Saturna Island is a mountainous island, about in size, in the Southern

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ...

chain of

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, for ...

, Canada. It is situated approximately midway between the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Cana ...

of B.C. and

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

, and is the most easterly of the Gulf Islands. It is surrounded on three sides by the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: ...

. To the north is

Point Roberts, Washington Point Roberts is a pene-exclave of Washington on the southernmost tip of the Tsawwassen peninsula, south of Vancouver, Canada. The area, which had a population of 1,191 at the 2020 census, is reached by land from the rest of the United States ...

, and to the east and south are the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core ...

. There is a

First Nations reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the ''Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

on the island for the Tsayout and Tseycum Nations. The island has a permanent population of around 350, however, this number increases during the summer season. Approximately half of the island is in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (GINPR) that was formed in 2003 from a gift of ecologically sensitive land by Ulla Ressner and John Fry,Parks Canada Pares Canada "JUL 26, 2002 Dear Ms. Ressner and Mr. Fry: On behalf of Parks Canada, I would like to express our great appreciation for your recent donation of7.8 hectares ofland to Gulf lslands National Park Reserve through the Ecological Gifts Program. We are faced with many challenges in piecing together and managing a national park in the Gulf Islands. As we acquire additional lands, our task is eased somewhat: with more lands protected, our ability to achieve a sustainable and healthy ecosystem as a whole is enhanced. It is through such forward-thinking individuals as yourself-those whose vision of a legacy for future generations inspires them to donate land for protection within a national park-that we can move closer towards our goal. You have set a wonderful example for other Gulf Islanders, and to Canadians. Yours is the first donation of privately held land to the Government of Canada under the Ecological Gifts program-a significant milestone for that program, and something of which you can justifiably be proud. Ron Hamilton Superintendent Gulf Islands National Park Reserve existing provincial parks, an Ecological Reserve, and other Crown land.

History

The island was first used by indigenous people who called the island "Long Nose," due to the island's long north-eastern tapering shoreline that ends at East Point. The name Saturna comes from the Spanish naval schooner '' Santa Saturnina'' (" St. Saturnina") captained by pilot (''piloto'')

José María Narváez José María Narváez (1768 – August 4, 1840) was a Spanish naval officer, explorer, and navigator notable for his work in the Gulf Islands and Lower Mainland of present-day British Columbia. In 1791, as commander of the schooner '' Santa ...

, which along with a longboat of the Spanish naval

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...

''San Carlos'', explored the island's coast in an excursion under the overall command of Pilot Juan Pantoja y Arriaga in 1791. The name was initially applied only to East Point. The contraction to "Saturna" applied to the whole island was first made by

Dionisio Alcalá Galiano Dionisio Alcalá Galiano (8 October 1760 – 21 October 1805) was a Spanish naval officer, cartographer, and explorer. He mapped various coastlines in Europe and the Americas with unprecedented accuracy using new technology such as chronomete ...

in 1792. The first European settlers came in the 1800s, but the island was slower to develop than the neighbouring Southern Gulf Islands due to its relative isolation and mountainous topography.

Attractions

East Point is a place famous for onshore

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...

. It is also the site where

Moby Doll Moby Doll was the first orca (killer whale) to survive in captivity for more than two days, and the second to be displayed in a public aquarium exhibit. The availability, for the first time, of a killer whale that could be studied at close quarte ...

, the second orca to be held in captivity, was harpooned in 1964. The Saturna Island Heritage Committee runs a tiny museum in the former fog alarm building at East Point where visitors can learn about the sad story of Moby Doll and some of Saturna's history. The southern resident J, K and L orca pods pass by in the summer months, with Bigg's also known as transient orca visiting year round. Saturna has many species of terrestrial, aerial and aquatic animals. Saturna is a popular destination for geocachers, with approximately 60 caches available on the island. Caches are built and maintained by Parks Canada and the

Saturna Ecological Education Centre The Saturna Ecological Education Centre (SEEC) is a publicly funded outdoor school located on Saturna Island in British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific ...

Parks and beaches

East Point Day Use Area, with a museum inside the old Fog Alarm Building, an

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ...

monitoring station, and sandstone shoreline. Lyall Creek trail runs through a second generation forest for approximately following the seasonal and one of few salmon bearing creeks on the Southern Gulf Islands leading hikers to Narvaez Bay Road.

Mount Warburton Pike Mount Warburton Pike is a mountain on Saturna Island in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada. It is the highest summit in the Gulf Islands, other than Saltspring Island, and is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Name origin ...

viewpoint, which is the tallest mountain in the Outer Gulf Islands. On its peak, there is a communication tower used by a variety of radio and television services. At the most westerly point of Winter Cove Day Use Area which has a variety of ecosystems including wetlands and marshes, strong tidal currents rush through Boat Pass, providing a shortcut for small boat operators. Apart the lands of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, the local Saturna Island Parks & Recreation Commission mark over a dozen prescribed beach access points from public thoroughfares around the island and oversee the Thomson Community Park with its pebble beach, picnic shelter, and nine hole

disc golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course.

Camping

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is a national park located on and around the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada. In the National Parks System Plan, this park provides representation of the Strait of Georgia Lowlands natural region, the ...

offers 7 walk-in (or kayak-in) backcountry campsites at Narvaez Bay. The trailhead to Narvaez Bay is located at the parking lot at the end of Narvaez Bay Road. There is also a bike rack available for cyclists to lock up their bikes. From the parking lot, there is a trail down to two beaches, Narvaez Bay and Echo Bay, and a side trail off to Monarch Head, which looks out to Boundary Pass and the

. There is no potable water at Narvaez Bay, and no campfires are permitted, regardless of season. Two private campgrounds offer year-round camping: Neither permits fires, however both offer access to potable water.

Climate

Transportation

Saturna is accessible via

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferr ...

, which offers daily sailings to Lyall Harbour on Saturna from Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island or Tsawwassen on the Mainland. Daily floatplane service from Vancouver International Airport and downtown Victoria to Lyall Harbour is available. There are a number of excellent anchorages and moorages for private vessels, including Lyall Harbour Government Wharf which is operated by the Capital Regional District's Harbour Commission.

References

External links

Saturna Island Tourism Association

BC Ferries – Ferry Service to Saturna

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve

Saturna Island Heritage Committee
{{authority control Populated places in the Capital Regional District Islands of the Gulf Islands