Galiano Island

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A map of the island.

View from Mount Galiano

Galiano Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the Strait of Georgia, it is 27.5 kilometres long, 6 km at its widest point, and 1.6 km across at its narrowest point. On the western side of the island there are a series of sandstone caves. The island is northwest of Mayne Island, northeast of Saltspring Island and southeast of Valdes Island. It is part of the Capital Regional District Electoral Area G.

Named after the Spanish explorer Dionisio Alcalá-Galiano, who explored the area in 1792, the island is twinned with his home city - Cabra in Córdoba province, Spain. Galiano was long inhabited by aboriginal people from a Coast Salish nation. Midden pits at Montague Harbour suggest 3000 years of inhabitance. According to the 2001 Canadian census, Galiano Island has 1,071 full-time residents. Industries of the past were logging and fishing, although today tourism and the arts are the most common methods of employment.

1 Government
2 Access
3 Places and Pursuits
4 Parks and Wildlife
5 Beaches
6 People Born on Galiano Island
7 External links

[edit] Government

Government bodies that oversee the island include Federal, Provincial and Regional agencies as well as the Islands Trust whose mandate is to establish land-use bylaws to "preserve and protect" the island, most notably in terms of development. For most of the twentieth century roughly half of the land on Galiano was owned by the logging firm MacMillan Bloedel. As a result, Galiano was not as extensively developed as neighboring islands. When the firm sold its holdings on Galiano, debate about development issues sharpend, and the Islands Trust set minimum lot sizes to limit development.

Local elections are held every three years to determine who will be the island's 2 Trustees.

[edit] Access

Sturdies Bay, the BC Ferries terminal

Galiano Island is accessible by vehicle via BC Ferries; the terminal is situated at Sturdies Bay, in the southeast corner of the island. This vehicle and passenger scheduled ferry service runs from Tsawwassen (Vancouver) on the mainland and Swartz Bay (Victoria) on Vancouver Island.

Moorage is available at several public wharfs for boat traffic. SeaAir also operates scheduled sea planes to Montague Harbour.

[edit] Places and Pursuits

Galiano Island has art galleries, shops, restaurants, inns, small resorts, a spa and many bed and breakfast homes: most are located in or near the little village of Sturdies Bay, where the ferry docks, on the south end of the island. Galiano Island, like other Gulf Islands, is known for the work of its artists and craftspeople.

Kayaking is a favourite activity. It is not uncommon to paddle within metres of wildlife, such as seals and otters. The island is also a popular destination for fishing, SCUBA diving, hiking, boating; it also has a golf course.

[edit] Parks and Wildlife

Galiano Island has a large variety of animals and plants. In a major flight path for migrating birds, Galiano has hundreds of bird species, and is outstanding for birdwatching. Commonly sighted are eagles, herons and cormorants. Off its shores are resident orca whales (J pod lives in the waters of Active Pass, dividing Mayne and Galiano Islands), seals, otters, sea lions and many varieties of sea life.

Montague Harbour is one of the most popular parks in the Gulf Islands, its campground is especially popular during the summer. The park includes a boat launch, nature house and hiking trails. The park is a haven for true British Columbian campers and tourists alike. It is unique for its Shell Beach, which is a west-facing beach with worn shells covering the whole expanse of the beach instead of sand. For thousands of years, it was the location of a midden used by Coast Salish people. Montague Harbour is popular with the recreational boating community; the harbour is often crowded with yachts and sailboats during the warmer months June, July, and August.

Dionisio Point is a rugged natural park at the north end of the island with beautiful beaches that the local islanders call Coon Bay. Here you will find a unique shoreline with artistically sculpted sandstone formations, a sand beach for swimming, tidal pools, and colourful wildflowers and forests that fill this beautiful provincial park.

Mount Galiano is Galiano’s highest point of land…a hike to the top will provide hikers with rewarding views over the Gulf Islands, the U.S. San Juan Islands and the distant mainland mountains.

Bluffs Park is one of Galiano’s most rewarding, yet easiest hikes, with options of an easy drive to the top, challenging hikes to the shores, or casual walks to spectacular viewpoints. Watch eagles soar overhead and ferry traffic pass far below you.

Bodega Ridge Provincial Park consists of a dramatic ridge rising several hundred metres above sea level, with spectacular views over many of the Gulf Islands' hundreds of islands and islets and beyond to the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula. High cliffs are home to raptors like peregrine falcons and bald eagles, as well as trees like towering cedars and Douglas fir.

[edit] Beaches

The view north along the shores of Shell Beach. The white of the shells can be seen in the distance.

There are several beaches along the shorelines of the island. Pebble Beach is a beach with large pebbles in place of sand (not to be confused with the California community and golf course Pebble Beach). The pebbles, after sitting under the sun for hours, help not only warm up the water when the tide rises but warm the beach goers as they lie directly on them. Morning Beach is a beach on the north side of the island. The beach is the only one on the island to have pristine fine grey sand instead of coarse sand or shells. Cable Bay is small beach popular with locals for its seclusion.