Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is a BC Parks ecological reserve off the southern tip of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

in the

Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the centre ...

Metchosin The District of Metchosin is a municipality and community in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a coastal community adjacent to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Metchosin is part of the Wester ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Description

Located at a narrow part of the Strait, the area covers of ocean, rocks, and reefs, but does not include the small envelope of land with the

foghorn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. W ...

and the historic

Race Rocks Lighthouse Race Rocks Light is one of the first two lighthouses that were built on the west coast of Canada, financed by the British Government and illuminated in 1860. It is the only lighthouse on that coast built of rock, (granite) purportedly quarried ...

itself. That area is leased by the

Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; french: links=no, Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in ...

. Because of the location in a high tidal current area, there is an exceptional variety of marine life to be found, including marine mammals, sea birds, fish, marine invertebrates, and marine algae and sea grass. It is a haulout area for California and Northern sealions and a birthing rookery for Harbour seals and it is also the most northerly birthing colony on the Pacific Coast of North America for the elephant seal, ''Mirounga angustirostris''.

History

The idea of protecting Race Rocks came about following a marine science project by the students of

Pearson College UWC Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Pearson College UWC) is one of eighteen schools and colleges around the world in the UWC (United World Colleges) movement. It is named after the late Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pear ...

under the supervision and guidance of their teachers, Garry Fletcher and Marks McAvity, in 1978. They described an area of great biodiversity and ecological importance. In 1980, the rocks and surrounding areas were protected as an

ecological reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

under joint

BC Parks BC Parks is an agency of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy that manages all of the, as of 2020, 1,035 provincial parks and other conservation and historical properties of various title designations within t ...

management. In 1998, Race Rocks was proposed to become the first

marine protected area Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conserv ...

of Canada. However,

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and sc ...

deemed the site unfit for the new designation and the bid was cancelled in 2000. Instead, the

Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents The Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents (also known as the Main Endeavour Field, MEF, or EHV) are a group of hydrothermal vents in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean, located southwest of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The vent field lies b ...

would go on to become the first marine protected area in 2003. In 2006 and 2007, the

Race Rocks Tidal Power Demonstration Project The Race Rocks Tidal Power Demonstration Project (official name: Pearson College - EnCana - Clean Current Tidal Power Demonstration Project at Race Rocks) was a joint project of the Lester B. Pearson College, EnCana Corporation and Clean Current Po ...

was installed. After a six-year period for experimental research, the tidal energy generator was removed.

References

External links

Home page of racerocks.com and racerocks.ca website Pearson College UWCImages of Race Rocks on Google EarthRace Rocks on the Friends of Ecological Reserves website
Protected areas of British Columbia Strait of Juan de Fuca {{BritishColumbia-protected-area-stub

Description

History

See also

References

External links