Gwaii Haanas National Park, British Columbia, Canada

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Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site occupies 1470 square km or about 15% of The Queen Charlotte Islands. Located about 100 kilometres off the British Columbia mainland it includes 138 islands, stretching from Tasu Sound south to Cape St. James. The area was declared a provincial park in 1958 and added to the national park system in 1988.

The Haida are the ancient inhabitants of these islands, with an oral history that recounts legends of the arrival of the first pine tree. Archaeologists are discovering the truth of these stories through research into campsites that have revealed sea level changes greater than anywhere else on the planet.

Called Gandla K'in by the Haida, its restorative waters have been appreciated by paddlers since the days of the war canoe. The heated mineral waters spring from the ground in a series of terraced pools at temperatures ranging from 89-170 degrees Fahrenheit (31-76 degrees Celsius). The natural hot tubs look out over Juan Perez Sound. FDog Sledsrom June to the end of August, Haida Gwaii Watchmen, who act as official hosts, guards and guides, attend the Hotsprings.

Fauna

About 750,000 seabirds breed in Gwaii Haanas; millions more stop here at some point during spring and fall migrations. It is the only confirmed nesting site in Canada for horned puffins. There are more eagle nests per kilometre of shoreline than anywhere else in Canada and the highest breeding density of Peregrine falcons in the world. The abundant food supply that attracts the birds is also a lure for marine mammals. Grey whales are migratory visitors during spring and summer. Ten other cetacean species are also inhabitants. Sightings of humpbacks and minkes are common in Juan Perez Sound. Scientists have recently discovered a distinct sub-species of killer whale they call ‘offshore’, in addition to the resident and transient populations. The largest breeding colony of Steller sea lions on the west coasts surrounds Cape St. James, at the southern tip of Gwaii Haanas.

The Bat star is a five-tentacled creature that seems to come in every colour of the spectrum. At Burnaby Narrows, on average, there are 74 bat stars per square metre; the same species exists on the west coast of Vancouver Island at a density of three per square metre. Red turban snails and moon snails, limpets, mussels, barnacles, periwinkles and clams, hermit crabs, sea cucumbers and of course, star fish, all live in a forest of kelp. The same tidal action that provides the nutrients also makes the rich marine life accessible for viewing. Virtually all the species float through the narrows at low tide in little more than a foot or two of water. Additionally, many areas are high and dry. Numerous stars cling to rock faces, temporarily abandoned by the ocean. Mussel beds and clam beds are exposed. Tiny shore crabs scramble for cover under rocks or seek remnant pools. Human curiosity is the danger in this exposure and the park is working to increase visitor knowledge of these fragile environments, advocating a no-walk policy for the intertidal zones.

The subspecies of pine marten and deer mouse are also larger than their mainland counterparts and a different kind of deer mouse can be found on almost every island. The stickleback fish have become so specialized, that every lake has evolved its own variety of stickleback - different in body size, pigmentation and type of armament in response to the unique circumstances of predation.