Pacific Marine Circle RouteJuan de Fuca Electoral Area
The Juan de Fuca Electoral Area is the largest jurisdiction in the Capital Region at 1512 square kilometres. Situated on the southwest tip of Vancouver Island, it is comprised of several communities strung along the west coast, as well as other geographically separate communities and five First Nations Government Reserve Lands in the region. The 2006 Census indcates that there are approximately 4,480 residents in the Electoral Area1.
A high quality of life abounds here, with ready access to the waterfront, panoramic ocean and inlet views, mountain backdrops and large areas of forest. There is a strong conservation ethic, encouraged by the proximity of wildlife and the educational opportunities that wildlands afford. Resource lands comprise about two thirds of the JDF area. They provide important recreational opportunities and are vital to wildlife survival on southern Vancouver Island.
Communities
East Sooke
East Sooke is home to approximately 1,475 residents. Located on a peninsula, it is surrounded by the Sooke Basin, Sooke Harbour and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Its terrain is characterized by evergreen forest, mossy rock outcroppings, mountains and secluded coves. Within its boundaries is Matheson Lake, a portion of the Galloping Goose Trail and East Sooke Park, the largest and one of the most beautiful regional parks in the the CRD.
For centuries, this area was a thriving Coast Salish settlement. The name 'Sooke' comes from the T'sou-ke peoples who lived here, subsisting on the abundance of salmon, game, roots and berries. 'T'sou-ke' is said to be the name of a stickle back fish found at the mouth of the Sooke River.
Malahat
Approximately 155 people live in the Malahat area, a mountainous region overlooking the Saanich Inlet. Beginning just north of Langford, and ending south of Mill Bay, the Malahat is best known by outsiders for its beautiful and improbable section of the Trans Canada Highway. The highway bisects the area about 20 km north of Victoria, and is the only major, paved route to the rest of Vancouver Island.
Malahat is a rural community, settled for the most part on the east side of the highway. Access to the west of the highway, except for a small number of easements, is through the Cowichan Valley Regional District. The difficult terrain precludes any significant residential development (although new subdivisions have been or are being built around the northern end of the area).
Malahat forest land consists of largely second growth Douglas-fir, arbutus, hemlock, and western red cedar — often performing great feats of tenacity on the steep cliff sides.
Otter Point
Otter Point is a rural/residential community, 30 square kilometres in area with a population of 1,650. The area is bounded to the east by the District of Sooke, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the north by forest land preserves and to the west by Muir Creek.
The shoreline varies from stretches of rocky headlands and cliffs to small beaches, mostly cobble or pebble strewn. The Juan de Fuca Strait waters provide a wide variety of fish, including chinook, chum, coho, halibut, plus cut-throat, steelhead and rainbow trout. Marine species include cormorants, loons, grebes, etc, and porpoises, orca, mink and humpback whales as well as seals and sea lions. There are five parks in the area, and beach access is plentiful.
Port Renfrew
Home to about 195 residents, this small, rugged community sits on the threshold between road and trail that trace the rugged edge of Vancouver Island's west coast. Port Renfrew is the last stop on Highway 14, 66 miles northwest of Victoria. It is also the trailhead for the historic West Coast Trail, and the terminus for the Juan de Fuca trail, which every year takes thousands of people on foot along some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. The town, a stop on the Pacific Circle Route, sits on the south side of Port San Juan Harbour, near the confluence of Port San Juan Harbour and San Juan River.
Port Renfrew is within the coastal western hemlock zone, an exceptionally wet and mild rainforest climate region, in contrast to the otherwise relatively dry sub mediterranean climate of most of the Capital Region. Lush coastal temperate rainforest gives way to bountiful and diverse inter tidal and sub tidal areas.
The abundant San Juan River produces thousands of fish and there are 165 runs of salmon that swim by these shores each summer, along with whales, sea lions, seals, enormous jellyfish and a plethora of sea life. In the fall, hundreds of bald eagles, hawks, vultures and bears all feast on spawning salmon. Trumpeter swans, pelicans and great blue herons also hunt and nest here.
Shirley & Jordan River
The Shirley/Jordan River area is a rural community of approximately 430 residents along the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Located between the boundary of Otter Point and China Beach Provincial Park campground, most residents live on the waterfront along Highway 14. The rocky terrain and forestry lands on the other side of the highway are home to deer, cougars and bears.
Shirley has an active Community Association and Volunteer Fire Department, centred around the heritage designated community hall, just down the road from the Sheringham Point Lighthouse. A little further up the coast is Jordan River, a tiny logging community as well as home to a dedicated local surf scene thanks to spectacular exposure to the open Pacific Ocean.
China Beach is within walking distance of Jordan River and the beginning of the 47 kilometre Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, a hiking trail winding through old growth rain forests, beautiful sandy beaches, suspension bridges, and along spectacular shorelines. The trail ends at Botanical Beach, near Port Renfrew.
Willis Point
Home to approximately 420 residents, Willis Point is the jewel of the Saanich Inlet. Bounded on three sides by Gowland Todd Provincial Park, and by the waters of Todd Inlet, Brentwood Bay and Squally Reach, Willis Point stretches from the heights of the Partridge Hills down to mossy outcroppings and waterside residences in mostly unbroken waves of forest and knoll. Homes cluster along the sea and on the hills above on the Point's northern tip.
WIllis Point has a total land area of six and a half square kilometres and a water area of two square kilometres; 46 percent of the land is devoted to a provincial and a regional park. The Point began as a water-access only summer cottage community for adventurous islanders in the 1930s. A two wheel drive road was not built until the 1960s, and was improved in the 1980s.
The rugged topography and isolation from urban centres both contribute to the rural character of Willis Point's community. Winters often bring snow, and impassable roads are not uncommon after storms. A multitude of interconnecting community paths endear people to this area. Some are third generation residents.
Garry oak outcroppings, arbutus and Douglas-fir stands, highland wetlands, and protection from the Strait of Juan de Fuca winds encourage a plethora of flora and fauna at the Point. Wildflowers carpet open areas in spring. Ravens, owls, vultures, hawks, bald eagles and great blue herons live and nest here. Cougars and the occasional bear frequent the area. Seals, otter, mink and whales can be found around its coastline. Flower species include many varieties of orchid, and there are north-facing rocky bluffs where hikers can take in spectacular views of the Saanich inlet and Salt Spring Island.
Rural Resource Lands
The Rural Resource Lands comprise approximately 132,000 ha much of which is Crown lands or Private Managed Forest land. A major portion of the Capital Regional District Water Supply lands, about 16, 200 ha are located in this area north of the District of Sooke boundary.
The population is estimated to be about 160 residents and it is not anticipated that there will be significant residential settlement in the area.
The lower elevations of the area are within the Coastal Western Hemlock Biogeoclimatic zone which experience high precipitation, strong winds, mild temperatures and characterized by highly productive ecosystems. The sub-alpine ridges encompass the Mountain Hemlock Biogeoclimatic zone which experiences colder temperatures, increased precipitation, predominated by wetland meadows and bogs.
The dominant land use in the area is resource-based forestry. However, the San Juan River valley has a long history of agricultural use and continues to be a significant resource as many parcels have been designated as Agricultural Land Reserve. Much of the area is the traditional and cultural territory of the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group, and the Pacheedaht, T'Sou-ke, Scia'new and Malahat First Nation.
Chatham & Discovery Islands
The Chatham and Discovery group lie off the east coast of Victoria proper, near Oak Bay. The northern portion of Discovery Island, Chatham Island and its nearby islets are part of the Songhees First Nation reserve lands and are considered private. No landing is permitted without permission from the Songhees Band.
The Southern half of Discovery Island is a Provincial Marine Park, and the islands are a haven for kayakers and small craft cruisers. Lighthouse keepers lived on Discovery from 1886 until 1997, when the station was automated. Mary Ann Croft, the first woman lighthouse keeper in Canada, operated the station from 1886 until 1932. Discovery is home to otters, bald eagles, and sea lions, and is a pupping area for harbour seals. Chatham Island was originally home to the Skingeenis People before Victoria was founded. It was established as a Native Reserve in 1972.
Winter storms regularly funnel up the Juan de Fuca Strait and pound Chatham and Discovery Islands, as evidenced by the weather-beaten vegetation and trees along the south shore of Discovery Island. Logs and flotsam pile up on the shoreline and are driven above the high watermark by the worst of the storms.
© Images courtesy of Mary Sanseverino & Neil Banas;
1 Source for Population Counts - Statsistics Canada, 2006 Census