The Geography of Haida Gwaii British Columbia
“The Canadian Galapagos”
Haida Gwaii, an archipelago consisting of about 150 islands, including Graham and Moresby, lies 100 kilometres off the coast of British Columbia. The islands are separated by the open water of the treacherous Hecate Strait between BC’s coast and Haida Gwaii. A storm-swept land of forests, streams, waterfalls, sandspits, and windswept beaches, the Islands are often shrouded in mist. Some say Haida Gwaii lies on the edge of the world.
About 4500 people of varied ancestry, almost half of them Haida, live on Haida Gwaii. The islands are the ancestorial home of the Haida Nation, with most people living on the two main islands of Graham and Moresby. Today, seven main communities are located on the east and north coasts of Graham Island and on the northeast tip of Moresby Island. In Haida Gwaii, tourism, forestry, and fishing are the main economic drivers.
There is speculation that Haida Gwaii escaped the last ice age and this may be true. In British Columbia, glaciers started to recede about 14,000 years ago, but some parts of coastal and western BC remained ice-free. Others believe that the Queen Charlotte Mountains’ lower elevations and warmer air prompted glaciers to form later than on mainland mountains and melted much earlier. While the mainland remained at a glacial peak until nearly 10,000 years ago, some 14,000 years ago, regions of Haida Gwaii were becoming ice-free. Haida’s oral history records the retreating glaciers about when people first began to populate Haida Gwaii’s Islands.
The landscape ranges from sand beaches and dunes on the east coast to the rocky, surf-battered west coast and from muskeg lowlands on Graham Island to the rugged, eroded Queen Charlotte Ranges of Moresby Island. The tranquil environment of Haida Gwaii is occasionally interrupted by dramatic natural processes such as violent storms, big surf, landslides and earthquakes. While still a microcosm of coastal British Columbia, these events continue to alter the landscape and the ecosystems of the islands to give Haida Gwaii its own identity.
Either way, Haida Gwaii was graced with the opportunity to develop its own unique subspecies and forests apart from BC’s mainland. There are more unique sub-species on Haida Gwaii than in other similar areas in Canada – these species gave rise to the nickname “the Canadian Galapagos.” Distinctive sub-species of Saw-whet Owl, Hairy Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay and Peale’s Peregrine Falcon are here. Eleven species of mammals native to Gwaii Haanas are Black Bear, Pine Marten, River Otter, Haida Ermine, Dusky Shrew, Silver-haired Bat, California Myotis, Keen’s Myotis and the Little Brown Bat.
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Haida Gwaii’s climate encourages lush vegetation and abundant wildlife. Groups of Sitka deer feed on the grassy clearings along the Queen Charlotte Highway, and congregations of eagles fly overhead from spring to late summer. On the east coast, conditions are ideal for coastal temperate rainforests dominated by the massive old-growth Western Red cedar and Sitka spruce trees.
Some of the world’s richest heritage is here. Home to more than 500 archeological sites, archaeological evidence indicates continuous human presence by the Haida and their ancestors dating back 6,000 to 8,000 years. Approximately 52% of Haida Gwaii’s land base is currently within protected areas, including heritage sites and protected areas such as Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, Naikoon Provincial Park, and the Vladimir J. Krajina Ecological Reserve.
The frequency of the wicked storms and variable weather settle down beginning in early May. In this month, Haida Gwaii weather sees summer temperatures in the 15 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius range and the days are long -May, June, July boasting 18 to 20 hours of daylight. August and May in general see more sunny days. July rainfall averages about 3” and starts climbing by one inch each month to December when it’s 7”. Regardless of the time of year, those prepared for Haida weather bring head-to-toe rain gear. As the locals say, “if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes.”