This document contains information on:

1. Travelling Responsibly

In many respects, Vancouver Island mirrors B.C. as a whole. While most visitors gravitate toward the southern half of each, northerly exploration is rewarded by an increased opportunity for cultural immersion in First Nation communities. We ask, as a guest of Alert Bay, that you respect its culture and traditions and make a positive contribution to this North Island community by supporting First Nation shops and attending First Nation events (a list of attractions is outlined in “Once You Arrive in Alert Bay”). In turn, you will be rewarded with experiences and gracious hosts that will contribute to a very unique travel experience.

As examples, the Big House is the centre of many First Nation ceremonies, such as potlatches and feasts. Unless you are invited, please do not attempt to attend any ceremonies here; you will have the opportunity to see the Big House by attending regularly scheduled dance ceremonies. It is also forbidden to walk on the ‘Namgis graveyard on the south edge of town. The graveyard can easily be viewed from the street.

Alert Bay artists are known around the world for their paintings, carved masks, figurines and cedar boxes. Examples of this art can be purchased in several shops and viewed at the U’mista Cultural Centre. There is also a carving studio near the U’mista Cultural Centre where much of this art is produced. For more information please visit the Alert Bay Tourism Information Centre in downtown Alert Bay. The Centre is staffed by First Nation personnel and also sells native art.

While Alert Bay is surrounded by a pristine marine and wilderness environment, some marine life are endangered. A local group, Straitwatch is a stewardship-based marine mammal monitoring and education program that operates in Johnstone Strait. Straitwatch monitors the activities around local marine mammals, especially orcas (or killer whales), and provides boaters with information on local marine species and marine mammal viewing guidelines. This group provides educational information from scheduled and spontaneous presentations, to participating in community events, to dockside contacts, to on-the-water contacts with boaters. If you would like to find out more about this group and make a donation, please see the hotel manager.

2. Local Social and Environmental Issues

Endangered Marine Life. Johnstone Strait, the waterway where the Orcas and Grizzlies Wildlife tour takes place, is renowned for the rich diversity of marine life, including the orcas that frequent its waters. Located between the north-eastern end of Vancouver Island and the BC mainland, this glacier-carved waterway of 87 kilometers stretches from Chatham Point to Hanson Island, with Vancouver Island on the south and the rugged mainland coast on the north. The area is characterized by intricate and remote island archipelagos, refuges bays and deep fjords. Luxuriant forests ringed by snow capped mountains create an inspiring backdrop for kayaking, bear viewing and whale watching.

Each summer, members of the northern resident killer whale community return to Johnstone Strait to feed, rest, and socialize. The return of killer whales to Johnstone Strait coincides with an increase in marine traffic, including whale watching vessels. The area also provides habitat for humpback whales, minke whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, as well as numerous other marine species. Unfortunately, many of the species that attract visitors to the area are considered at risk by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife In Canada (COSEWIC). A list of these animals is featured below. The northern resident, transient, and offshore populations of killer whales have all been recently added to the list of species at risk (SAR) and determined as threatened. The humpback whale, which has been seen in increasing numbers in Johnstone Strait in recent years, also shares this listing ...

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