Field Sites

Location

We acknowledge and honour the unceded traditional territories of the Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, and ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) First Nations that we operate on. In the spirit of truth, healing and reconciliation, Cedar Coast Field Station invites all visitors to join us as respectful guests in the Nuu-chah-nulth Ha’huulthii (territory).

Rich intertidal shoreline, old growth Sitka spruce (Pichea sitchensis) stands, ancient bog forests, white sand beaches, eelgrass beds, mud flats, rockfish conservation areas, and kelp forests all offer important habitat to the diversity of flora and fauna surrounding our field sites. Vancouver Island coastal grey wolves (Canis lupus crassodon), Grey Whales (Eschrichtius robustus), Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), Orca whales (Orcinus orca), Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris), Pinnepeds, and Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are among the wealth of fauna in this region.

Interested in learning more on the history of Vargas Island? Check out the document link below complied by the Tofino Clayoquot Heritage Museum.

History of Vargas Island

1. Vargas Sitka Spruce Stand

The field station is surrounded by a mix of new growth (30-50 years) and a number of small old growth Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata) and Sitka Spruce (Pichea sitchensis) stands. 0.5 km south of the station is a large intact stand of old growth forest, consisting primarily of Sitka Spruce. 0.25 km north of the old growth stand is a property that has been heavily logged, with various stages of regrowth. These sites provide a valuable opportunity for studying the forest ecosystem at all stages of growth, disturbance, and recovery.

2. Vargas Bog Forest

A 3 km long boardwalk follows the historical telegraph trail from the field station to Ahous Bay. The middle section of the trail navigates a bog forest, where high PH levels in the soil result in severely stunted growth of shore pines (Pinus contorta). This ecosystem supports a number of rare and endangered plant species including blue listed sand-dune sedge (Carex pansa), Tracy’s romanzoffia (Romanzoffia tracyi), and California wax myrtle (Myrica californica). A bird’s eye view of this area exposes a gradual succession of ancient sand berms that follow the curve of the Ahous bay shoreline; evidence of Vargas Island’s gradually increasing elevation driven by plate tectonics (B.C. Parks, 2015).

3. Ahous Bay

Ahous Bay is located in the Vargas Island Provincial Park, which consists of 5,805 hectares of rocky shoreline, sandy beaches, forests, bogs, fresh water streams, intertidal lagoons, and bays (B.C. Parks, 2015). Ahous Bay provides valuable habitat to a variety of shore bird, fish, and marine mammal species, including Eastern Pacific gray whales (Eschrichtitis robzrstus), which frequent the bay in the summertime to feed on a combination of benthic and epibenthic prey (Darling et al., 1998). Much of Ahous Bay is designated as a B.C. Provincial Park, while the south side of the bay contains a reserve belonging to the Ahousaht (People of Ahous) First Nation. B.C. Parks and Ahousaht First Nation are currently renegotiating management practices in the park.

4. Ahous Lagoon

Approximately 4 km from the field station, an intertidal lagoon penetrates the white sand beach in Ahous Bay. Two fresh water streams covered in dense forest canopy feed the salt-water lagoon. During the summer months, the lagoon provides habitat to thousands of juvenile Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) (Darling, 1998). In early fall Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kitsch) pass through the lagoon to spawn in the freshwater streams (B.C. Parks, 2015). Carnivores, such as the islands resident grey wolves, feed on the spawning salmon and leave their carcasses on the forest floor, transferring valuable nutrients from the Pacific Ocean into the forest ecosystem.

5. Cleland Island

In 1971 Cleland Island became the first ecological reserve in British Columbia (B.C. Parks, 2015). Situated within the Vargas Island Provincial Park, Cleland Island serves as a rookery for a number of sea birds including the Rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), Cassin’s auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus), Pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) and the Black oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani). Cleland Island is approximately 20 minutes away from the field station by boat.

6. Vargas Sand Dunes

This active dune system on the west coast of Vargas Island is accessible by a 6.5-km trail from the field station. The trail passes through a variety of ecological zones including bog forest, old growth Sitka spruce forest, white sand beach, and rocky shoreline. The sand dunes are also accessible by boat, with a combined 20-minute boat ride and a 10-minute walk.

7. Mud Bay

The mud flats in and around Mud Bay are located approximately 1.75 km from the field station, and are accessed by boat. Eelgrass beds, invertebrates, bivalves, juvenile fish, and shorebirds are among the rich diversity of organisms that inhabit this mud flat ecosystem.

8. Elbow Bank

The expansive eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows at Elbow Bank are located approximately 5 km (10 minutes) from the field station by boat. The eelgrass meadows provide important habitat for a rich diversity of fauna, including a variety of rockfish (Sebastes sp.). Directly adjacent to the Elbow Bank is a rockfish conservation area that provides protected habitat for adult rockfish after they leave the nursery meadows.