Wednesday June 5/13
Day two: Fog and moderate winds early in the morning. A good part of the morning was spent cleaning the Solar panels on the roof of the Energy building of all the accumulated bird guano. I took note of the power output pre-cleaning : 650W; it jumped to 980W after being cleaned.
One pleasure boat in the Reserve this morning 0945hrs
We were visited by BC Parks’ new Area Supervisor to familiarise herself with the site and the Race Rocks File; and to meet the crew.
On the morning of Wednesday June 6 , I went with Andy MacDonald, the Vancouver Island Region (South) Parks and Protected Areas Section Head, and Zsana Tulcsik, the new BC Parks Area Supervisor from the Goldstream Office out to the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. ( A report by Garry Fletcher, Race Rocks ER warden)
College staff member Erik Schauff skippered Second Nature and we met Chris Blondeau , Director of Operations for Pearson College UWC on the jetty. He is the relief ecoguardian at Race Rocks for the week .
The elephant seals co-operated and were basking in the sun on the grass in the centre of the island. There were 4- 2 year olds and one large older Male, which may have been Chunk … the inflamed right eye from an injury administered by Misery was a good identification mark.
Two Northern sea lions were observed in the water . I thought it was notable that there were very few harbour seals which usually have pups at this time of year, and none on the southern islets where they usually haul out. I will have to check over the next few days on the tower camera, as they may have been out foraging.
The glaucous-winged gulls are well into nesting season, with several nests containing three eggs. The image from the window of the science centre shows the distribution of pairs. Another picture above shows a nest precariously close to the elephant seal haulout spot.
There was an abundance of pigeon guillemots on all corners of the island where they have their nesting burrows. They should be visible on camera 5 now out near the edge of the cliff to the west. They have certainly been a success story in increasing numbers in the past few years. There must be well over 60 pairs nesting in the hidden burrows under the rocks. Ironically good habitat has been produced in several areas because of human activity in the past by the blasting of rock for the helipad construction by the Coastguard, and other construction on the islands done in the 1900s before it was an ecological reserve. This is a rare example of habitat enhancement that humans can claim, as usually it is the other way around.
On the return to the docks we were impressed with the clumps of Thrift in full bloom. Chris mentioned that the Black Oystercatchers had been in the area on the rock right off the sidewalk by the docks and we soon spotted the nest. This is the same area they have used for many years. The videos of the hatching oystercatchers in this link are from the same area.
In addition to the vast monocultures of pineapple weed as shown above, this is the second year we have noted large patches of Fiddleneck, Amsinckia spectabilis in the same compacted and richly fertilized areas where the grass was killed out by the sealions and intense Canada Goose grazing.
This proposal was submitted to Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in June, 2013
The response came in September, 2013:
by Garry Fletcher
Race Rocks Ecological Reserve Warden
4645 William Head Road
Victoria, BC
In 2012, I submitted a petition by 25 members of the Metchosin Community to Environment Canada for including Race Rocks lighthouse on the list of heritage lighthouses in Canada to be protected by the heritage lighthouse protection act. Environment Canada subsequently confirmed that the application had been approved. In order for DFO to authorize the disposal of the lighthouse, if indeed it is owned by the federal government, someone has to submit a business plan within five years of the enactment of the Lighthouse Heritage Protection Bill, ie by May 2015.
I am proposing that :
1) The historical branch of Environment Canada will assume responsibility for the long term maintenance of the Heritage Light tower at Race Rocks. It could be under a special designation as marine view-scape heritage.
2) Since Race Rocks and Fisgard Lighthouse were built together concurrently over 150 years ago under the direction of the First Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island, Environment Canada could include both lighthouses in a National Marine Historic Park.
3) That the Department of Fisheries and Oceans support financially the maintenance of this tower as part of its continued use as an Aids to navigation.
The reality is that there will be no business plan for the change of ownership of the Lighthouse. Most people in British Columbia and Canada assume that this historic structure should be totally funded and maintained by governments on the basis of it’s historical significance as well as continuing function as an aid to navigation.
This proposal provides background information for this alternate proposal to the business plan required by DFO for heritage protection for Race Rocks lighthouse. Although I am a retired faculty member of Pearson College UWC, and am currently the Ecological Reserve Warden appointed by BC Parks for Race Rocks, I am submitting this proposal as a private citizen, so the views presented herein are entirely my own.
The Canadian Lighthouse Heritage Protection Bill was designed to protect historic structures such as Race Rocks, in fact it was referred to in the house and senate debates as an example. The early announcement of disposal of surplus lighthouses by DFO was certainly not intended with the legislation, and it has led to the unfortunate situation of a lack of protection for some of Canada’s most significant lighthouses. There has to be an alternate designation that would ensure the protection of the light tower. Ideally a special designation is needed that recognizes the light house as a federally protected and preserved structure, perhaps the focal point of a marine viewscape heritage park. Continue reading
Armeria maritima, sea thrift is in full bloom and looks very striking at this time of year. G.Fletcher photo.
There are several patches of this xerophytic plant located on the dry rocky knolls of Race Rocks. It is one of the native plants of the island.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Plumbaginaceae
Genus: Armeria
Species: A. maritima
Armeria maritima (Mill.) Willd.
Other Angiosperms at Race Rock
 Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomyand Image File |
 The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. |