Texada Island

Texada Island

Aerial view of Texada Island
Texada Island (highlighted)
Geography
Location	British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates	49°40′N 124°25′W / 49.667°N 124.417°W / 49.667; -124.417
Archipelago	Northern Gulf Islands
Area	300.45 km2 (116.00 sq mi)
Length	50 km (31 mi)
Width	10 km (6 mi)
Highest elevation	852 m (2795 ft)
Highest point	Mount Shepherd

Texada Island is a large island located in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. With an area of 300.45 km² (116.00 sq mi), it is the largest island of the Gulf Islands and the third largest island in the Strait of Georgia after Whidbey Island in Washington and Quadra Island of the Discovery Islands. Once a major mining and logging centre home to a fairly large population, Texada's industry has largely disappeared and its population shrunk since the decline began in the 1950s. In the present, it is mostly recognized as an out-of-the-way cottage and camping destination known for its warm waters and scenic beaches.

History

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Texada was named by the Spanish naval explorer

On November 6, 2004, the tug Manson, skippered by Dusty Davison, sank off Texada Island.[5]^[6]

Geography

Texada Island is largest of the Northern

The highest point on Texada Island is the summit of Mount Shepherd, near the southeastern most point on the island, and rising 852 m above sea level.

Geology

Texada has a combination of light and soil conditions suitable for market agriculture.

Flora and fauna

A wide variety of plants and animals can be observed in the islands forests, waters and sky.

Texada Island is home to most of the plant species that are native to the coastal area of British Columbia. However its forest differs from neighbouring coastal areas for containing large amount of the inland variant of

Large animals native to the island consist of only a small variant of the black-tailed Sitka deer. Unlike neighbouring islands and the mainland, Texada does not have any predatory mammals such wolves, cougars or bears.^[7] As a result, the deer population is dense compared to most neighbouring areas, and they are frequently seen along the island's roads. The high deer population also has made Texada a popular hunting location in the fall. Raccoons and rats have been accidentally introduced to the island. Garter snakes are common in all areas and fresh water turtles exist in small quantities in some of the island's lakes. Large birds such as bald eagles, turkey vultures, ravens and various species of hawk are plentiful in the area.

The

Parks and tourism

Texada Island is a mildly popular off-the-beaten-track tourist destination, mainly during the summer and fall. It is known for fishing, hunting, birdwatching, waterfront camping, and kayaking. It also has superb hiking and swimming in certain locations. The water around the island can get as warm as 20 degrees in the summer, making it popular for water sports.

Several regional parks and forestry sites provide camping, some more remote than others. Shelter Point Regional Park, located south of Gillies Bay is a popular and scenic camping location with a boat launch. Shingle beach is a more remote campground in an equally picturesque location and a popular swimming spot. Bobs Lake and Anderson Bay are very remote camping locations far up logging roads with the latter requiring a 3-hour drive from the ferry terminal on long sections of 4x4 roads.

Two provincial parks exist on the southern tip of the island: Anderson Bay Provincial Park and South Texada Island Provincial Park. Anderson Bay can be accessed on a long dirt track that crosses from the end of the gravel road at Bob's lake to the south point. 4x4 is a must as this route has deteriorated over the years; driving the final 15 km takes an hour and a half. South Texada Park is only accessible by boat or a long bushwhack.

Demographics and services

The three main settlements are Gillies Bay, Blubber Bay and Van Anda all located on the north half of the island. The major roads between the settlements also have numerous acreages and larger farms on them; many homes on the island are vacation properties and are only inhabited part of the year. The water at Gillies Bay is provided by the nearby Cranby Lake.^[8] A small settlement called Anderson Bay formerly existed on the south tip of the island, but the last resident moved in the 2000s and the area has been overgrown.^[9] This leaves the southern half of the island virtually deserted with only a single dirt track connecting it to the populated north half. According to the demographic report the permanent population is estimated to be around 1200 and is expected to shrink.

Unlike all islands in the Strait of Georgia to the south and west, Texada Island is not part of the Islands Trust.

The island has two stores, a library, a Credit Union, a gas station, an elementary school, a hotel, bed and breakfasts, a cemetery, two museums, two firehalls, two thrift stores, an R.C.M.P. Detachment, an Ambulance station, and two post offices. On top of the main stores and hotel, several farms on the island sell produce to tourists, and there is a yearly summer farmers' market.

Transportation

Vehicle, bike and foot access to the island from

Texada Island is serviced by the Texada/Gillies Bay Airport located near Gillies Bay. It has a 3,000-foot-long (910-metre) paved runway for private aircraft and chartered flights. The now defunct KD Air formerly operated scheduled flights to Gillies Bay Airport from Vancouver and Qualicum Beach. An airport with a dirt runway formerly existed at Anderson Bay on the south tip of the island, but has long been overgrown.

The island has two major roads, Gillies Bay Road and Blubber Bay road, both meet small rural highway design criteria and are two lanes. Smaller paved roads connect to the quarries, airport, Shelter Point Park and serve residents in the communities. There is a high road that can be accessed from Van Anda going to the other half of the island, the "high road". The other more remote areas of the island are accessed by roads ranging from gravel to dirt. Access to the southern half of the island, including the former settlement of Anderson Bay, is becoming increasingly difficult as the single dirt rut access road has deteriorated over the years.

Industry

Once a major mining and logging area, the island's industry had largely shrunk resulting in a population decline. Only a few quarries and some small scale logging operations remain active in the present providing the island with its main source of employment. The island once produced 5 million tons of limestone a year; however, recent economic factors have lowered demand.

A BC Hydro 500 kV powerline known as the Cheekye-Dunsmuir Line was built in 1982 running east to west across the middle of the Island, linking two sections of underwater transmission line that deliver power to Vancouver Island.^{[citation needed]} A FortisBC natural gas pipeline, built in 1989, runs from south to north, where it splits, providing gas to Powell River and Vancouver Island.

LNG controversy

In 2007, Westpac LNG announced that it intended to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal,^[11] and a gas-fired electricity generation project, at Kiddie Point on the north end of Texada. Controversy surrounding the project ramped up quickly: the year also witnessed the re-introduction of Texada Action Now by Texada residents,^[12] and the formation of the Alliance to Stop LNG,^[13] comprising a large number of conservation, environmental, community and labour groups around the Georgia Basin. As of summer 2009, the project was shelved for the time being due to the global economic downturn.

Notable people

• Jennifer Tilly, Canadian-American actress and professional poker player.
• Meg Tilly, Canadian-American actress
• Frank Giustra, Canadian businessman, mining financier and global philanthropist

References