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Hakai Protected Area is composed of a stunning archipelago of islands just off of British Columbia's wild mid-Coast. The area features world class sea kayaking, yacht cruising, and salt-water fishing. As well, it offers an amazing variety of opportunities to offer visitors, from rugged exposed coastlines, to smooth sandy beaches, to lush coastal forests, to rolling hills and even to 1000 m (3000 ft) high peaks.
No two islands within the archipelago are the same and visitors will delight in the complex system of coves, channels and inlets available to explore in Hakai Protected Area. Given exposure to the open Pacific, large ocean swells and tidal rapids are typical, making for drama and excitement. Such conditions also require prudence and a high level of wilderness travel skill. Hakai is a rarely explored gem, and a visit there will be an unforgettable experience for those who make the effort to reach its remote wilderness.
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Hakai Protected Area is located on British Columbia's mid-coast, 130 km (80 mi) south of Prince Rupert and 480 km (300 mi) north of Vancouver Island. The nearest community is that of Bella Coola, 50 km (30 mi) to the northeast. Hakai is made up of a large cluster of islands of various sizes, with the largest landmasses included in the protected area being the southern two-thirds of Hunter Island and the northern half of Calvert Island. This is a more remote park since the islands are some distance from the mainland. However, BC Ferries provide access to Bella Bella, just east of the park. As well, visitors to Hakai can reach the area by private boat or float plane.
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"No two islands are the same and visitors will delight in the complex system of coves, channels and inlets available to explore in Hakai Protected Area."
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The diverse, numerous islands comprising Hakai Protected Area make it a beautiful and diverse area to visit. Sailing and kayaking are among the most popular and enjoyable ways to explore the island paradise. Kayakers can reach the area by way of the BC Ferries Discovery Coast or Prince Rupert ferries. These will provide access via Bella Bella or pick-up or drop-off kayaks along the adjacent BC Ferries route. Guided kayak tours can also be arranged out of Bella Coola.
Sailors should be aware that summer winds (usually westerly or southwesterly) can be extremely light or non-existent in the morning on sunny days, usually pick up midday to late afternoon, and then die down again in the evening. Weather information can be picked up on VHF Channel 21B (161.65MHZ). A variety of all-weather anchorages are available throughout the protected area.
Once in the Hakai area many visitors choose simply to travel from island to island enjoying the different character of each, exploring the coastline or venturing into the dense coastal rainforests. Others choose to spend more time on the water enjoying the protected area's abundant fishing opportunities. Five species of salmon as well as halibut, lingcod, red snapper and rockcod may all be caught in Hakai. Those wishing to fish are reminded that they require a valid fishing licence in order to angle in British Columbia.
No matter how one chooses to visit the area, or what they choose to do once there, the extensive perfect sand beaches of Hakai's many islands will provide unparalleled coastal experiences for visitors.
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"Once in the Hakai area many visitors choose simply to travel from island to island enjoying the different character of each, exploring the coastline or venturing into the dense coastal rainforests."
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Since Hakai is a marine oriented protected area, some of its most interesting wildlife is found not on land, but in the waters surrounding the islands. Orca, humpback, minke and grey whales are all commonly seen from Hakai Protected Area's many islands, as are porpoises and dolphins. Smaller animals such as harbour seals, sea lions and river otters also make the area their home. The constantly changing waters of the intertidal zone are home to a large variety of molluscs, crabs, starfish, anemones and sea urchins among many other species.
Despite the prominence of marine life in this area, the islands of Hakai are by no means empty. Black bears as well as wolves, black-tailed deer and mink are all found on the islands. On the nearby mainland some of the larger grizzly bears in British Columbia are found.
The fish populations of Hakai are famous among fishers worldwide. The salmon runs in the area are especially well known, as large numbers of Chinook, Coho, Sockeye , Chum and Pink salmon all pass through Hakai on their way back to mainland streams and rivers. Halibut, lingcod, red snapper and rockcod are also common in the protected area.
More than 100 species of birds have been spotted in Hakai Protected Area, due to it being such a food rich environment. Bald eagles abound, as do kingfishers, cormorants, sandpipers, ospreys and the common loon. Gulls, auklets, murres, murrelets, oystercatchers, black and ruddy turnstones and a variety of surf and sea birds are all also found in Hakai.
"The constantly changing waters of the intertidal zone are home to a large variety of molluscs, crabs, starfish, anemones and sea urchins among many other species."
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The Hakai area has long been home to First Nations groups, especially the Heiltsuk. The abundance of food available on the coast allowed these people to develop permanent villages and complex cultures. Although European contact brought diseases that decimated the numbers of First Nations in the area, populations have recovered over time and a strong Heiltsuk community, as well as some non-Natives, still make their home in the vicinity of Hakai.
Towards the end of the 18th century explorers from many countries began to express interest in the resources and territory along what was to become the coast of British Columbia. Once the British formally colonized the area in the 19th century, settlement of the coast by non-natives began but the remote mid- and north-coast of BC saw fewer inhabitants than in the south. To this day the region surrounding Hakai is comparatively inhabited due to its remoteness and challenging weather.
After European colonization, resource extraction, mostly in the form of forestry and fishing, became the dominant industries in the area. As the abundance of these resources diminished due to over-extraction and automation of the industries many people left the area, meaning that the area's population has declined over past decades. Today the core of the economy in the beautiful Hakai region is tourism.
Hakai was protected in order to safeguard the beautiful, long, sandy beaches on Calvert Island, as well as the Hunter Islands archipelago. The creation of Hakai, in March 1987, was a direct result of the controversy that had occurred regarding the protection of Gwaii Haanas South Moresby National Park Reserve. At the time there were some members of the current Bill Bennett government who were trying to limit any further wilderness protection in the province, and who were particularly trying to block the preservation of Gwaii Haanas and the Stein Valley.
In 1985 the government responded by establishing the Wilderness Advisory Committee, which held public hearings across the province regarding the future of wilderness in British Columbia. As it turned out, the public outcry and support in favour of wilderness was so overwhelming that it led the government to move towards creating several new protected areas. As a result, not only was Gwaii Haanas/South Moresby protected in 1987 (and much later the Stein Valley also) but as well it moved to create several additional sites. These new areas, chosen by government at the time, were intended to be ones with high recreational values, but without great resource value, where conflict would be minimal. Hakai, with its beautiful paddling and boating, was brought through as part of that package of protected areas.
"Today the core of the economy in the beautiful Hakai region is tourism."
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