Wolf tracks along west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Bald eagle above a foggy forest.
Carcass of juvenile humpback whale on beach of island in Clayoquot Sound
Racoon foraging for sand flees on beach of island in Sound
Black-tailed deer feeding on seaweed on island in Clayoquot Sound.
River otter scent marking on seaweed as tide goes out.
Black bear foraging for invertebrates in the intertidal zone by rolling rocks.
Large Sitka spruce in ancient forest on island in the Sound.
A gray wolf trots along the beach early in the morning with ravens in the background. West Coast, Vancouver Island.
Tofino Inlet, Clayoquot Sound.
Harbor seals lounging at low tide.
Atlantic salmon fish farm in Clayoquot Sound with uncut forest in background. Several rivers with no clearcuts or roads in them are seeing massive declines in salmon numbers due to sea lice and other issues associated with fish farming in the Sound. The smell is overwhelming, far worse than a dairy farm and totally shocking in such a wild setting.
Active clearcut logging in Clayquot Sound. Top of the photo is uncut oldgrowth. Bottom is regrowth from a previous clearcut.
Growth rings: over 200. Destination: ?
Huge western red ceder stump set amidst second growth forest of planted Douglas firs. Note that the original nurse log that the ceder tree started growing on in still under the stump, attesting to the volume of biomass in the previous ancient forest and the literally centuries it took to create the structural diversity so important to many Old growth obligate species.
Despite decades of conservation efforts, Clayoquot Sound, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, faces numerous severe threats to its ecological integrity including clear cut logging of roadless old growth forests, industrial Atlantic salmon fish farms, and proposed open-pit copper mining. Learn more about the region and how you can support conservation in the region at the following websites:Friends of Clayoquot Sound Clayoquot Biosphere Reserve First Nations Environmental Network
