. Many bird species reside off the island.
Marine Conservation Areas
These are located off the south coast of Hornby from Flora Islet to Norris Rocks,
including Little and Big Tribune Bays. The purpose of the Conservation Area is to
make people aware of the high marine values both below and above the surface
of the ocean.
The Conservation Area goes from the low water mark to a depth of up to approximately 80 m. Nash Bank, a long string of underwater reefs extending far into the
Strait of Georgia from the end of Dunlop Point, is an important underwater feature.
The reefs cause the nutrient-rich waters from deep in the Strait to rise to the
surface, providing food for a whole ecosystem.
The sea life is abundant and diverse. Salmon, herring, lingcod and rockfish
inhabit the area. Six-gill sharks are seen on occasion. Recently humpback whales
have returned. An elephant seal is making his home on Flora for parts of the year.
Steller and California sea lions spend the winter months on this area. Numerous
species of gulls, pigeon guillemots, marbled murrelets, loons, scoters, grebes
and others spend all or part of the year here. Many spend the winter months and
migrate to nesting areas elsewhere. Orcas are frequently sighted.
Dozens of hiking and biking trails weave
through woodlots, along beaches and over fields,
with paths from the seaside up to the stunning
vistas of Mt. Geoffrey, which rises 275 meters
above sea level.
Coast Salish First People left many signs of their
life here. In the sandstone rocks petroglyphs can
still be found. There are shell middens above
the shores. Low tides reveal piles of stones from
early fish traps.
Hornby Island is fortunate in having 33 percent
of its land mass protected and preserved as Provincial and Regional Parks and as Crown Land.
Please enjoy the natural beauty of Hornby Island
and help conserve and protect our environment.
Practice the Three L’s: Look, Learn and Leave for
future generations to enjoy.
■ Plan your visit according to season, tides & time
of day. Best wildlife viewing is at dawn and dusk.
■ Explore a variety of habitats.
■ Learn more by using field guides.
Respect Wildlife
■ Avoid sensitive habitats and nest sites.
■ Be patient. Move slowly and quietly.
■ Watch wildlife from a distance, using binoculars
or camera with zoom lens.
■ Do not disturb baby seals. Watch and wait for the
mother to return, and keep pets away.
■ Keep dogs leashed or under tight control.
Protect the Environment
■ Stay on designated roads and trails.
■ Avoid rubbing petroglyphs or trying to make your
own.
■ Do not touch organisms in tide pools.
■ Do not have fires on the sandstone; use the fire
rings provided on most beaches.
■ Keep the environment clean: Pack out what you
pack in. Pick up after pets. Put garbage in on-site
bins, or take garbage with you.
■ Do not remove any natural materials from
provincial parks.
Stay Safe
■ While driving, watch out for wildlife crossing
roads, especially deer near dawn and dusk.
■ Be aware of local hunting season information.
■ Exercise caution when walking on rocks.
Hornby Island Nature Seasons
The island and surrounding waters are abundant
with wildlife: waterfowl and birds, deer, sea lions,
seals, river otters, bald eagles, orcas, herons, garter snakes, hawks, possum, bats, owls, wildflowers, tiny cacti and more. Accessible beaches are
rich with intertidal life. Exploring the island is
safe: there are no dangerous animals or poisonous snakes.
Nature Viewing Tips
Nature on Hornby Island
I
n the Salish Sea lies a delightful and unique
island with a diversity of habitat and beautiful sandy beaches. Hornby Island is a small
island located between the B.C. mainland and
Vancouver Island, two ferry rides from the
mid-point of the east coast of Vancouver Island.
It is about 30 square kilometres and extends
in a snail-like foot out to St. John Point and
Helliwell Park.
Respect Others
■ Do not enter private property without owner’s
permission. Leave gates as found.
■ Be considerate of other visitors.
Adapted from the Comox Valley Naturalists
Nature Viewing Guide and BC Nature.
Intertidal life is rich with sea stars, sea cucumbers, seaweed, sand dollars, crabs and other
creatures. Occasionally orcas, sea lions, seals
and otters are spotted from shore, along with
flocks of seabirds and shorebirds.
Grassy Point is known for gorgeous sunsets and
has an alluring display of wild camas flowers.
Sandpiper Beach provides a panoramic southfacing outlook and is a wonderful place to watch
the moonrise on clear nights and the sunrise on
any day. Tribune Bay and Whaling Station Bay
offer inviting sandy beaches,
while Ford Cove and Helliwell
Park reveal interesting
sandstone formations.
Plants: Early wildflowers grow
on south exposed areas; wild
plum and cherry bloom; early
stinging nettles are ready to be
picked.
Birds: Eagles lay their eggs
shortly after the herring spawn;
pigeon guillemots arrive at their
nest sites; first warblers arrive;
flocks of brant and Canada
geese and ducks are seen and heard heading
north; early hummingbirds seek out pink currant
and salmonberry flowers.
MID: Sea Animals: Sea lions leave for the
summer; newly hatched herring can be seen at
Ford Cove and in bays; short-lived jellyfish and
sea cucumbers appear; river otters mate.
Land Animals: Mason bees emerge from cocoons
and begin collecting pollen.
LATE: Sea Animals: Harbour seals move back onto Norris
Rocks and Flora Islet after being pushed away by the sea
lions; blueback coho feed on herring and grow a pound a
month; eelgrass meadows become a nursery for baby fish
and invertebrates.
Land Animals: The huge silk moth
takes flight.
Plants: Wildflowers in full bloom;
oyster mushrooms appear with the first
warmer rains.
Birds: Eagles feed their voracious
young; most seabirds and shorebirds
leave for their nesting grounds; some
non-breeding harlequin ducks stay for
the summer; oystercatchers, Canada
geese and pigeon guillemots are nesting; first Swainson’s thrushes are singing; juvenile purple
martins arrive.
SUMMER: June, July, August
EARLY: Sea Animals: Seabirds nest on islets, glaucous-winged gulls lay their eggs on Norris and other islets.
Land Animals: Island black-tailed deer have fawns.
Plants: Bull kelp is at its maximum growth.
Birds: Eaglets become audible from the ground; lots of
fledglings from chickadees, wrens, robins, finches and
nuthatches; woodpeckers fledge their young.
MID: Sea Animals: Harbour seal pups are left while their
mothers forage; some early migrant seabirds and shorebirds return.
Plants: Salal, ocean spray, mock orange, oxeye daisy,
Nootka rose and clustered wild rose in bloom.
FALL: September, October, November
EARLY: Sea Animals: The ocean’s “Second Springtime”
with many short-lived jellyfish and other invertebrates
reappearing briefly; main arrival of winter seabirds and
shorebirds.
Plants: Chanterelle mushrooms appear with the first
rains.
Birds: Large flocks of mergansers, horned grebes, rednecked grebes, greater yellowlegs and black-bellied
plovers stay for a few days before they scatter to their
winter feeding grounds; unusual migrants such as Heermann’s gulls, red-necked phalaropes, wandering tattlers
and rhinoceros auklets are sometimes seen; common
murres and Pacific loons return and are mainly visible
offshore; oystercatchers assemble in flocks on rocky
points; adult eagles return from the salmon rivers and
reclaim their territories.
MID: Birds: Juvenile and non-resident eagles drift in
gradually going wherever food is available; lots of winter
resident seabirds and shorebirds.
Plants: Wild mushroom season continues until the first
hard frosts; maples in fall colour.
LATE: Sea Animals: Chum salmon spawn in Beulah
Creek; sea lions return to Norris Rocks and Flora Islet;
lots of winter resident seabirds and shorebirds.
Big Tribune Bay – Photo: Bob Cain
WINTER: December, January, February
EARLY: Sea Animals: An elephant seal resides at Flora
Islet.
Plants: Wild mushroom season continues until the first
hard frosts.
Birds: Lots of winter resident seabirds and shorebirds;
oystercatchers in courtship displays; Anna’s hummingbirds seek out feeders.
MID: Sea Animals: Lingcod spawn and males guard egg
masses; first herring balls are seen surfacing.
Land Animals: Black-tailed deer are in rut.
Plants: First nettles grow in sunny spots.
Plants: First big storm blows leaves off the deciduous
trees.
Birds: Chickadees, fox, golden-crowned and song sparrows, purple finches, house finches, towhees and juncos
return to bird feeders; juvenile and non-resident eagles
drift in gradually going wherever food is available; greater
numbers of non-resident eagles, gulls and seabirds
assemble to wait for herring.
Birds: Five species of seagulls winter around Hornby;
harlequin ducks and mergansers back at Ford Cove, trumpeter swans and Northern shovelers in Strachan Lake.
Birds: Peregrine falcons and merlins hunt with their
young; eaglets take their first flight; pelagic cormorant
chicks hatch.
LATE: Sea Animals: Schools of herring surface; lingcod
continue to spawn; lots of winter resident seabirds and
shorebirds.
LATE: Sea Animals: Elephant seal returns; winter
seabirds and shorebirds start returning including loons,
scoters, harlequins, Bonaparte’s gulls, greater yellowlegs
and surfbirds. This is also a great time to see bioluminescence with the warm water and shorter days.
Birds: Eagles start rebuilding nests; trumpeter swans and
Northern shovelers in Strachan Lake; greater yellowlegs,
buffleheads and other seabirds in courtship display;
smaller birds start singing their courtship songs.
Plants: Blackberries fully ripened.
Birds: Purple martins fledge and leave for winter in South
America; eagles leave for the salmon rivers.
Pacific Tree Frog – Photo: Barb Biaji
On Shingle Spit, a shifting gravelbar that changes from year
to year, there is a large shell midden exposed by erosion.
The upland habitats adjacent to Lambert Channel (the body
of water between Hornby and Denman)
are part of the dry Garry oak/Douglas
fir forests that are restricted in British
Columbia to the Strait of Georgia. Helliwell Provincial Park is at the northern
edge of Garry Oak distribution, which
occurs at drier sites and is home to
the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot
butterfly (currently the subject of a
habitat restoration project).
Many native plants cover the island,
including trillium, chocolate lily, bleeding heart, Indian paintbrush, spring gold, gold stars, blue-eyed Mary,
calypso orchid, orange honeysuckle and sea blush.
Black-tailed deer are observed year-round in the fields,
forests and crossing the roads.
Peregrine falcons and merlins are seen hunting with
their young in mid-summer.
The forests are filled with the chorus of songbirds and
frogs sing loudly from ponds in the spring.
Chum salmon return to spawn in Beulah Greek from
mid-November to December depending on water levels in
the creek. The fish can often be glimpsed in the pool to the
south side of Central Rd. where the creek passes through a
culvert under the road west of the Co-op.
The warm water and shorter days of the end of summer
make it a great time to experience the glow and glitter of
bioluminescence in the ocean.
Recreation
Viewing Highlights
Bonaparte’s Gull – Photo: Tony Quin
The herring spawn in March attracts tens of
thousands of birds, as well as large numbers of
eagles and sea lions. This is the crucial beginning of the year for much of our marine ecosystem. Helliwell Park, looking at Flora Islet, is an
excellent viewing spot. Norris Rocks is a major
hangout for wildlife; a boat is required to see
the area. Eagles lay their eggs shortly after the
herring spawn.
Land Animals: Tree frogs sing
in the ponds.
Birds: Purple martins return from South America;
swallows return; harlequin ducks, mergansers
and common loons leave for their interior nesting
sites; male rufous hummingbirds do spectacular dives to impress the females (who are busy
collecting cattail fluff and spiders’ web for nests);
scoters, long-tailed ducks and scaups gather in
huge flocks prior to migration; other seabirds
and shorebirds moult to breeding plumage and
assemble in larger flocks than usual; mergansers
do their courtship dances; unusual migrating
birds may make a rest stop in the area.
Be aware that there may be seasonal or jurisdictional
changes to any of the sites. CHI assumes no responsibility for any damages arising from use of this brochure.
T
EARLY: Sea Animals: Herring spawn occurs,
the crucial beginning of the year for much of our
marine ecosystem. Many rockfish spawn.
Plants: Wildflowers in full splendour: trillium,
chocolate lily, bleeding hearts, Easter lily, Indian
paintbrush, spring gold, gold stars, camas,
blue-eyed Mary, calypso orchid, orange honeysuckle and sea blush; alders and maples turn
green again; pollen is shed from the maple, alder
and other trees; salmonberry and red flowering
currant bloom; thimbleberry, Saskatoon berry and
mahonia in flower.
Report all Poachers and Polluters
British Columbia has laws to protect the environment and wildlife. If you see others harming wildlife
or polluting the environment, report the incident
to the nearest conservation officer or local Ministry
of Environment office (1-877-952-7277; Cell #9277.)
Please report lone seal pups to 250-537-0777. Please
report wildlife in distress to 250-337-2021 or local
volunteers 250-335-1299.
he waters around Hornby Island are
designated as an Important Bird Area,
and along with Comox Valley and Baynes
Sound have the second
largest concentration of
wintering waterfowl in BC.
During the winter, every
kilometer around the
island you can see a “basic
kit” of overwintering birds:
a pair of common loons, a
pair of horned grebes, a
pair of red-necked grebes,
a great blue heron and a
kingfisher! Bald eagles
also frequent the shores.
SPRING: March, April, May
H
ornby Island provides perfect opportunities for hiking, biking, kayaking, sailing,
swimming, snorkelling, paddle boarding, recreational boating and diving. Follow a
rainforest trail on foot or bicycle through Mount
Geoffrey Regional Park. Dive, paddle or sail in the
ocean from the Ford Cove Marina. During the hot
summer days, swim in the crystal clear waters of
Tribune Bay Provincial Park or another of the numerous beaches. For a delightful sightseeing walk,
follow the trail loop through old growth forest
and along the stunning bluffs of Helliwell Provincial Park. The island also offers special activities
throughout the year, including full moon walks,
biking events, dance workshops, and both outdoor
and indoor yoga and Pilates. Bicycle, boat, skim
board and kayak rentals are available. Trail guides
by the Hornby Island Mountain Bike Association
are sold at the bike shop and gas bar.
“At last I reached the summit
of the southeast part of the
island. Here my eyes opened
upon a vision of beauty which
only the great height of earth
can vouchsafe. The Strait of
Georgia was spread out before
me in majestic grandeur…”
Development and printing funded by Comox Valley
Regional District, Destination BC, and the
Hornby Island Economic Enhancement Corporation.
Tax deductible contributions are welcomed to support
our work, including the ongoing production of this
brochure. To learn more about CHI, please visit our
website. www.conservancyhornbyisland.org
“Hornby Jottings” Cumberland Weekly News, 1893, cited in Hornby Island: The Ebb and Flow
by Elizabeth Smith and David Gerow, p. xiii.
River Otter – Photo: Paula Courteau
Kayaker and Seal – Photo: Doug Chinnery
Common Loon (background image) by Paula Courteau
Eagle on Toby Islet (front cover) and Greater Yellowlegs (back cover) by Paula Courteau
Sea Blush and Camas – Photo: Paula Courteau