Tonquin Nature Reserve Project

February-March 2003

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Christine Lowther

Paddlers who have explored Tofino harbour and Clayoquot Sound are probably familiar with Tonquin Park, the only beach within short walking distance of downtown Tofino.

Tonquin Beach is one of three known sites in Clayoquot Sound where gray whales engage in rubbing and standing on their tails. A sand bar juts out from the south end of the rocky shoreline, and the Tla-o-quiaht people named this spot Kla-Kisht-Keiss, meaning 'the place where whales stand'. Whale expert, Dr. Jim Darling, once saw six gray whales there in a row, all with their heads above the sea, spouting water from their mouths.

The north end of Tonquin was known as Tl-uulhapi, 'hands sticking up', possibly referring to wave action. The naming system was specific, pragmatic and detailed; every particular feature along any given coastline had its own name, describing where the berries were especially sweet, or the clams were plentiful, or the seals sunbathed on the rocks.

So why the name Tonquin? In 1811, a Spanish ship, the Tonquin, sank nearby as a result of a conflict that remains controversial to this day. According to Gisele Martin of the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation, the natives, in retaliation for some grave offence, beheaded the crew of the Tonquin, except for two members who escaped in a canoe and one, hiding below deck, who set off enough gunpowder to blow it up. Gisele's forefather survived.

In 1928, 150 years after Captain Cook's landing on March 28, 1778, a play was staged on Tonquin Beach re-enacting this event. Natives in full traditional regalia went out in their cedar canoes to meet the captain and his crew.

There are generally no strangely dressed explorers throwing anchor from a tall ship these days, but Gisele may well be seen paddling a dugout canoe there.

In Tonquin's forest, cedar trees are still being used by natives, the bark stripped for traditional uses such as hats and basket making.

Fourteen acres of mainly old growth forest and wetland adjacent to the park is currently under threat of a development that would drastically alter locals' and visitors' experience of the park. The land would become houses, condos, duplexes, roads and parking, and the beach would feel like somebody's front yard. Three year-round streams would be impacted and the seasonal 'wading pool' could also be affected. Subdivisions would line the boardwalk trail.

Fortunately, Tofino Community Investments (TCI), a local, socially responsible investment company, has signed an agreement with the owner to purchase the threatened land. TCI is now aiming to protect, at cost, as much of the land as can be purchased through fundraising, less $100,000 which it is donating.

TCI's goal, in partnership with the Land Conservancy of BC (TLC), is to preserve the land in its natural state for all time. Hundreds of thousands of dollars must be raised. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to The Land Conservancy of BC, re: Tonquin Nature Reserve Project, Box 273, Tofino, BC, V0R 2Z0.

Check: www.conservancy.bc.ca and www.westcoastgraywhale.org.

© Text and photos by Christine Lowther, a freelance writer who lives in Tofino, BC.

With thanks to Gisele, Karl and Ray Martin and Jim Darling.