Discovery Island (British Columbia)
Discovery Island is located off the eastern side of
Discovery island was named in 1846 by surveyors in honour of
During the early stages of the 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic, which started in Victoria, almost all Songhees self-quarantined themselves by abandoning their villages and relocating en masse to Discovery Island. Other indigenous people, many already infected, were forced to leave the Victoria area. Some tried to join the refugees on Discovery Island, but the Songhees fought off such attempts. Due to their self-quarantine as well as HBC physician Dr. John Helmcken's efforts to vaccinate as many Songhees as he could, the Songhees were one of the few First Nations to survive the epidemic with few deaths.[1][2]
The
Designated as a park in 1972, the uninhabited and undeveloped 61-hectare
Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park is open year round. There is a camping fee and services provided from May 1 - September 30. During the off-season, there is no fee and no services. There are gravel beaches and a few walking and hiking trails along the shores and through fir and arbutus woodlands. The trail system runs from the lighthouse on Sea Bird Point to Commodore Point and across to the western shore of the park. Hikers can ascend the 38-metre (125 foot) Pandora Hill for improved views of the area and spectacular sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains.
In May 2012 a lone wolf took up residence on Discovery Island. The park was closed and attempts to trap the wolf were made, but these were unsuccessful, and it was decided to reopen the park. The wolf had proven safe to humans.[4] The lone wolf, Takaya, was relocated to an area near Port Renfrew by conservation officers in January 2020. After relocation, Takaya was shot and killed by a hunter in March 2020.[5]
Other flora and fauna on the island include sea lions, seals, mink, mussels, clams, rock crab, morel mushrooms, and blackberries.
Climate
Discovery Island has a Mediterranean climate (Csb) with some of the mildest winters in Canada, if not the mildest, even by British Columbia standards, having a yearly mean of 11.5 °C (52.7 °F), warmer than Victoria's University weather station which has a yearly mean of 11.2 °C (52.2 °F). Snowfall is extremely rare with over three-fourths of years not experiencing a single snowfall, which is a sharp contrast to the rest of the country.
Climate data for Discovery Island, British Columbia | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
24.5 (76.1) |
27 (81) |
29.5 (85.1) |
32 (90) |
33.5 (92.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
21.9 (71.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
14.2 (57.6) |
33.5 (92.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
9.5 (49.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18 (64) |
19.6 (67.3) |
19.5 (67.1) |
18.4 (65.1) |
14 (57) |
10.9 (51.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
14 (57) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) |
6.1 (43.0) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.2 (46.8) |
9.9 (49.8) |
11.6 (52.9) |
12.6 (54.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
11.9 (53.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
7.8 (46.0) |
6.0 (42.8) |
9.1 (48.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
2.3 (36.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
0 (32) |
9.1 (48.4) |
5.5 (41.9) |
7.5 (45.5) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20140424025317/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climateData/monthlydata_e.html?timeframe=3&Prov=BC&StationID=27226&mlyRange=1998-05-01%7C2005-08-01&cmdB2=Go&cmdB1=Go&Year=2003&cmdB2=Go# |
References
- ISBN 978-0-295-97837-6. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Lange, Greg. "Smallpox Epidemic of 1862 among Northwest Coast and Puget Sound Indians". HistoryLink. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ Beaumont, Ernest Godfrey. Last will. Dated September 3, 1964.
- ^ Crescenzi, Nicole (2019-03-20). "Discovery Island wolf continues to thrive". Oak Bay News. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
- ^ Kelly, Alanna (2020-03-25). "Takaya, the lone wolf of Discovery Island, has been shot and killed". Vancouver Island. Retrieved 2020-04-02.