Gulf Islands

View fromBaynes Peak onSalt Spring Island
Geography
Location	Salish Sea
Coordinates	48°57′N123°32′W / 48.950°N 123.533°W /48.950; -123.533
Major islands	20
Administration
Canada
Province	British Columbia
Demographics
Population	23,497 (2016 est.)

TheGulf Islands is a group ofislands in theSalish Sea betweenVancouver Island and themainland coast ofBritish Columbia.

The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia", the original term used byGeorge Vancouver in his mapping of the southern part of the archipelago and which before theSan Juan Island dispute also was taken to include what have since been called theSan Juan Islands.^{[citation needed]} While geopolitically divided, the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands geologically form part of the larger Gulf Archipelago.^[1]

Strictly speaking, theStrait of Georgia is only the wide, open waters of the main strait between the mainland andVancouver Island, and does not officially refer to the adjoining waters between the islands and Vancouver Island but has become a common misnomer for the entire Gulf, which includes waters such asActive Pass (betweenGaliano Island andMayne Island),Trincomali Channel (between Galiano Island andSaltspring Island),Sansum Narrows (between Saltspring Island and Vancouver Island), andMalaspina Strait (betweenTexada Island and the mainland aroundPowell River). "The Gulf" refers to all such waters collectively, and to those communities and shores surrounding it.^[2] Only the term "Strait of Georgia" remains in the provincial gazette although its use as a synonym for the Gulf is unofficial, while the term Gulf of Georgia remains in current use though not in the provincial gazette.

The termSalish Sea was adopted in 2010 to refer to the Strait of Georgia, theStrait of Juan de Fuca,Puget Sound, and all connecting and adjoining waters.^[3]

According toBC Geographical Names (BCGNIS) the name "Gulf Islands" was originally intended and commonly understood to refer to thearchipelago at the southern end of the Strait of Georgia; fromGabriola Island in the north toSaturna Island in the southeast andD'Arcy Island in the southwest. During the 1990s, however, the name began to be applied to all the islands in the Strait of Georgia, resulting in the introduction of the term "Southern Gulf Islands", which BCGNIS calls a misnomer, to distinguish the original "Gulf Islands" from the rest, which are sometimes called the "Northern Gulf Islands". BCGNIS further notes thatQuadra Island is increasingly described as the "northernmost of the Gulf Islands".^[4]

The division of the Gulf Islands into two groups, the Southern and Northern Gulf Islands, is relatively common. The dividing line is approximately that formed by the city ofNanaimo on Vancouver Island, and the mouth of theFraser River on the mainland. The islands of theDiscovery Islands,Howe Sound, andFraser River delta are not considered part of the Gulf Islands.

The Southern Gulf Islands are near the southern end of theStrait of Georgia, forming an intricate network of waterways between them, collectively referred to as part of theSalish Sea. The Southern Gulf Islands include hundreds of islands and islets, and form part of a larger archipelago that also includes the nearbySan Juan Islands of thestate of Washington in theUnited States.

The major Southern Gulf Islands are:

The Northern Gulf Islands are located near the northern end of theStrait of Georgia, including all islands south ofSavary Island, the southernmost island of the neighbouringDiscovery Islands.

The major Northern Gulf Islands are as follows:

The islands and surrounding ocean are rich withecologically diverse plants andsea life includingGarry oaks, wild lilies,kelp beds andOrcas.

The Gulf Islands are home to one of the last remaining pockets ofGarry oak ecosystems. Only about five percent of Garry oak ecosystems remain in their natural state, landing 91 of the approximately 350species it supports on the province's list ofspecies at risk. The uniqueMediterranean characteristics of the islands' climate supports the Garry oak ecosystem. Garry oak ecosystems are home to more plant species, such as thecamas, than any other terrestrial ecosystem in coastal B.C. and are one of Canada's most at-risk naturalhabitats.

Today, Garry oak meadows exist in the shallow and exposedsoil ofvalleys, rockyfoothills and southernslopes—areas that thesettlers of the past 150 years have found unsuitable foragriculture ordevelopment.

The Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (GOERT), a partnership of a number of governmental and non-governmental agencies that comprise 22 individuals, was established in 1999 after the delegates of the First International Garry Oak Ecosystem Symposium met inVictoria and declared the ecosystemendangered. Since then, GOERT has been working to motivate public and private restoration of the rare ecosystem and promoteconservation activities.[1]

The unique ecosystem of the islands has been a focal point of conservation efforts for decades.BC Parks operates a variety of provincial parks on the islands, the oldest beingMount Maxwell Provincial Park onSalt Spring Island.

In 2003,Parks Canada establishedGulf Islands National Park Reserve to protect ecologically important regions of the southeastern Gulf Islands. As aNational Park Reserve, the long-term goal is to protect most of the southeastern Gulf Islands.^[7]

In 2012, Parks Canada published a feasibility Study for the proposed Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area Reserve. The goal of theNational Marine Conservation Area is to protect ecologically significant marine habitats and ensure sustainable use of marine resources. It would also serve as a complement to the existing national park reserve.^[8]

In most parts ofCanada,olive trees cannot thrive; the long, harsh winter and short, humid summer and spring make it difficult for olives to grow comfortably and properly, butPender Island,Saturna Island, andSalt Spring Island have aMediterranean style climate that permits olive production.^[9][10]

Banana Joe Clemente was one of the first Islanders to introduce olive trees to the Southern Gulf Islands in 1993 growing dozens from seed. In 1994/1995, planting a grove of the seed-grown olive trees around a Botchi pit on Salt Spring Island. He also distributed them to Islanders for their private gardens. Banana Joe is also responsible for introducingMusa basjoo, a hardy species of Banana plant to Salt Spring Island.^{[citation needed]}

Farm owner Andrew Butt planted his first olive tree in 2001 at his farm on Pender Island, usingFrantoio andLeccinocultivars that he obtained fromCalifornia.^[10] He useskelp obtained from the surrounding straits as fertilizer and uses a pruning method that enhances the sunlight exposure on the trees.^[10] Michael Pierce and colleagues established an olive treenursery on Saturna Island in 2009 that supplied olive trees to the region.^[11]

The larger populated islands are served byBC Ferries, which operates various vehicle and passenger ferries between the Gulf Islands and to terminals near the major cities of Nanaimo andVictoria on Vancouver Island as well asVancouver on the mainland.

None of the islands are linked to another island by bridge, the exception beingPender Island which was artificially divided into two by a canal dug in 1903. Various proposals have been made to link one or more of the islands to another island, or with the mainland coast of the province, without success. Challenges include high capital costs, the presence of ecologically sensitive ecosystems, the mountainous terrain of the islands,impracticality due to the low population of the islands, and opposition from locals.^[12][13]

• List of islands of Canada
• Islands Trust
• Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area

Wikimedia Commons has media related toGulf Islands.

• Southern Gulf Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Gulf Islands National Park ReserveArchived 2005-08-18 at theWayback Machine — Parks Canada
• Come to the IslandsCanadian Geographic Special Feature on B.C.'s Gulf Islands
• Southern Gulf Islands Atlas
• Islands Trust

• Gulf Islands
• Archipelagoes of British Columbia
• Strait of Georgia
• Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean
• Agriculture in British Columbia

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