Category Archives: Reports

150 years of Operation of the Race Rocks Lighthouse

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The British Colonist July 18,1859: ” The Imperial Treasury had advanced 7000 lbs to construct two lighthouses, a large one on Race Rocks : a smaller one on Fishguard (sic) Island, mouth of Esquimalt Harbor. Half the sum to be paid by British Columbia and Vancouver’s Island: the other half to be borne by the Imperial Government.”

 

The British Colonist December 27, 1860: “The Race Rocks Light—The beacon on Race Rocks was lighted last evening for the first time. We had not the pleasure of seeing it shine ; but are informed that it was very brilliant, and every way suited to the duty it will henceforth perform.”

You can read other interesting articles from the Daily Colonist of the 1800’s here: 
Night time exposure by Ryan Murphy. For this and other images of the lighthouse see this file;On Dec 26, 2010 we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the lighting of the lamp in the lighthouse at Race Rocks. This lighthouse, on the most southerly tip of the West Coast of Canada, is the only rock-built lighthouse in British Columbia. It has served the people of the West Coast marine community uninterrupted all this time, and still continues as an important lighthouse and foghorn station today .To mark this sesquicentennial year, Lester B. Pearson College, who manages the island and the Ecological Reserve for B.C.Parks, has set up the Race Rocks Endowment Fund dedicated to the on-going sustainable operation of Race Rocks.

This file has many aspects of the history of the light station.

In the past year as much information as is available has been extracted on the early keepers of Race Rocks and several of the stories of heroism and tragedy are linked here.

Last year the tower underwent an extensive restoration and it now is in excellent condition.

From the top of the lighthouse, Camera1provides 360 degree coverage of the Eastern entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from this most southerly point of land on the West Coast of Canada.

Race Rocks Light tower is situated in the Race Rocks Ecological reserve, on an envelope of land on Great Race Rock leased from the Province of British Columbia. Lester B.Pearson College has since the tower and foghorn were automated by the Canadian Coast guard in 1997, provided an Ecoguardian to live on the lightstation and has a long term lease from B.C.Parks for the operation and management of the area.

Garry Fletcher


See the News Page for recent articles about Race Rocks

 

STRATEGIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE MARINE FUTURE

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1.0 Introduction:

The key message of this resource is on global marine issues, and the integral role of all humans in maintaining environmentally sustainable marine ecosystems. Examples from the British Columbia marine environment are used to illustrate the principles which can also apply on a global scale. The over-arching concept of this resource is what marine environmental sustainability means locally and how people can be encouraged to commit to contribute to the process. We believe that people of all ages can use the tools to actively participate in making our marine environment sustainable.

 

logoWe thank the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, formerly the New Marine Centre in Sidney on Vancouver Island in British Columbia for supporting the development of the document that provides the basis for this curriculum resource. I encourage you to visit this centre opened in the spring of 2009.

Garry Fletcher
Marine Education Consulting
Victoria, BC.

Proceed to 2.0 Marine Environmental Sustainability :

Index

Race Rocks Ecological Reserve: An Unusual Model of Reserve Management

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Race Rocks Ecological Reserve: An Unusual Model of Reserve Management….By Garry Fletcher

On October 3rd, this  group of the Friends of Ecological Reserves made a trip to Race Rocks in the Pearson College Boats with Garry Fletcher and Chris Blondeau, Chris is the Pearson College Sea-front Coordinator and Operations Manager of Race Rocks.  This fall has been remarkable in the consistently high population of Northern and California Sea Lions and high populations of seagulls and Cormorants on the islands, so it was a good time for the visit after the nesting season. 

As a result of questions from members on the trip, I thought it might be useful to update everyone who is interested in the events on the reserve with the present state of the management and financing of Race Rocks.  Lester Pearson College assumed the full management of the facilities and staff at Race Rocks in the fall of 1997. The light and foghorn had been automated, and the Canadian Coastguard was retiring the light keepers, Mike and Carol Slater.  All the facilities except the light tower and foghorn were returned to BC Lands.  An agreement was reached whereby the island was leased for long-term management and continued use for education and research by Lester Pearson College.  In  2001, BC Parks was able to expand the Ecological reserve, which had previously omitted the large island with the facilities, to include all the remaining land area of Great Race Island in addition to the original 256 hectares of Islands and water to the 36 meter depth.

The Slaters were hired by Lester Pearson College to stay on as Ecological Reserve Guardians, providing security and keeping the diesel generator running, thus ensuring that the college could have full use of the other buildings and facilities on the island. In addition, the daily collection of air and sea temperature and salinity data was continued, maintaining a valuable long-term database. An anonymous donor from Ontario met operating costs for the first year. Each year after a special effort has been made by the college to secure the operating funds to carry through to keep the island open.   By the year 2000, a proposal was made to the Millennium Partners Fund of Canada, to help fund the installation of Internet facilities and microwave to provide a link to the College for the transmission of Broadband Internet.  A number of partners and sponsors who continue to assist are referenced on the website. Each year since, the college has had to seek funding from a number of sources to keep the island going, since government funding for parks is very hard to come by.

One of the higher costs incurred in the operation is the diesel fuel to run the island’s generators. Last year over $20,000 went into this, so it has been an aim for some time to incorporate alternate energy technology in the operation. It is with great relief that I can now tell you that our efforts are paying off as we now have a company, Clean Current Power Inc. securing the complete funding and installing at Race Rocks in the next year, an underwater tidal current generator which will have negligible negative environmental impacts.  Although a research prototype, this should generate all the required electrical needs for the island. The diesel generators will become backup utilities.

BC Parks has made a good effort to help with some of the facility costs on the island. Keep in mind that most Ecological Reserves do not have dwellings and facilities such as docks and workshops, so they have provided the funds to mitigate the effects of human sewage from the two houses, with the installation of composting toilets in 2003.  The Coast guard, although having no direct financial commitment, has provided technical assistance when necessary.  In 2000 an Advisory Board was set up by DFO for the formation of an Official Marine Protected Area under the Oceans Act. The Ecological Reserve is still a Marine Protected Area Designate, since final treaty negotiations have put a hold on complete Marine Protected Area Status. This has meant that no federal funds are available for maintaining the Protected Area.

It is a difficult job securing at least  $80,000 a year to keep the island operational. What is really needed is an endowment, and this we are determined to seek over the next few years.  Keeping observers and cameras on the island has in the last few years served to keep the many users of the area accountable, so that the ecological integrity of the resource may be sustained. On the home page of racerocks.com is written: “we humans are never content just to know that a special area exists on this earth. We strive to be there, to touch, to feel, to consume. But therein lies the paradox. In so doing we can destroy the very thing we love.” The aim of the racerocks.com program has always been to make this special ecosystem available to all through the Internet.  We have been fortunate to have this opportunity to establish a window into the daily lives of the creatures of a rugged marine island ecosystem. We just hope that we can continue to make the amazing life of these islands available to all.  This spring with the further assistance of Apple Computer, we upgraded our computers and added a new 340 degree robotic camera which provides a much more thorough survey of many parts of the islands from your own computer.

We are grateful for any assistance in the funding of the program at Race Rocks. One can pay by cheque or credit card to The Race Rocks Operating Fund c/o Lester B. Pearson College, 650 Pearson College Drive.  (250) 391-2411. A tax receipt will be provided for amounts over $25.00

This article appeared in the Winter 2004 edition of the Friends of Ecological Reserves Newsmagazine ; The LOG

Garry Fletcher (garryf(use the at sign).gmail.com) the volunteer warden for Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is the Educational Director of racerocks.com.In 2004 he retired after teaching for 36 years.  The last 28 of those years have been spent in Biology, Environmental Systems and the SCUBA diving program at Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific.  Garry now continues with his work on https://www.racerocks.ca and serves as a consultant from his home in Metchosin.

DND Blasting and Disturbance Of Marine Birds and Mammals at Race Rocks

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PART 35.2.2.6 Disturbance by Pedestrians and Domestic Animals
 Observed pedestrian effects were confined to monitoring areas on Great Race Rock. Pedestrian traffic was fairly constant throughout the year with a daily average of nearly three events (Table 9). The Reserve’s caretakers had a dog that was observed outdoors infrequently on Great Race Rock. No wildlife displacement was observed in response to the dog. A domestic cat was observed outside the house on one occasion, but no disturbance was noted. Pedestrian traffic, other than that of the researchers associated with this study, was common and occurred on most days. The Reserve’s caretakers and their family members, staff and students affiliated with LBPC (Photo 14), maintenance personnel, DFO enforcement officers, and tourists constituted the pedestrian traffic on Great Race Rock during monitored days. Although a sign-in log is maintained by LBPC to track the number of human visitors to Great Race Rock, those data were not analyzed in this study. Pedestrians displaced seal and sea lions on Great Race Rock. Pedestrian-caused disturbances typically involved: intentional clearing of northern elephant seals off the boat launch; incidental displacement of harbour seals in monitored Sub-Areas A, B, C, and H (Photo 15; Figure 20); incidental displacement of California sea lions (Figure 22) and to a lesser extent, northern sea lions in monitored Sub-Area A (near the dock); and incidental displacement of gulls throughout Great Race Rock (Table 8). On one occasion, two tourists were observed wandering through a grassy area that was being used for nesting by glaucous-winged gulls (Photo 16).

Photo 14. Students and staff from Lester B. Pearson College were frequent visitors to Great Race Rock. California
sea lions, such as those near the end of the dock, were often displaced from the vicinity by boats and people.
18 September 2003.

Photo 15. Approximately 200 harbour seals moved quickly from the shore of eastern Great Race Rock into the water immediately after being apparently startled by a high-pressure power washer being operated by a resident of the
island. This photo shows some of those animals displaced from Sub-Areas A&B. 25 September 2003

Photo 16. Two tourists wander through an active glaucous-winged gull nesting area (Sub-Area H) on Great Race
Rock; causing disturbance and risking egg destruction by trampling. 25 May 2003.

5.2.2.7 Disturbance by Aircraft
Very low numbers of aircraft were observed in or near the monitored area throughout the
monitored period (Figure 17; Photo 17). Most aircraft passed over or near the monitored area,
causing little or no apparent disturbance to wildlife (Table 8). Only one landing on the helipad on
Great Race Rock was observed. In January 2003, a Coast Guard helicopter did a brief landing in
order that we have an opportunity to observe the responses of birds and mammals. Some sea
lions, cormorants, and gulls were displaced. As reported by the ecoguardians in the 11 August
2003 entry of the Race Rocks Daily Log11 (a day on which LGL researchers were not present),
“A Coast Guard helicopter touched down several times, forcing young birds into other nests
where the adult birds pecked them apart. The disembodied heads and dismembered bodies of
seagull chicks now litter the island.” On 15 August 2003 we observed the carcasses of 6
glaucous-winged gull chicks near the eastern base of the light tower. An aerial survey of
pinnipeds was conducted by DFO from a fixed-wing aircraft occurred on 10 April 2003. That
plane circled over Race Rocks for approximately 4 minutes at an estimated minimum altitude of
150 m asl. No birds were observed to flush, nor were any pinnipeds seen going into the water as
a result.

Photo 17. Most aircraft overflights did not cause animals to leave the rocks for the water or air. 17 October 2002.

5.2.2.8 Disturbance by Boats
Kayakers were rare in the monitored area. Only birds were observed (once) flushing in response
to the approach of a kayak. Boats operated by LBPC were observed regularly throughout the
monitored period (Figure 17), and together with the LGL boat, were the only boats to regularly
dock at Race Rocks. LBPC and LGL boats displaced modest numbers of birds and pinnipeds
from the dock area during most arrivals and departures (Table 8). Displaced animals included
California sea lions in Sub-Area A; northern sea lions in Sub-Areas A, 2-5, and 8-12; cormorants
and gulls from Great Race Rock and Sub-Area 2-5. Most trips by LBPC boats were between
Pedder Bay and the dock at Great Race Rock, via routes through the east-central part of the
reserve (Figure 25). Some illegal harvesting of fish and shellfish by recreational fishermen and
recreational scuba divers, respectively was observed during the study.


Figure 25. Relative distribution of Lester B. Pearson College boats observed in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve
during monitoring sessions from October 2002 through November 2003. Numbers represent observations in each
cell expressed as a percentage of the maximum total number (57) observed in a given cell. Colour coding: 0=blank;
>0-33.3=yellow; >33.3-66.7=orange; >66.7-100=red. Islands and the Ecological Reserve boundary are indicated.
Great Race Rock is identified as “GRR”. Note that for each separate trip to the area, vessels were recorded a
maximum of once in any given cell. Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 for further spatial information.

Pleasure boats (Photo 18) were observed throughout the monitored period, but were most
common during summer (Figure 17). Harbour seals, sea lions, and cormorants, were all
displaced by pleasure boaters (Table 8; Figure 20; Figure 22; Figure 24). Observations indicated
that rental boats and boats used for scuba diving typically caused the most disruption because
they approached haulouts the closest and sometimes anchored (contrary to regulations) near
haulouts. Most trips by pleasure boats were in the northern part of the Reserve (Figure 26).

Figure 26. Relative distribution of pleasure boats observed in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve during monitoring
sessions from October 2002 through November 2003. Numbers represent observations in each cell expressed as a
percentage of the maximum total number (43) observed in a given cell. Colour coding: 0=blank; >0-33.3=yellow;
>33.3-66.7=orange; >66.7-100=red. Islands and the Ecological Reserve boundary are indicated. Great Race Rock is
identified as “GRR”. Note that for each separate trip to the area, vessels were recorded a maximum of once in any
given cell. Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 for further spatial information.


Ecotour boats constituted the greatest amount of boat traffic in the monitored area, with peak visitation rates during the height of the summer tourist season (Figure 17; Photo 19). Daily numbers of ecotour boats ranged from 0 to 43, with as many as nine present in the study area at the same time. Some ecotour boats were observed to displace harbour seals, sea lions, cormorants, and gulls (Table 8; Figure 20; Figure 22; Figure 24), but most caused no observable effects. According to VHF radio communications among ecotour boat operators on marine channels 71 and 72, the presence of ecotour boats in the monitored area was a function of the location of killer whales within the ecotour operating region. For example, if killer whales were near the San Juan Islands, few if any ecotour boats travelled to Race Rocks. If killer whales were in the vicinity of Race Rocks, operators usually toured the Reserve. If no killer whales were known to be in the region, operators toured the Reserve as a “next-best” option. Most trips by pleasure boats were in the central part of the Reserve, focused on Sub-Areas 1, 2-5, 6-7, 8-12, and northern Great Race Rock (Figure 27).

Figure 27. Relative distribution of ecotour boats observed in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve during monitoring
sessions from October 2002 through November 2003. Numbers represent observations in each cell expressed as a
percentage of the maximum total number (211) observed in a given cell. Colour coding: 0=blank; >0-33.3=yellow;
>33.3-66.7=orange; >66.7-100=red. Islands and the Ecological Reserve boundary are indicated. Great Race Rock is
identified as “GRR”. Note that for each separate trip to the area, vessels were recorded a maximum of once in any
given cell. Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 for further spatial information.

5.2.2.9 Disturbance by Blasting
Observations of the effects of blasting on birds and pinnipeds were made during days when at
least one of the three ranges was active. Because so few observations were made during blasting in Whirl Bay (4 days) and on Christopher Point (1 day), the value of any inference made from
those data is limited. Further, on the only day that the Christopher Point Range was active,
blasting on that range had commenced prior to our arrival at Great Race Rock, precluding any
pre-blast observations. Additionally, blasting occurred on Bentinck Island that day also (Table
1). On one of the days that Whirl Bay was active, Bentinck Island was also active.
None of the data we collected suggested that blasting in Whirl Bay had any adverse effects on bird or pinniped behaviour in the study area (Table 8, Figure 19, Figure 21, Figure 23).(See Editor’s comments in the discussion below )

Some blasts in Whirl Bay were barely audible to us outside the top of the light tower and a spray of
water was occasionally observed.
The Christopher Point Range was active on 11 days during the study period. Four to 20
ordnances were detonated per day, most of which were <100 g (Appendix 9). Blasting monitored
on Christopher Point occurred at a time (20 February 2003) when few birds and pinnipeds were
in the study area (Figure 6 through Figure 12). Four basic charges, 454 g each, were detonated
separately. The first blast we heard was clearly audible and occurred just as we were arriving at
Race Rocks. Approximately 10 northern sea lions were observed leaving a haulout, apparently in
response to the blast. Some sea lions remained in the water near Sub-Area 8-12 all day, but were
not observed to haul out again that day.
Blasting on Bentinck Island was the most frequent form of blast-related, potential disturbances
observed (Figure 18). That range was active with demolition activities throughout the study
except mid-June through early October 2003, due to an extreme fire hazard caused by prolonged
drought. Demolitions on Bentinck Island are tabulated in Appendix 8. In summary, blasting
occurred on Bentinck Island on 26 days (5.2%) of the 502 day period 13 July 2002 through 27
November 2003.

6 DISCUSSION
6.1 Relevant Legislation
A number of provincial, federal, and international acts have direct implications for the
conservation of marine life in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve (Appendix 1). Presently,
legislation contained within the federal Fisheries Act (by way of the Marine Mammal
Regulations), the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, the Migratory Birds Convention
Act, the provincial Wildlife Act, and the provincial Ecological Reserve Act have the greatest
relevance for human-caused influences on wildlife in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. The
federal Species at Risk Act and the Oceans Act are likely to play an increased role in the future
given the recent trend in concern about some species (e.g., killer whales and northern sea lions)
and in the event that Race Rocks achieves Marine Protected Area status.
A strict interpretation of the Fisheries Act, Migratory Birds Convention Act, the Wildlife Act and
the Ecological Reserve Act would indicate that these acts are violated regularly within Race
Rocks Ecological Reserve by factors within the Reserve (e.g., boats and people) and by factors
outside the Reserve (i.e., military exercises involving ordnance). In addition to several violations
of the tidal waters fishing regulations (under the Fisheries Act) events we witnessed during the study, human activities frequently disturb and disrupt bird and mammal activity patterns. Such factors are discussed in greater detail in subsequent sections.
Best practices of dive vessels, divers, tour operators (Province of BC 2002; Appendix 1) are
voluntary guidelines for the conduct of selected recreational activities within Race Rocks
Ecological Reserve. Those guidelines cannot eliminate adverse effects of boats on marine life,
but they can reduce them. While we did not collect detailed data on all aspects of compliance
with those guidelines, it was apparent to us that the guidelines were often not followed by boat
operators and others in the Reserve. In general, commercial tour boats conformed best to the
guidelines—perhaps due to an awareness of the guidelines and the importance of proper conduct
on the part of the boat captains. On the other hand, dive vessels and pleasure boaters were more
likely to operate in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines.

The people who live on Great Race Rock serve as “ecoguardians” in the employ of LBPC and
are charged with ensuring that the laws pertaining to the Reserve are respected. The
ecoguardians have no authority to enforce any of legislation listed above, but do attempt to
prevent or stop people from violating laws by confronting them and informing them of the
situation. The ecoguardians also report infractions and apparent infractions to the Department of
Fisheries and Oceans. Two Department of Fisheries and Oceans enforcement officers visited
Race Rocks via boat on one occasion (23 January 2003) during the days we monitored. Their
presence that day displaced two northern sea lions, 12 cormorants, and 13 gulls.

6.2 Use of Race Rocks by Marine Birds and Pinnipeds
The biophysical environment of Race Rocks provides habitat for many species (Table 3;
Appendix 5). The value of the area for foraging by marine birds appears modest compared to the
value of nearby areas outside the Reserve. The value of the area for foraging by marine
mammals is not known. We observed seals and sea lions feeding on salmon and unidentified fish
species, and harbour seals were observed once feeding on an octopus. Northern elephant seals
appear to be using the area mainly during the moulting seasons. Harbour seals use the area as a
haulout year-round, but that species does not exhibit the same degree of site selection as the three
other pinniped species. For example, harbour seals are the only pinnipeds that haul out on the
nearby shores of Bentinck and Vancouver islands. The area serves as a staging site for California
sea lions passing through Juan de Fuca Strait en route to the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound.
Race Rocks is also a wintering, and perhaps staging area for northern sea lions. Killer whales use
the area occasionally as part of their movement corridor and possibly for foraging though we
made no such observations.
The fact that Race Rocks provides highly suitable habitat for marine birds and pinnipeds is
indisputable. However, an assessment of the extent to which Race Rocks provides important or
critical habitat for any given species is not so straightforward. According to the Species at Risk
Act:
“Critical habitat is habitat which is necessary for the survival or recovery of a
listed wildlife species and that is identified as the species’ critical habitat in the
recovery strategy or in an action plan for the species.” For species that are not listed under the Species at Risk Act, we use the term critical habitat to
refer to any habitat that is essential to the life processes of a species and that in the absence of
that habitat, the population would suffer detectable adverse effects.
In this context, it is not clear to what extent the population sizes of marine birds and pinnipeds
that presently occur in or that migrate through or over the waters of Juan de Fuca Strait and the
Strait of Georgia would differ in the absence of the exposed land in Race Rocks Ecological
Reserve. For example, while Race Rocks provides harbour seals, pigeon guillemots, black
oystercatchers, and glaucous-winged gulls with suitable breeding habitat, such habitat occurs
elsewhere in the marine areas of the Georgia Depression Ecoprovince (e.g., Campbell et al 1990
a, b; Jeffries et al. 2000; Evenson et al. 2001; Chatwin et al. 2002; Sullivan et al. 2002).
However, there are few if any areas like Race Rocks that provide suitable breeding habitat and
that are presently unoccupied. As such, the loss of Race Rocks likely could result in reduced
population sizes for species that breed there.
6.2.1 Birds
Gulls and cormorants, the most abundant birds in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, typically used
the area as a resting site from which they would fly to marine feeding areas within a few
kilometres. Depending on the species, the Reserve provides breeding, staging, wintering, and
year-round habitat. The area provides nesting habitat for glaucous-winged gulls, pigeon
guillemots, and black oystercatchers, and serves as migration/staging and wintering habitat for
several species of gulls and three species of cormorants. Most use by shorebirds appears to be for
migration/staging.
6.2.2 Northern Elephant Seal
Use of Race Rocks by northern elephant seals has increased substantially in recent years, most
likely as a result of the species dramatic recovery from near extinction in the early 20th century
and the species’ tendency to be highly migratory. The peak number (22) of adults and subadults
observed in spring 2003 may well represent a record number for BC during recorded history. In
recent years, northern elephant seal pups have been sighted at haulouts in the inland waters of
Washington State (Jeffries et al. 2000) and at least three are reported to have been born there
(Hayward 2003). It is likely that numbers of northern elephant seals using Race Rocks will
continue to increase. Given the recent records of breeding in Washington (Hayward 2003), Race
Rocks might be used for pupping, though it is unlikely that it would ever become a breeding
rookery of any significance—especially as long as there is infrastructure on Great Race Rock.
The primary value of Race Rocks for this species will likely remain as a haulout for a modest
number of animals during seasonal moulting periods, but because such a small fraction of the
population occurs there, it is unlikely that the Reserve provides the species with any critical
habitat.
6.2.3 Harbour Seal
Harbour seals occur year-round at Race Rocks, and use the area for all aspects of their life
history. Whereas northern elephant seals and sea lions moved to locations above the high tide
level on haulouts in the study area during flood tides, harbour seals remained confined to
intertidal areas where they were displaced by tides, swells and waves. Thus, their numbers exhibited considerably greater fluctuations at hourly, daily, and seasonal time scales compared to
other pinnipeds in the area. Numbers hauled out in the study area peaked during the summer
pupping and moulting periods, which is consistent with other research on the species (e.g.,
Jeffries et al. 2003).
Numbers of harbour seals have rebounded since the end of Canadian and U.S. government-
sponsored culling programs prior to the early 1970s. The result of this increase is that numbers of
harbour seals in the Georgia Depression Ecoprovince are likely as high as they were prior to the
onset of the culls and may be at or very near the predicted carrying capacity of local habitats. For
example, Olesiuk et al. (1990) estimated that from 1973-1987 (the period they examined)
harbour seals in British Columbian waters had a mean annual rate of increase of 12.5%, resulting
in nearly a 10-fold increase in numbers. Those authors speculated that 12.5% annual population
growth was close to the maximum intrinsic growth rate of the species. Similarly, Jeffries et al.
(2003) calculated that harbour seals in nearby Washington State waters increased 7-10 fold
between 1970 and 1999 and that the population of harbour seals in Washington State could
decline by up to 20% and still be above the maximum net productivity level for the population.
Harbour seals are known to move across the international boundary in the Georgia Depression
Ecoprovince (Huber et al 1993, cited in Calambokidis and Baird 1994). Clearly, there are no
reasons for concern about local harbour seal conservation based on population status alone.
Numerically speaking, the local population is in good shape and there is an abundance of high-
suitability habitat elsewhere in the Georgia Depression Ecoprovince (Jeffreies et al. 2000). Thus,
it is unlikely that Race Rocks Ecological Reserve presently provides critical habitat for this
species.
Bioaccumulation of anthropogenic toxins and their effects on immune-responses and fertility of
harbour seals is a subject matter that is receiving increased attention—particularly because of
parallel concerns about killer whales (see Calambokidis et al. 1994 and references therein).
However, we are not aware of any empirical data that presently indicate that toxins are adversely
affecting total numbers of harbour seals in the Georgia Depression Ecoprovince.
6.2.4 California Sea Lion
The number of California sea lions in British Columbian coastal waters has increased
substantially during the latter 20th century, particularly since 1980 (Bigg 1988a). The species
does not breed in BC, nor are there any records that it did so in the past. This increase is also the
result of a rebound in numbers following the termination of government-sponsored culls. Bigg
(1988a) reported that California sea lions were not present on Race Rocks prior to 1965.
Numbers have increased since then. P. Olesiuk (pers. comm. 2002) indicated that California sea
lions are expanding their non-breeding range northward within BC. Little is known of this
expansion, or of its present or future impacts on other marine resources. The patterns of
abundance at Race Rocks observed during this study indicate that the value of Race Rocks for
this species is primarily as a migration/staging area. California sea lions migrate to BC from
southern waters (e.g., California) then move between various haulouts and feeding areas,
including Race Rocks. Range expansion to the north may also explain the apparent decline in
peak numbers occurring at Race Rocks. An apparent increase in the use of the Victoria
waterfront and Trial Island haulout by California sea lions may partially explain an apparent
decline in use of Race Rocks by that species in autumn 2002. For example, data in Bigg (1988a) indicate that numbers of California sea lions at Race Rocks during February (not the peak month
according to recent data) increased from 13 in 1978 to 320 in 1982, to 799 in 1984. Demarchi et
al. (1998) reported a peak count of 836 in October 1997. In the present study, peak counts were
considerably lower at 244 individuals in September 2003. It is unlikely that Race Rocks
Ecological Reserve presently serves as critical habitat for this species.
6.2.5 Northern Sea Lion
The number of northern sea lions in British Columbian coastal waters has increased substantially
during the latter 20th century, and in particular, since 1980 (Bigg 1988b). This increase is also the
result of a rebound in numbers following the termination of government-sponsored culls. Recent
trends in the abundance of northern sea lions suggest an average annual rate of increase of 3.2%,
resulting in a population size that is more than double what it was when the species was
protected in 1970 (P. Olesiuk, unpublished data). No new breeding rookeries have been
established in recent years. Numbers of northern sea lions using Race Rocks have also increased
since culling ended. For example, Bigg (1988b) indicated that prior to 1965, northern sea lions
had not been recorded at Race Rocks. In 1971, no more than 71 northern sea lions were recorded
there. In 2002 we recorded a maximum count of 528 and in 2003, 555 individuals (Figure 12).
Observations made during this study indicate that numbers of northern sea lions at Race Rocks
fluctuate seasonally. Our findings concur with those of Bigg (1988b), who identified Race Rocks
as a winter haulout. Adult males are first to arrive in late summer. Females, subadults, and young
arrive later, with total numbers peaking in early winter. Though pups born at distant rookeries
were seen at Race Rocks, nursing behaviour was observed only occasionally. As winter
progressed animals began to leave the area and by late February few if any were present. This
pattern indicates that the area is used as a wintering site and may also serve as a
migration/staging area for animals moving between the Strait of Georgia, Juan de Fuca Strait,
and outer coastal areas north and south of Juan de Fuca Strait.
Of the four species of pinnipeds that commonly occur at Race Rocks, only the northern sea lion
might be considered to be presently using the area as critical habitat. This opinion is predicated
on the following points: 1) the Western Stock of northern sea lions has exhibited a dramatic
decline in numbers in recent decades for unknown reasons. For the same reason(s), it is possible
that the Eastern Stock could also decline in the future; 2) Despite data suggesting that the
population is growing at a modest rate, the northern sea lion has recently been up-graded by
COSEWIC to a species of Special Concern and has been Red-Listed by the Province for several
years.
6.3 Effects of Natural and Human-Caused Disturbance
Animals respond to changes in environmental conditions for many different reasons and in many
different ways. This study focuses on only two responses to disturbance: increased activity
(pinnipeds only) and displacement from a terrestrial site to the air (birds) or water (birds and
pinnipeds). During this study it was clear that Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is exposed to
substantial fluctuations in many natural factors—often over very short time scales. Factors
operating at or below a daily time scale, including changes in tide and swell height, blasting on
Bentinck Island and human-caused disturbances on Great Race Rock exerted strong influences on the abundance of some species. None of the data we collected suggested that blasting in Whirl Bay had any effects on bird or pinniped behaviour in the study area. Although Demarchi et al. (1998) did observe northern sea lions responding to blasts in Whirl Bay, C-4 charges detonated during that study were considerably larger (thus, louder) than those used on the range during this
study. At best, some of the blasts in Whirl Bay were barely audible to us outside the top of the
light tower and a spray of water was occasionally observed. Insufficient monitoring during days
when the Christopher Point Range was active limits our ability to draw conclusions about the
effects of such blasting on birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks. It should be noted that explosions
in WQ are not the only shore-based ones with the potential to disturb marine birds and pinnipeds
near southern Vancouver Island. The fireworks display at Butchart Gardens on Saanich Inlet
(approximately 32 km to the north) each Saturday evening during summer results in a
considerable amount of explosives-generated noise near the marine environment. Additionally,
there are fireworks associated with Canada Day, BC Day, and Halloween. Blasting in rock
quarries and for highway construction also occur periodically on southern Vancouver Island. The
potential for the foregoing to disturb marine wildlife is substantial, though the actual effects are
unknown.

Editor’s Note: This discussion of the results of DND Blasting is somewhat problematic and perhaps the result of too few observations by the research team when actual blasting was taking place. It must be noted that most of the blasting events occurring during the year of the study were not observed and recorded by the researchers. The following two references point to some archival footage that may lead to different conclusions:

https://www.racerocks.ca/before-and-after-images-of-dnd-blasting-effects/

DND Blasting Disturbs sea lions

DND Demolition Blasts affects Mammals and Birds at Race Rocks

The purpose of examining how marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks responded to changing
environmental conditions and human-caused disturbances is to provide a better understanding of
the local ecological environment, and allow management actions to be sensitive to normal
processes. There are many reasons why animals respond to disturbances. Responses to
disturbance by birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks are most likely the result of learning
experiences elsewhere or simply the result of reactions to sudden changes in the environment.
For example, not long ago, seals and sea lions were hunted extensively as vermin. Outside Race
Rocks Ecological Reserve animals continue to be shot and shot at for First Nations’ harvesting,
animal control at aquaculture facilities (Hume 2000), and as perceived pests and competitors by
commercial fishermen. Gulls and cormorants are also shot and shot at for purposes of wildlife
control at some airports and may be shot at by waterfowl hunters. As long as animals are
persecuted with firearms they can be expected to associate loud noises with danger; responding
by becoming alert and moving to the relative safety of the air or water. Such behaviour would be
expected even though animals are not shot or shot at in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve to
our knowledge.

Humans and their actions have the potential to disturb wildlife. The following classification is
based on Wilson and Shackleton (2001), who described 3 theoretical classes of animal responses
to disturbance:

  • 1. Short-term acute behaviours—include responses that happen immediately in response to
    a disturbance. They include: increased vigilance, fleeing, group dissolution, mother-
    offspring separation, and injury.
    2. Medium-term chronic behaviours—include behavioural responses that occur over a
    period of days to months in response to disturbance. An example is temporary or
    permanent range abandonment.
    3. Long-term demographic consequences—are likely the most important aspect of matters
    surrounding wildlife disturbance. Demographic consequences include: population
    decline, extirpation and extinction.

Marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks are exposed to a number of different disturbance
stimuli that alter normal behaviour patterns. The fact that human activities disturb wildlife does
not in itself provide a basis to ban such activities. Indeed, if that were the case, no people or
boats would be permitted in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve without authorization. If
disturbances have no consequences for the population, or even if the population consequences
are sustainable, restricting human activities for the sake of preventing disturbance is likely to
have negative social consequences that are out of proportion to the impacts that are being
avoided or mitigated.

It is necessary to place the disturbance of marine life at Race Rocks into context in order to begin
to assess the significance of any adverse effects. The effects of disturbance can be viewed in a
hierarchical framework where effects on a population or species range from benign to severe
(Figure 28). Consequences of disturbance at the extremes of the range are obvious—stimuli that
do not elicit reactions are of no consequence while those that cause extirpation or extinction are
of great concern. Quantifying the existence and significance of the effects in-between these
extremes poses a far greater challenge. The US National Marine Fisheries Service
(50CFR216.103)12 defines a negligible impact as:

  • “ …an impact resulting from the specified activity that cannot be reasonably
    expected to, and is not reasonably likely to, adversely affect the species or stock
    through effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival.”

Ecoguardians resident on Great Race Rock provide a measure of protection for marine life in the Reserve, but the presence of inhabitants and infrastructure is not without impacts. In recognizing
some of those impacts, efforts are being taken to avoid or mitigate them (Province of BC 2002).
The infrastructure and various activities required to support the ecoguardians and the light station
undoubtedly affects use of the area by birds and pinnipeds and poses some risks to animals using
the area. Several potential effects are summarized below.

  • • Spatial footprint—Buildings and infrastructure eliminate or restrict use by some species. For example, the net area of grassy sites available for glaucous-winged gull breeding is reduced by a substantial amount.
    • Accessibility—The presence of a dock and boat launch makes Great Race Rock
    accessible to humans via boats. In the absence of those structures, boat access would be very difficult and extremely hazardous. The presence of a helipad provides safe helicopter access, however the island would still be accessible without it.
    • Disturbance and displacement—The presence of people and active machinery outside the buildings often disturbs and displaces birds and pinnipeds.
    • Noise pollution—Diesel generators operating during the study period did so without a properly functioning muffler, resulting in high levels of noise on the south side of Great Race Rock.

12 http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=50&PART=216&SECTION=103&YEAR=1999&TYPE=TEXT

• Risk of fuel spill—Diesel required for the generators poses a risk of spill during fuel
transfer to the island and during storage and use on the island.

Figure 28. Conceptual model of the hierarchical effects of exposing a wildlife species to a non-directly lethal visual
or aural disturbance stimulus.

6.3.1 Birds
Of the birds observed on the rocks of the monitored area, cormorants appeared to be the most
sensitive to human-caused disturbances. Cormorants sometimes took to the water or air following a blast or close approach of a boat, often simply moving to another part of the study
area. The reduced probability of displacement in response to a blast on days when the
temperature was higher might have implied that warm weather was particularly valuable for
thermoregulation and that birds were reluctant to lose opportunities to dry their plumage or to
remain dry. The apparent avoidance of Great Race Rock by Brandt’s cormorants during winter
may suggest that that species is particularly sensitive to disturbances by people. However,
because cormorant attendance at the rocky areas of Race Rocks is normally very dynamic as
individuals move between terrestrial roosting areas and marine feeding areas, it is not possible to
assess the extent to which such disturbances adversely affect cormorants. Their continued
presence in the study area indicates that any adverse effects of disturbance are likely modest.
Gulls were very sensitive to overflights by bald eagles and often reacted by taking flight. In most
instances, gulls settled back within seconds or minutes of the disturbance. During the breeding
season, glaucous-winged gulls were particularly sensitive to the presence of people on Great
Race Rock and often acted very aggressively, dive-bombing at and defecating on anyone that
approached within a few meters of a nest. The influence of swell height on gull abundance at
Race Rocks (higher swells resulted in more gulls in the study area) might have reflected reduced
foraging due to unsuitable off-shore feeding conditions, reduced areas for loafing, and/or other
factors. It is also possible that some gulls moved to Race Rocks from the vicinity of Bentinck
Island during days when blasting occurred there.
Adult pigeon guillemots breeding on Great Race Rock commonly roosted on the periphery of the
island and on the dock during the morning. They were often flushed by boats and people, though
the birds usually returned soon after the disturbance had passed.
The apparent avoidance of Great Race Rock by bald eagles and Brandt’s cormorants is believed
to be in response to the presence of humans and the sensitivity of those species to disturbance.
However, we doubt that the maximum numbers of these species in the Reserve would be
significantly different in the absence of humans and infrastructure on Great Race Rock because
other resting areas exist in the Reserve.
Sullivan et al. (2002) speculated that disturbance and predation by bald eagles at glaucous-
winged gull colonies might be important factors contributing to the observed decline in the
reproductive output of those gulls in the Southern Strait of Georgia. Chatwin et al. (2002) made
similar conclusions regarding bald eagle impacts on pelagic and double-crested cormorant
colonies. Concerns about recent declines in numbers of glaucous-winged gulls and pelagic
cormorants at specific breeding sites in the southern Strait of Georgia may place increased
importance on the value of Great Race Rock as a breeding area, particularly for glaucous-winged
gulls. Because so few pelagic cormorants breed at Race Rocks and because breeding is sporadic
there, it is unlikely the area provides the species with critical nesting habitat. The situation at
Great Race Rock poses somewhat of a dilemma in this regard because on one hand, the presence
of buildings, infrastructure and people substantially reduces the area of land available for nesting
by glaucous-winged gulls. On the other hand, we suspect that the presence of people serves to
deter bald eagles from using Great Race Rock (see Table 2), thereby affording a measure of
protection to the gulls that do breed there. Race Rocks could be providing glaucous-winged gulls
with important nesting habitat that is relatively free of bald eagle disturbance. If other colonies
continue to decline, the importance of Race Rocks might increase in the future. However, it is unlikely that the Reserve presently provides critical habitat for glaucous-winged gulls. Further, while recent declines in numbers breeding at some colonies have been noted (Sullivan et al. 2002), the breeding population in the Georgia Depression Ecoprovince is believed to have doubled between 1960 and 1986 (Mahaffy et al. 1994). Expanded food availability at landfills and the fact that the species nests successfully on a number of human-made structures (e.g.buildings and structures associated with port facilities) have likely contributed to the increase (Vermeer et al. 1988).

6.3.2 Northern Elephant Seal
Of all pinniped species that occur at Race Rocks, northern elephant seals were the most tolerant
of any forms of disturbance we observed. Holst and Greene (2002) also found that military
training activities that generated noise elicited few noticeable reactions from northern elephant
seals. We did not detect any meaningful responses of northern elephant seals to either natural
factors or blasting. It is not known whether the decline in numbers of northern elephant seals that
occurred in the weeks following blasting on Bentinck Island in early May 2003 represented a
reaction to blasting or not. However, given the species’ lack of responses to blasting on a daily
time scale and the fact that animals hauled out at that time of year are expected to depart haulouts
following the moult, the decline was likely coincidental with blasting. The significance of the
complex interaction term of tide height, swell height, and blasting (Table 4) might reflect
increased afternoon counts of individuals that were present in the morning, but that were
previously hidden from view in the morning by sea lions that moved or departed the area in the
afternoon. It is also possible that the significance of the term is spurious. In any event, we found
nothing to suggest that northern elephant seals in the study area were adversely affected by
environmental factors or blasting in a meaningful way. Considering this and the status
information discussed in section 6.2.2, at present, no significant adverse effects stemming from
single or cumulative disturbance types on the regional population of this species are expected to
originate in or immediately adjacent to the study area.

6.3.3 Harbour Seal

In situations where most harbour seal activity did not proceed to the point of displacement,
blasting on Bentinck Island was the only factor that caused noticeable increases in harbour seal
activity (i.e., moving from a head-down to head-up position). Other factors such as pedestrians
caused increased activity. However, because animals moved quickly to the water in such events,
the sampling data do not reflect this as no counts were made between the time that the
disturbance occurred and the onset of displacement. Aside from seasonal effects, the abundance
of harbour seals in the study area was dictated primarily by tide height. As shown in Photo 11,
harbour seals were particularly sensitive to changes in tidal height because they selected
primarily the intertidal reaches of the study area for hauling out. Rising tides displaced harbour
seals from haulouts, while falling tides provided opportunities for hauling out. Harbour seals
haul out year-round, but the peak in this behaviour that occurs in the summer corresponds to two
biologically important events. First, harbour seals give birth while on land where mother-pup
pairs spend 90-100% of their time during the 4-6 week nursing period (Huber et al. 2001).
Second, each summer harbour seals moult (shed) their fur and grow a new coat. The fact that
harbour seals moult in the summer and that they haul out to do so likely reflects
thermoregulatory constraints (Ling et al. 1974). By hauling out, moulting seals reduce heat loss at a time when their coat provides the least amount of insulation. Also, basking in the summer
sun and on sun-warmed substrates heats the skin surface, likely increasing the metabolic rate of
hair follicles, thereby increasing the rate of hair growth. Evidence that thermal constraints affect
haulout behaviour is provided by seal responses during days when blasting occurred on Bentinck
Island. While greater numbers of projects (blasts) per run resulted in increased probability of
displacement, both swell height and air temperature also appeared to affect the probability of
displacement to the water. Following blasts on Bentinck Island, harbour seals were more likely
to go into the water when the air temperature was higher and the swell height was lower (Table
5). On cooler days with higher swells, harbour seals were more likely to remain hauled-out after
a disturbance stimulus possibly because of a relatively greater need for dermal warming at that
time. Despite variable reactions to individual blasting events, overall changes in the numbers of
harbour seals hauled out in the study area appeared to be adversely affected by blasting on
Bentinck Island, but the effect was not statistically significant. This was most likely because of
two reasons: 1) the dramatic effects of increased tide height masked any effects of blasting, and
2) small sample sizes. Although we were unable to observe seal responses to blasting during
summer because of a military range closure, the same pattern of declining abundance in response
to increased tide heights would have likely masked any effects of blasting. Data shown in Figure
14 suggest that with increased sample sizes, the effects of blasting on Bentinck Island would
likely have become statistically significant.

Harbour seals hauled out on Great Race Rock were usually very skittish in the presence of
humans. Seals near the dock (Photo 1; Sub-Areas A&H) seldom remained hauled out when boats
or people approached. Those on the east side of Great Race Rock (Sub-Areas B-D) were quick to
respond to human-caused disturbances that resulted in noise (e.g., an aluminum ladder dropped
on a concrete walkway, machinery starting up, close approaches by pedestrians). For example,
approximately 200 harbour seals moved quickly from the shore of eastern Great Race Rock into
the water immediately after a gasoline-powered high-pressure power washer started near the
caretaker’s residence.

Unlike the other pinnipeds in the study area, harbour seals do not undertake long-distance
migrations. A non-migratory life strategy is more conducive to a greater degree of familiarity
with certain aspects of an animal’s home range than is a migratory one. Harbour seals are long-
lived (up to 30 years; Bigg 1981) and individual harbour seals probably stay in the vicinity of the
study area year-round. Because the study area has been exposed to blasting, boats, and
pedestrians for many years, it is not unreasonable to assume that some harbour seals have
habituated somewhat to some disturbances there. The ability of harbour seals to habituate to
disturbances is supported by the fact that they are easily kept in captivity and exhibit a rapid
adjustment under restrained conditions (Bigg 1981). Harbour seals at Race Rocks, although
skittish in the presence of people, are more tolerant of close approaches by humans than are
harbour seals in areas where they are shot and shot at (M. Demarchi pers. obs.).

Harbour seals in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve exhibited short-term acute behaviours in
response to disturbances resulting from natural factors, blasting, boats, and pedestrians. Holst
and Greene (2003) made similar observations of harbour seals during noisy military training
exercises in California. The fact that such responses occur in response to human activities
indicates that disturbance (in the context of the Fisheries Act; or “takes” in the context of the US
Marine Mammal Protection Act) occurs. However, it is unlikely that any seals are seriously injured by any of the disturbances, nor is it likely that mother-pup pairs are permanently
separated resulting in dead pups, in a manner reported by Johnson (1977). We observed three
dead adult/subadult harbour seals on the shore of Great Race Rock, but did not observe any dead
pups during the study. Considering this and the status information discussed in section 6.2.3, no
significant adverse effects stemming from single or cumulative disturbance types on the regional
population of this species are expected to originate in or immediately adjacent to the study area.

6.3.4 California Sea Lion
Blasting on Bentinck Island and boat traffic increased the activity levels of California sea lions
hauled out in the study area. Pedestrians on Great Race Rock also caused increases in activity,
but usually fewer than ten animals were involved. Aside from seasonal effects, the abundance of
California sea lions in the study area was dictated primarily by swell height. As swell height
increased, so did the probability of a decline in abundance. According to the pattern of declining
abundance observed in autumn 2003 prior to blasting, the decline in numbers of California sea
lions following blasting in early October 2002 was more likely the result of natural migration
patterns than displacement due to disturbance (Figure 11).

Blasting on Bentinck Island, pleasure boats, and pedestrians all displaced California sea lions to
the water. Holst and Greene (2003) made similar observations of California sea lions during
noisy military training exercises in California. California sea lions were increasingly likely to be
displaced due to blasting on Bentinck Island with greater numbers of projects in a run and when
wind directions acted to amplify blast noise. Tide height did not appear to influence the
abundance of hauled-out California sea lions because they typically hauled out above the
intertidal zone. Pleasure boats that approached haulouts too closely were observed to displace
animals. California sea lions hauled out on Great Race Rock usually tolerated the presence of
humans nearby, but there was consistent displacement involving animals moving off the dock
and nearby shore in response to boats and pedestrians. It was occasionally possible to dock a
boat without displacing all individuals nearby, possibly because those animals had habituated to
such disturbances (Photo 14).

California sea lions in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve exhibited short-term acute behaviours in
response to disturbances resulting from natural factors, blasting, boats, and pedestrians. Such
responses to human activities indicates that disturbance (in the context of the Fisheries Act; or
“takes” in the context of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act) occurs. However, it is unlikely
that any animals are seriously injured by any of the disturbances. Considering this and the status
information discussed in section 6.2.4, at present, no significant adverse effects stemming from
single or cumulative disturbance types on the regional population of this species are expected to
originate in or immediately adjacent to the study area.

6.3.5 Northern Sea Lion
Blasting on Bentinck Island increased activity of hauled-out northern sea lions throughout the
study area. Animals in Sub-Areas 2-5, 6-7, 8-12, and 13 (i.e., closer to Bentinck Island) were
particularly sensitive. Animals in those sub-areas were also exposed to the greatest amounts of
boat traffic. Despite this, we did not observe any obvious shifts in animal distribution to areas
that were not as prone to disturbance by blasting and boats (e.g., Sub-Areas 14; 15-24).
Pedestrians on Great Race Rock also caused increases in activity, but usually fewer than ten animals were involved. Aside from seasonal effects, the abundance of northern sea lions in the
study area did not appear to be predictably influenced by any given factor. On several occasions,
northern sea lion activity increased substantially and many animals moved to the water, yet we
could not clearly identify any disturbance stimuli. In one such case, the only apparent cause was
the sudden appearance of the sun as a cloud moved past. Such behaviours have been observed by
others (e.g., Porter 1997). We speculate that those events are likely triggered by the actions of
one animal that, for whatever reason, panics. The effects of that animal cascade through the
group, prompting similar behaviours in others. Such events are likely inevitable for species that
occur in groups where such groups confer a measure of safety in that danger does not have to be
detected by every animal in order for an appropriate response to occur.
Disturbances caused by blasting on Bentinck Island, pleasure boats, and pedestrians all displaced
northern sea lions to the water. Of all species monitored, the northern sea lion was most sensitive
to blasting on Bentinck Island. During 43 demolition runs, 1 animal was observed to be
displaced to the water in response almost 91% of the time. In a few instances, haulouts were
completely cleared of northern sea lions. Because of this high rate of response, no natural factors
were found to significantly affect animal responses. Tide height did not appear to influence the
abundance of northern sea lions because, like northern elephant seals and California sea lions,
they typically hauled out above the intertidal zone or moved to higher points on the haulout
during flood tides. Pleasure boats that approached haulouts too closely were observed to displace
northern sea lions. Northern sea lions hauled out on Great Race Rock were less tolerant of the
presence of humans nearby, as there was consistent displacement involving animals moving off
the dock in response to boats and pedestrians.
The decline of the Western Stock of northern sea lions in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands
in the late 1970s and 1990s is presently a matter of intense research13. Investigations into the
causes of the decline involve a number of hypotheses, including nutritional stress (Trites and
Donnelly 2003), human-caused disturbance (L Kucey14, in progress), and predation by killer
whales following a decline in whale prey as a result of excessive commercial whaling in the past
(Springer et al. 2003). While there is presently no consensus on the cause(s) of the decline,
Pascual and Adkinson (1994) concluded that only a long-term change in the environment or
novel catastrophe would be capable of causing the magnitude of the observed decline. Pascual
and Adkinson (1994) note the difficulty in eliminating human-caused disturbance as a causative
factor because human activity in the region has increased simultaneously with the decline in sea
lion numbers. However, if disturbance was the primary cause, one should expect the Eastern
Stock (of which animals at Race Rocks are part) to have exhibited a similar, if not more
pronounced decline because of perhaps an even greater increase in human activities within their
range. Springer et al. (2003) favour the predation hypothesis over others such as nutritional stress
and disturbance for several reasons. According to them:

  • “The absence of beach-stranded [northern sea lion] carcasses is one of the most
    intriguing and perplexing features of these declines. Sea otter mortality from
    nutritional limitation, disease, and pollution typically results in large numbers of
    stranded carcasses. Pinnipeds often sink when killed at sea, although many such
    individuals float to the surface and wash ashore later. Malnourished or diseased
    pinnipeds commonly haul out to die. The near absence of stranded carcasses and
    a lack of reports of distressed animals on beaches or of emaciated animals taken
    by subsistence hunters thus are most consistent with losses to predators.”

13 refer to: http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/AlaskaEcosystems/sslhome/StellerHome.html
14 refer to: http://www.marinemammal.org/MMRU/laura.html

While we did not examine body condition of northern sea lions closely, in our opinion, the
individuals at Race Rocks did not exhibit any signs of malnutrition (e.g., lethargic behaviour,
emaciated bodies with visible bone structure).

Northern sea lions in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve exhibited short-term acute behaviours in
response to disturbances resulting from natural factors, blasting, boats, and pedestrians. The fact
that such responses occur in response to human activities indicates that disturbance (in the
context of the Fisheries Act; or “takes” in the context of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act)
occurs. Although we observed a few subadult males with cuts and patches of missing skin, such
injuries likely resulted from fights with each other. It is unlikely that any animals are seriously
injured by any of the disturbances. Despite the species’ sensitivity to blasting, displaced
individuals typically began returning to the haulout within minutes or hours of the disturbance,
indicating that they were not displaced from the study area or very far from it (this study;
Demarchi et al. 1998). The fact that Race Rocks is not a rookery for this species means that the
risks of pup abandonment or trampling due to blast-caused disturbances (e.g., stampedes) are
very low. Considering the foregoing and the status information discussed in section 6.2.5, no
significant adverse effects stemming from single or cumulative disturbance types on the regional
population of this species are expected to originate in or immediately adjacent to the study area.

7 CONCLUSIONS
The fact that Race Rocks provides highly suitable habitat for marine birds and pinnipeds is
indisputable. However, the Northern Sea Lion (COSEWIC, Special Concern; Conservation Data
Centre, Red Listed) is the only species that could be reasonably expected to pose any local
conservation concerns at Race Rocks at present. The black oystercatcher (COSEWIC, Not
Listed; Conservation Data Centre, Yellow Listed) might become a concern in the future at Race
Rocks due to the relatively low number of breeding pairs in the province.

Marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks are exposed to a number of different disturbance
stimuli that alter normal behaviour patterns. The fact that human activities disturb wildlife does
not in itself provide a basis to ban such activities. Indeed, if that were the case, no people or
boats would be permitted in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve without authorization. If
disturbances have no consequences for the population, or even if the population consequences are sustainable, restricting human activities for the sake of preventing disturbance is likely to have negative social and other consequences that are out of proportion to the impacts that are being avoided or mitigated.
According to the findings of this study, no significant adverse effects stemming from single or
cumulative disturbance types on the regional populations of any species of marine bird or
pinniped at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve are expected to presently originate in, or
immediately adjacent to, the study area. This is consistent with Holst and Greene (2003), who
concluded that, despite eliciting behavioural responses, noisy military training exercises in
California only had minor, short-term, and localized, effects on pinnipeds, with no consequences
for the pinniped populations.

.15. During the study, we observed three dead harbour seals, one dead northern sea lion, and two California sea lions with potentially life-threatening internal injuries. Both California sea lions were emaciated and exhibited lethargic, abnormal behaviours. A number (<20) of other sea lions were observed with various anthropogenic materials (e.g., nets, rope and other closed-loop materials, fishing gear) around their heads, necks or torsos, or in the case of fishing gear, hanging from their mouths. While some of those animals would likely die from their entanglement, none appeared to be near-death when we observed them. One subadult male northern elephant seal was severely cut up, but was observed several months later, mostly healed. One male California sea lion had a severe injury to one front flipper. Several northern sea lion males were observed with what appeared to be non-life- threatening dermal wounds (i.e., torn or missing skin) on their chests.

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Proceed to Appendices

 

Effects of natural and human-caused Disturbances on Marine Birds and Pinnipeds at Race Rocks

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Disturbances On Marine Birds and Mammals at Race Rocks

Prepared forDepartment of National Defence
Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt
Victoria, BC &
Public Works & Government Services Canada
Pacific Region Victoria, BC
Prepared by Mike W. Demarchi (M.Sc. R.P.Bio.) and Michael D. Bentley
LGL Limited
environmental research associates
9768 Second Street Sidney, BC V8L 3Y8Cover photo: northern sea lions hauled out in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, November 2003EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On behalf of the Department of National Defence and Public Works & Government Services Canada, LGL Limited conducted a 14-month assessment of natural and human-caused factors with potential to affect key species of marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks, British Columbia. This study had the following objectives:

  • Summarize legislation with direct or indirect relevance for marine birds and mammals at Race Rocks.
  • Document whether the study area is being utilized for: a breeding area, a summering or wintering area, migration corridors, or staging areas by marine birds and pinnipeds.
  • Assess the affects of abiotic factors on the abundance of marine birds and pinnipeds in the study area.
  • Document and assess the effects of demolitions from the Whirl Bay Underwater Demolition Range, Bentinck Island Demolition Range, and Christopher Point Ordnance Disposal Range on marine birds and pinnipeds in the study area.
  • Document the effects of ecotour boats, other boats, aircraft, and pedestrian traffic in and near the study area on marine birds and pinnipeds.
  • Determine if abiotic factors such as air temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, wave height, tide height ameliorate or amplify animal responses to anthropogenic disturbances.
  • Examine local populations of marine mammals and birds to assess the immediate and cumulative effects of local anthropogenic activities such as demolition training, ecotouring, pleasure boating, aircraft overflights, and human activities associated with operations on Great Race Rock.

During 6 October 2002 through 27 November 2003, 52 monitoring sessions were conducted. Many different weather conditions, sea conditions, and human-caused disturbance events were observed. Tidal conditions changed considerably on hourly, daily and seasonal timescales. Animal distributions in the study area were very aggregated and showed clear patterns of seasonal variation.

The Federal and Provincial status of key wildlife species, together with a brief species account of each were presented. Species that are common at Race Rocks use the area to fulfil life history needs including, non-breeding seasonal ranges, breeding habitat, migration/staging, and moulting. Important uses of the area by common species are summarized in the table below. Race Rocks provides highly suitable habitat, but with the possible exceptions of northern sea lions and black oystercatchers, the area is not likely providing any species with critical habitat (see page 55) at present.

Northern elephant seals were the least abundant pinniped throughout the study. Maximum daily counts ranged from 0 in the late autumn to 22 in the spring. Harbour seals were the most abundant pinniped throughout the study. Maximum daily counts ranged from 0 in the winter to 667 in the summer. California sea lions were the third most abundant pinniped during study. Maximum daily counts ranged from 0 in the winter and summer to 244 in late summer.

Northern sea lions were the second most abundant pinniped during the study. Maximum daily counts ranged from 0 in the summer to 555 in late autumn. Although the northern sea lion is Red Listed in British Columbia, all individuals that occur at Race Rocks are believed to be from the Eastern Stock. Whereas the Western Stock is listed as Endangered under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Eastern Stock is not.

Within seasons, weather and sea conditions affected the abundance of some bird and pinniped species, and the probability that a disturbance event would disturb some species to the point of displacement. Pinnipeds, and particularly northern sea lions, responded to blasting by increasing activity and leaving a haulout. Blast-caused disturbances are believed to be triggered by responses to sounds that “scare” rather than injure animals. Observations of the effects of blasting on birds and pinnipeds were made during days when at least one of the three ranges was active. Because so few observations were made during blasting in Whirl Bay (4 days) and on Christopher Point (1 day), the value of any inference made from those data is limited. None of the data we collected suggested that blasting in Whirl Bay had any adverse effects on bird or pinniped behaviour in the study area. Blasting monitored on Christopher Point occurred at a time (20 February 2003) when few birds and pinnipeds were in the study area. Blasting on Bentinck Island was the most frequent form of blast-related, potential disturbances observed. Pre-disturbance pinniped activity levels did not differ significantly among the types of monitoring days. There were no significant differences in mean activity levels of pinnipeds during samples throughout the day when no disturbance stimulus was attributed to the observation when the Bentinck Island Range was active compared to days when the range was inactive. Of all pinniped species that occur at Race Rocks, northern elephant seals were the most tolerant of any forms of disturbance we observed. Blasts on Bentinck Island were the only disturbance to consistently cause a noticeable increase in harbour seal activity for those animals that were not displaced. Blasts on Bentinck Island caused the most noticeable increases in California sea lion activity. Blasts on Bentinck Island and unknown disturbance stimuli had noticeable effects on California sea lion displacement from land to water. Blasts on Bentinck Island caused the greatest increase in northern sea lion activity and ecotour boats also caused an increase in activity levels; particularly on days when the Bentinck Island Range was active. Blasts on Bentinck Island and unknown disturbance stimuli had the most noticeable effects on northern sea lion displacement from land to water. Blasts on Bentinck Island caused at least 1 northern sea lion to move to the water 90.7% of the time the species was present on a haulout. Boats and pedestrians also displaced these animals. Despite the northern sea lion’s sensitivity to blasting, displaced individuals typically began returning to the haulout within minutes or hours of the disturbance, indicating that they were not displaced from the study area or very far from it. Pedestrians displaced seals, sea lions and gulls from Great Race Rock. Pedestrian-caused disturbances typically involved: intentional clearing northern elephant seals off the boat launch; incidental displacement of harbour seals, incidental displacement of California sea lions, and to a lesser extent, northern sea lions; and incidental displacement of gulls. Overflights by raptors such as bald eagles were the most consistent (93.7% of events recorded) disturbance that caused some animals (in this case, primarily gulls) to take flight or enter the water. Very low numbers of aircraft passed over or near the monitored area, causing little or no apparent disturbance to wildlife. The Coast Guard helicopter might be an exception.Kayakers were rare in the monitored area. Boats operated by LBPC were observed regularly throughout the monitored period, and together with the LGL boat, were the only boats to regularly dock at Race Rocks. LBPC and LGL boats displaced modest numbers of birds and pinnipeds from the dock area during most arrivals and departure. Pleasure boats were observed throughout the monitored period, mainly in summer. Harbour seals, sea lions, and cormorants, were all displaced by pleasure boaters. Some poaching of fish and shellfish occurs by recreational fishermen and recreational scuba divers, respectively. Ecotour boats constituted the greatest amount of boat traffic in the monitored area, with peak visitation rates during the height of the summer tourist season. Daily numbers of ecotour boats ranged from 0 to 43, with as many as nine present in the study area at the same time. Some ecotour boats were observed to displace harbour seals, sea lions, cormorants, and gulls, but most caused no observable effects. The fact that Race Rocks provides highly suitable habitat for marine birds and pinnipeds is indisputable. However, determining the extent to which Race Rocks provides important or critical habitat for any given species is not so straightforward. Northern Sea Lion (COSEWIC, Special Concern; Conservation Data Centre, Red Listed) is the only species that could be reasonably expected to pose any local conservation concerns at Race Rocks at present. The black oystercatcher (COSEWIC, Not Listed; Conservation Data Centre, Yellow Listed) might become a concern in the future at Race Rocks due to the relatively low number of breeding pairs in the province. Marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks are exposed to a number of different disturbance stimuli that alter normal behaviour patterns. The fact that human activities disturb wildlife does not in itself provide a basis to ban such activities. Indeed, if that were the case, no people or boats would be permitted in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve without authorization. If disturbances have no consequences for the population, or even if the population consequences are sustainable, restricting human activities for the sake of preventing disturbance is likely to have negative social and other consequences that are out of proportion to the impacts that are being avoided or mitigated.By increasing animal activity and displacing animals from the land to the air and water, humans exert adverse effects on marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks. However, no significant adverse effects stemming from single or cumulative disturbance types on the regional populations of any species of marine bird or pinniped at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve are expected to presently originate in, or immediately adjacent to, the study area.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many people assisted with this study. We especially thank Duane Freeman (Department of National Defence, CFB Esquimalt, Formation Environment) and Andrew Smith (Public Works and Government Services Canada) for their leadership and assistance in conducting this important research. Duane Freeman and Tracy Cornforth (Formation Environment) provided constructive reviews of draft of this report. Rae-Ann Shaw (Public Works and Government Services Canada) provided important administrative assistance. Duane Freeman and his department staff reviewed a draft of this report. PO Rob Cantwell, PO Chris MacDonald, and PO Oliver provided important logistic support concerning training activities on Bentinck Island and Whirl Bay. ESO Al Carter provided information concerning Christopher Point. Rik Simmons, Don McLaren, and Debbie McKinnon (Province of BC) assisted with research permitting. Captain Terry Weber and Vivian Skinner (Canadian Coast Guard) provided access to the light tower. Phil Emery (Canadian Coast Guard) coordinated a staged helicopter landing. Angus Matthews, Garry Fletcher, and Mike and Carol Slater (Pearson College) provided logistical support on Great Race Rock. Peter Olesiuk (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) provided some information on pinnipeds. Gary Searing of LGL provided important assistance with the study proposal and reviewed a draft of this report. Steve Johnson reviewed portions of a draft of this report. Dorothy Baker of LGL Limited proofed draft of this report. Mike Demarchi, Steve Johnson and Sonya Meier supervised field activities. Michael Bentley, Karen Truman, Lucia Ferreira, Jim Ferguson, Virgil Hawkes, Dave Robichaud, Jason Smith, Andrew Davis, and Philina English assisted with data collection. All photographs were taken by the senior author, except where noted. Suggested Citation: DEMARCHI, MW AND MD BENTLEY. 2004. Effects of natural and human-caused disturbances on marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks, British Columbia. LGL Report EA1569. Prepared for Department of National Defence, Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt and Public Works and Government Services Canada. 103 p.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………………….i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………………………………..v CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………vi
LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………………………………………….viii
LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………………………………………….ix
LIST OF PHOTOS……………………………………………………………………………………………………..xi
LIST OF APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………………………………….xii 1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………………………………1
1.1 STUDY OBJECTIVES……………………………………………………………………………………………1
2 RELEVANT LEGISLATION..………………………………………………………………………………………2
3 STUDY AREA AND VICINITY…………………………………………………………………………………….2
3.1 RACE ROCKS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE………………………………………………………………….2
3.2 MARINE TRAINING AND EXERCISE AREA WQ………………………………………………………….4
3.3 MARINE LIFE………………………………………………………………………………………………………7
3.3.1 Injury and Disturbance…………………………………………………………………………………………8
3.3.2 Species Accounts………………………………………………………………………………………………9
3.3.2.1 Brandt’s Cormorant (Not Listed; Red Listed)……………………………………………………………9
3.3.2.2 Double-crested Cormorant (Not at Risk; Blue Listed)…………………………………………………9
3.3.2.3 Pelagic Cormorant (pelagicus subspecies Not Listed; Red Listed – resplendens
…………subspecies Not Listed; Yellow Listed)……………………………………………………………………10
3.3.2.4 Bald Eagle (Not at Risk; Yellow listed)……………………………………………………………………10
3.3.2.5 Peregrine Falcon (anatum subspecies Threatened; Red Listed – pealei subspecies
………..Special Concern; Blue Listed)………………………………………………………………………………10
3.3.2.6 Black Oystercatcher (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)……………………………………………………….10
3.3.2.7 Black Turnstone (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)…………………………………………………………….10
3.3.2.8 Surfbird (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)……………………………………………………………………….11
3.3.2.9 Rock Sandpiper (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)……………………………………………………………..11
3.3.2.10 Heerman’s Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)…………………………………………………………….11
3.3.2.11 California Gull (Not Listed; Blue Listed)…………………………………………………………………11
3.3.2.12 Herring Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)………………………………………………………………..11
3.3.2.13 Thayer’s Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)………………………………………………………………11
3.3.2.14 Western Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)……………………………………………………………….11
3.3.2.15 Glaucous-winged Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed)……………………………………………………12
3.3.2.16 Pigeon Guillemot (Not Listed ;Yellow Listed)………………………………………………………….12
3.3.2.17 Northern Elephant Seal (Not at Risk; Yellow Listed)…………………………………………………13
3.3.2.18 Harbour Seal (Not at Risk; Yellow Listed)………………………………………………………………14
3.3.2.19 California Sea Lion (Not at Risk; Yellow Listed)………………………………………………………15
3.3.2.20 Northern Sea Lion (Special Concern; Red Listed)……………………………………………………16
3.3.2.21 Killer Whale (Northeast Pacific Southern Resident population: Endangered, Red Listed
……….Northeast Pacific Transient population: Threatened, Red Listed)……………………………………17 4 METHODS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………184.1 ANALYTICAL LIMITATIONS………………………………………………………………………………………19. 4.2 DATA ANALYSES………………………………………………………………………………………………….205 RESULTS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..205.1 CENSUS DATA………………………………………………………………………………………………………23 5.1.1 Cormorants………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25 5.1.2 Bald Eagle…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..26 5.1.3 Gulls………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….265.1.4 Northern Elephant Seal………………………………………………………………………………………….275.1.5 Harbour Seal………………………………………………………………………………………………………285.1.6 California Sea Lion……………………………………………………………………………………………….285.1.7 Northern Sea Lion………………………………………………………………………………………………..29 5.2 NATURAL AND HUMAN-CAUSED DISTURBANCES……………………………………………………….305.2.1 Effects of Disturbance on Animal Abundance from Morning to Afternoon……………………………30 5.2.1.1 Cormorants……………………………………………………………………………………………………….30 5.2.1.2 Gulls……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….305.2.1.3 Northern Elephant Seal……………………………………………………………………………………….325.2.1.4 Harbour Seal…………………………………………………………………………………………………….325.2.1.5 California Sea Lion……………………………………………………………………………………………..33 5.2.1.6 Northern Sea Lion……………………………………………………………………………………………….355.2.2 Effects of Discrete Disturbance Events on Animal Abundance and Behaviour..…………………….375.2.2.1 Effects on Harbour Seals……………………………………………………………………………………..405.2.2.2 Effects on California Sea Lions………………………………………………………………………………41 5.2.2.3 Effects on Northern Sea Lions………………………………………………………………………………..435.2.2.4 Disturbance by Killer Whales…………………………………………………………………………………455.2.2.5 Disturbance by Raptors………………………………………………………………………………………..455.2.2.6 Disturbance by Pedestrians and Domestic Animals…………………………………………………….465.2.2.7 Disturbance by Aircraft…………………………………………………………………………………………485.2.2.8 Disturbance by Boats…………………………………………………………………………………………..495.2.2.9 Disturbance by Blasting………………………………………………………………………………………..53 6 DISCUSSION..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………546.1 RELEVANT LEGISLATION…………………………………………………………………………………………546.2 USE OF RACE ROCKS BY MARINE BIRDS AND PINNIPEDS…………………………………………..556.2.1 Birds………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….566.2.2 Northern Elephant Seal…………………………………………………………………………………………..566.2.3 Harbour Seal………………………………………………………………………………………………………..566.2.4 California Sea Lion…………………………………………………………………………………………………576.2.5 Northern Sea Lion………………………………………………………………………………………………….586.3 EFFECTS OF NATURAL AND HUMAN-CAUSED DISTURBANCE……………………………………….586.3.1 Birds…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..616.3.2 Northern Elephant Seal……………………………………………………………………………………………636.3.3 Harbour Seal…………………………………………………………………………………………………………63 6.3.4 California Sea Lion…………………………………………………………………………………………………..65 6.3.5 Northern Sea Lion……………………………………………………………………………………………………65 7 LITERATURE CITED……………………………………………………………………………………………………..69. 8 APPENDICES..………………………………………………………………………………………………………….74 viiiLIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page
.. Table 1. Dates and active range status in WQ during 52 monitoring sessions at Race Rocks……………21Table 2. Distribution (percent) of all observations of common species and groups in the Race Rocks study area during morning and afternoon censuses from October 2002 through November 2003……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..24Table 3. Summary of the presence and important seasonal uses (shaded cells) of Race Rocks made by species that commonly occur there……………………………………………………………………………………………………….24 Table 4. Results of logistic regression analyses to detect the effect of, tide, swell height, and Bentinck Island demolitions on the relative change in numbers of animals in the Race Rocks census area in the afternoon versus morning periods from October 2002 through November 2003……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..31Table 5. Results of logistic regression analyses to detect the effect of number of projects in a run, tide height, swell height, air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, sea state, cloud cover, precipitation class, and visibility class on animal displacement during demolition runs on Bentinck Island from October 2002 through November 200…31 Table 6. Results of one-way ANOVA tests* of pre-discrete disturbance activity levels by type of monitoring day regarding military training range activities…………………………………………………………………………………………….37Table 7. Results of t-Tests for differences between mean daily activity levels of pinniped based on samples when no discrete disturbance stimulus was attributed to the sample during days when Bentinck Island was active compared to days when no blasting occurred there (refer to Table 1 for dates included)……………………………………….37Table 8. Percent of potential disturbance events that caused birds to fly or birds/pinnipeds to enter
the water………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..38 Table 9. Minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation of the daily frequency of selected disturbance events as observed during 52 monitoring sessions at Race Rocks, BC spanning the period October 2002 through
November 2003 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..38 ixLIST OF FIGURES

Page Figure 1. Map of southern Vancouver Island and eastern Juan de Fuca Strait………………………….3 Figure 2. Map of Sub-Areas within the study area……………………………………………………………………..4Figure 3. Map of southern Vancouver Island and vicinity, showing Rocky Point, Race Rocks Ecological Reserve (within 20-fathom contour), and Military Training Area WQ (within circle)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Figure 4. Predicted tide heights at William Head during the study period………………………………………..22Figure 5. Daily differences in predicted tide heights at William Head during the study period……………….22Figure 6. Total numbers of cormorants on land in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on each of 2 daily censuses (1=morning; 2=afternoon ) as observed from atop the light tower……………………………………………………25Figure 7. Total numbers of bald eagles on land in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on each of 2 daily censuses (1=morning; 2=afternoon ) as observed from atop the light tower……………………………………………………26Figure 8. Total numbers of gulls on land in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on each of 2 daily censuses (1=morning; 2=afternoon ) as observed from atop the light tower……………………………………………………………………27Figure 9. Total numbers of northern elephant seals hauled out in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on each of 2 daily censuses (1=morning; 2=afternoon ) as observed from atop the light tower. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..27 Figure 10. Total numbers of harbour seals hauled out in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on each of 2 daily censuses (1=morning; 2=afternoon ) as observed from atop the light tower…………………………………………………….28Figure 11. Total numbers of California sea lions hauled out in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on each of 2 daily censuses (1=morning; 2=afternoon ) as observed from atop the light tower ………………………………………29 Figure 12. Total numbers of northern sea lions hauled out in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve on each of 2 daily censuses (1=morning; 2=afternoon ) as observed from atop the light tower……………………………………………………..29Figure 13. Boxplot summaries of daily changes in the abundance of gulls when Bentinck Island was inactive and when blasting occurred there, grouped by net change in swell condition in the afternoon versus morning peri ……32Figure 14. Boxplot summaries of daily changes in the abundance of harbour seals when Bentinck Island was inactive and when blasting occurred there, grouped by net change in tide height in the afternoon versus morning peri…..33 Figure 15. Boxplot summaries of daily changes in the abundance of California sea lions when Bentinck Island was inactive and when blasting occurred there, grouped by net change in swell condition in the afternoon versus morning period…35Figure 16. Boxplot summaries of daily changes in the abundance of Northern sea lions when Bentinck Island was inactive and when blasting occurred there, grouped by net change in swell condition in the afternoon versus morning period…36 Figure 17. Stacked line (cumulative total) chart of potential disturbance events (i.e., raptor, boat, pedestrian, and air traffic) during 52 monitoring sessions in the Race Rocks study area of from 6 October 2002 through 27 November 2003…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..39 Figure 18. Number of blasts that occurred during each of the 52 monitoring sessions in the Race Rocks study area of from 6 October 2002 through 27 November 2003………………………………………………………………………….39 Figure 19. Activity levels of harbour seals at Race Rocks expressed as the mean values observed for each disturbance class on days when no blasting occurred (“No Range”), days when blasting occurred on Bentinck Island (“Bentinck”), and days when blasting occurred in Whirl Bay (“Whirl Bay”) only…………………………………………………………..40Figure 20. Comparative changes in numbers of harbour seals in monitored sub-areas for selected potential disturbance types…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………41Figure 21. Activity levels of California sea lions at Race Rocks expressed as the mean values observed for each disturbance class on days when no blasting occurred (“No Range”), days when blasting occurred on Bentinck Island (“Bentinck”), and days when blasting occurred in Whirl Bay (“Whirl Bay”) only……………………………………..42 Figure 22. Comparative changes in numbers of California sea lions in selected monitored areas for selected potential disturbance types………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….43Figure 23. Activity levels of northern sea lions at Race Rocks expressed as the mean values observed for each disturbance class on days when no blasting occurred (“No Range”), days when blasting occurred on Bentinck Island (“Bentinck”), and days when blasting occurred in Whirl Bay (“Whirl Bay”) only………………………………………44 Figure 24. Comparative changes in numbers of northern sea lions in selected monitored areas for selected potential disturbance types………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….45 Figure 25. Relative distribution of Lester B. Pearson College boats observed in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve during monitoring sessions from October 2002 through November 2003……………………………………………………….50Figure 26. Relative distribution of pleasure boats observed in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve during monitoring sessions from October 2002 through November 2003………………………………………………………………………………….51Figure 27. Relative distribution of ecotour boats observed in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve during monitoring sessions from October 2002 through November 2003………………………………………………………………………………….53 Figure 28. Conceptual model of the hierarchical effects of exposing a wildlife species to a non- directly lethal visual or aural disturbance stimulus……………………………………………………………………………………………………….61 LIST OF PHOTOS

Page Photo 1. Aerial photo of Great Race Rock as viewed from the northwest………………………………..5Photo 2. Adult glaucous-winged gull nesting on a grassy area of Great Race Rock………………………….12 Photo 3. Subadult male northern elephant seal………………………………………………………………………..13Photo 4. Mother-pup pairs of harbour seals are commonly observed at Race Rocks during………………..14Photo 5. Harbour seals haul out in abundance on intertidal portions of the study area………………………14 Photo 6. California sea lions hauled-out on Great Race Rock………………………………………………………15 Photo 7. Northern sea lions hauled out on Sub-Area 2-5 of Race Rocks…………………………………………16Photo 8. Killer whales, such as this lone male, were infrequently observed in the study area. 7 August 2003….17 Photo 9. Example of tidal effect on the area of exposed land available for birds and pinnipeds……………. 23Photo 10. Portion of a feeding flock of primarily gulls and cormorants, located approximately 2 km southeast of Race Rocks……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………25 Photo 11. Example of how tide height affected haulout availability for harbour seals, including during the peak of their pupping season………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..34Photo 12. An example of typical pinniped responses to blasting…………………………………………………..36 Photo 13. Raptors such as this adult bald eagle frequently disturbed cormorants and gulls in the study area…46Photo 14. Students and staff from Lester B. Pearson College were frequent visitors to Great Race Rock…47Photo 15. Approximately 200 harbour seals moved quickly from the shore of eastern Great Race Rock into the water immediately after being apparently startled by a high-pressure power washer being operated by a resident of the island………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………47 Photo 16. Two tourists wander through an active glaucous-winged gull nesting area (Sub-Area H) on Great Race Rock; causing disturbance and risking egg destruction by trampling………………………………………………………..48Photo 17. Most aircraft overflights did not cause animals to leave the rocks for the water or air. ……………49Photo 18. Pleasure boat near a pod of killer whales moving north through Race Passage…………………….52Photo 19. Ecotour boat traffic was common throughout the year, but particularly during summer. ………….52LIST OF APPENDICES

Page Appendix 1. Legislation with direct or potential relevance to marine life at Race Rocks.. ……………74 Appendix 2. Data collected during monitoring sessions at Race Rocks…………………………………………..85 Appendix 3. Methods used for the analysis of data collected during animal censuses and activity sampling in the Race Rocks study area………………………………………………………………………………………………………………87Appendix 4. Total numbers of pinnipeds, gulls, cormorants, and shorebirds in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve as counted from atop the light tower during each of the two daily censuses for the monitoring period 6 October 2002 through 27 November 2003……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..91 Appendix 5. Total numbers of birds in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve as counted from atop the light tower during each of the two daily censuses for the monitoring period 6 October 2002 through 27 November 2003……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….94Appendix 6. Total number of potential disturbance events recorded in the monitored area during each monitoring day at Race Rocks, BC. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..99Appendix 7. Sample sizes used to calculate mean activity rates (proportion of animals with heads up) of three pinniped species at Race Rocks, BC as a function of whether or not a demolition range (i.e., Bentinck Island, or Whirl Bay) was active and according to individual disturbance stimuli (primary) or lack thereof (none)…………………………101Appendix 8. All dates and approximatea number of projects detonated on Bentinck Island from 11 July 2002 (the most recent blasting prior to the onset of this study) through 30 November 2003………………………………………102 Appendix 9. Number of ordnances detonated at Christopher Point Ordnance Disposal Range during the study period of October 2002 through November 2003 by date, ordnance type, and individual weight………………………….103 1 INTRODUCTION Race Rocks is a provincial ecological reserve and has been proposed as a federal marine protected area. The area supports a diverse range of marine algae, marine invertebrates, fish, marine birds, and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions). Marine birds use Race Rocks for breeding and non-breeding purposes. Pinnipeds are of particular relevance to this study because they are large, conspicuous animals that have been the focus of concerns about the effects of local human disturbance. Harbour seals breed and haul out at Race Rocks, and northern elephant seals, California sea lions, and northern sea lions haul out there. Cetaceans transit the area intermittently.A major portion of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is contained within the Department of National Defence’s (DND) Military Training Area WQ; however no training activities actually occur within the Reserve. The effects of the demolition training and ordnance disposal activities in WQ were first studied by LGL Limited during 1997 and 1998 (Demarchi et al. 1998). Results of that study indicated that some pinnipeds at Race Rocks responded to ordinance explosions by increasing their activity levels and moving from haulouts to the water. It was also noted that other human uses in the study area (e.g., whale watching boats, pleasure boats, human activity on Great Race Rock, etc.) elicited similar reactions from birds and pinnipeds.The initial study (Demarchi et al. 1998) was confined to a limited portion of the year and only on days when military exercises involving explosions occurred. Observations of the behavioural effects of non-military disturbances on marine life were opportunistically collected, but that study was not designed to assess impacts from non-military activities. The present study was designed to monitor the effects of natural environmental processes; military explosions; and non- military, human-caused (anthropogenic) disturbances on marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks during a 14-month period.The diversity of marine life at Race Rocks makes it a popular location for boaters, divers, recreational adventurers, students, and researchers. These activities have the potential to disturb marine life. In addition, the absence of substantial human settlements in the area facilitates the regular use of high explosives by DND. It is important to recognize that military exercises represent one type of many potential disturbances that occurs locally. Therefore, it is important to try to assess the response of marine birds and pinnipeds to explosions independent of other impacts and the potential impacts of explosions in addition to all other impacts (i.e., the cumulative impacts).1.1 Study Objectives This research focused on pinnipeds (seals and sea lions). However, selected species of marine birds were also monitored. This research was conducted under Park Use Permit #VI0210066. The objectives were to:

  • Summarize legislation with direct or indirect relevance for marine birds and mammals at Race Rocks.
  • Document whether the study area is being utilized for: a breeding area, a summering or wintering area, migration corridors, or staging areas by marine birds and pinnipeds.

2 LGL Limited

  • Assess the affects of natural factors on the abundance of marine birds and pinnipeds in the study area.
  • Document and assess the effects of demolitions from the Whirl Bay Underwater Demolition Range, Bentinck Island Demolition Range, and Christopher Point Ordnance Disposal Range on marine birds and pinnipeds in the study area.
  • Document the effects of ecotour boats, other boats, aircraft, and pedestrian traffic in and near the study area on marine birds and pinnipeds.
  • Determine if natural factors such as air temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, wave height, tide height ameliorate or amplify animal responses to human- caused disturbances.
  • Examine local populations of marine mammals and birds to assess the immediate and cumulative effects of local human activities such as demolition training, ecotouring, pleasure boating, aircraft overflights, and human activities associated with operations on Great Race Rock.

2 RELEVANT LEGISLATIONMarine birds and mammals at and near Race Rocks are subject to a number of different legislative acts and their corresponding regulations. A summary of relevant legislation is presented in Appendix 1.3 STUDY AREA AND VICINITY 3.1 Race Rocks Ecological ReserveThe study area is the exposed portion of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, adjacent to Rocky Point on southern Vancouver Island (Figure 1; Figure 2). The Reserve is defined as the seabed and exposed land within the 20-fathom depth contour. Race Rocks is a complex composed of one island (Great Race Rock; 1.48 ha) and a number of smaller islets and reefs. Terrestrial vegetation occurs only on Great Race Rock, and consists of grasses and small forbs comprising both native and introduced species. Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific (LBPC) operates several provincially owned buildings, including an ecoguardian (caretaker) residence, guest house, boat shed, tank room, crane shed, and diesel generator shed. Ancillary equipment operated by LBPC includes a concrete boat dock and launch, fixed crane, fuel pumping equipment, and diesel tanks. The Canadian Coast Guard leases a concrete helipad, light tower, and support infrastructure located on Great Race Rock (Photo 1). Great Race Rock was added to the Ecological Reserve in 2001. Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is in the eastern reaches of Juan de Fuca Strait in the Nanaimo Lowland Ecosection of the Eastern Vancouver Island Ecoregion of the Georgia Depression Ecoprovince (Demarchi et al. 1990). The climate of the study area is mild, being moderated by the Pacific Ocean. Tides are semidiurnal1 with strong diurnal inequality.2 Predicted values ranged from -0.11 to 3.06 m at William Head (located within 5 km north of Race Rocks) during the study period (Hopper 2002). Tidal flow through Race Passage can reach 7 knots. More comprehensive information on the biophysical features of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve can be found in Wright and Pringle (2001) and Province of BC (2002).
Figure 1. Map of southern Vancouver Island and eastern Juan de Fuca Strait.

  • 1 Having typically two high and two low values every 24 hours.
    2 Also referred to as declinational inequality, it is the difference in height of the two high waters or of the two low waters of each tidal day.

Figure 2. Map of Sub-Areas within the study area. Great Race Rock was divided into Sub-Areas A through H (excluding E, which was not designated). Outlying areas were initially assigned numbers for each discrete rock, but were subsequently grouped into areas that were usually contiguous or that appeared so from the light tower on Great Race Rock (also shown). 3.2 Marine Training and Exercise Area WQ Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt conducts military training in the use of explosives in Marine Training and Exercise Area WQ (“Whiskey Quebec”; Figure 3). WQ is located near Rocky Point on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia and owned by the Federal Government, Department of National Defence. WQ is a circular range that covers 1075 ha of terrestrial and marine environments, and incorporates a portion of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, although no military training occurs in the Reserve itself. Two ranges in WQ are used for training in ordnance-based demolitions: the Whirl Bay Underwater Demolition Range, and the Bentinck Island Demolition Range. Surplus and outdated ordnance is disposed in WQ by Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot (CFAD) Rocky Point at the Christopher Point Ordnance Disposal Range. Training activities in WQ are under the control of LGL Limited 5Base Operations, CFB, Esquimalt. All training exercises in WQ must be approved by Base Operations as outlined in the CFB Esquimalt Range Standing Orders. Ordnance disposal activities are overseen by CFAD Rocky Point.Page 6:Photo 1. Aerial photo of Great Race Rock as viewed from the northwest. Observations during this study were made from atop the light tower. Photo by Heath Moffat; used with permission from Lester B. Pearson College. The Whirl Bay Underwater Demolition Range is used primarily by Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific) (FDU(P)) for underwater demolitions and ordnance testing using charges of C4 plastique3 ranging from 0.5 to 10 kg. The part of Whirl Bay that is used for demolitions is a shallow (<15 m) cove approximately 300 m across and 190 m from the entrance to the demolition beach. The substrate of the cove consists of basaltic bedrock overlain by clay, mud, silt, and sand with several patches of kelp scattered over the bottom. Shoreline habitats consist of basaltic rock formations and pebbly and sandy beaches.

  • 3 C4 plastique is a white, plastic, high-explosive made of RDX (Royal Demolition Explosive; a.k.a. cyclonite or hexogen; chemical name, trinitrotriazine) and an inert plastic binder. C4 is more powerful than TNT (trinitrotoluene) and is suitable for cutting metal and timber and for blasting concrete because of its high detonation velocity and plasticity. PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) is used as a detonation cord for C4 charges.


Figure 3. Map of southern Vancouver Island and vicinity, showing Rocky Point, Race Rocks Ecological Reserve (within 20-fathom contour), and Military Training Area WQ (within circle). General locations of demolitions and ordnance disposal are indicated.In October 2002, a bubble curtain was deployed in Whirl Bay as a means of attenuating the shock pulse of underwater detonations, and thereby reducing the adverse effects on underwater marine life. Prior to the actual demolitions, several “Thunderflashes” are detonated to scare marine life away from the blast area. The demolition area is >2 km from the nearest haulout in Race Rocks and is separated from Race Rocks by Christopher Point.Bentinck Island (31 ha) is separated from Rocky Point by Eemdyk Passage—a shallow channel that supports an abundance of bull kelp. Harbour seals are common in Eemdyk Passage, but other pinnipeds have not been seen there (pers. obs.). The mid-section of Bentinck Island is a low-lying, treeless area of pebble beaches connecting three larger areas which support stands of mature Douglas fir. The Bentinck Island Demolition Range is used primarily by Canadian Forces Fleet School (Seamanship Division) for above-water beach-clearing and obstacle-creation exercises involving metal cutting and the displacement and demolition of rocks and logs. The range is licensed for a maximum individual charge size of 2.3 kg (CFB Esquimalt Range Standing Orders). Petty Officer (PO) B. Phillips (pers. comm. 1996) indicated that in the past, the range has been typically used for 56 days per year, but demolitions do not occur on all such days. “Project” is the term used to describe an individual demolition (e.g., timber cut, steel cut, beach clearing, etc.) involving a single explosive charge. “Run” is the term used to describe a set of projects that are simultaneously set up by different teams of trainees. As of 1998, projects in the same run are detonated at a minimum interval of 2 minutes. There was no minimum interval between projects prior to 1998. During a typical day on which the range is active, two to four runs of one to three projects each (i.e., 4-12 blasts per day) are conducted. A typical project consists of one to four slabs4 of C4. Demolition training is conducted on the central beaches of Bentinck Island, with a line-of-sight to Race Rocks. The nearest haulout used by seals and sea lions in the Race Rocks Reserve is approximately 1.2 km away.Surplus ordnance is disposed by way of high-order5 detonation at the Christopher Point Demolition (disposal) Area. Disposal activities are conducted on an as-required basis, and unlike the other ranges in WQ, activities on the Christopher Point Range are not tied to training schedules. Under federal authorization, the disposal area is licensed for a maximum single explosive charge size of 13.6 kg. Twelve such charges are permitted per day. However, as a means of mitigating public concerns about blast noise, a voluntary reduction6 in maximum charge size to 6.8 kg was adopted in 1987 (Explosives Safety Officer [ESO] A. Carter, pers. comm. 1997). Use of the range varies greatly among years, but anywhere from one to 12 high- order detonations on up to 25 days (7%) of the year is a reasonable approximation (ESO A. Carter, pers. comm. 1997). The disposal site is situated in a clearing characterized by Scotch broom and mowed grass. The range has a line-of-sight to Race Rocks. The nearest haulout used by seals and sea lions in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is approximately 2.0 km away.3.3 Marine Life The marine habitats of southern Vancouver Island support a diverse array of invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals. The terrestrial and marine habitats near Rocky Point are important breeding areas, summering areas, wintering areas, migration corridors, or staging areas for approximately 200 species of birds (Campbell et al. 1990a, b; 1997; 2001). The most conspicuous mammals are the pinnipeds (seals and sea lions). The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) is the only pinniped species that breeds in the study area. The abundance of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and northern sea lions7 (Eumetopias jubatus) is greatest outside the May-July breeding season. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) have occurred at Race Rocks in recent years. Single northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) have been reported, but sightings of this species are very infrequent. Cetaceans such as killer whales (Orcinus orca) and gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) are occasionally observed in or near the study area, but do not occur there with the same predictability as pinnipeds.4 A slab of C4 weights 0.500 kg
5 That is, they are exploded rather than disposed of by non-explosive means.
6 Some larger charges, such as the Mark-7 anti-tank mines (each containing 8.6 kg of TNT) are occasionally detonated.
7 Also known as the Steller (or Steller’s) sea lion. 3.3.1 Injury and Disturbance
The detonation of solid, nitrogen-based high explosives like C4 and PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) entails rapid oxidation-reduction reactions that transform solids into gasses such as N2, CO2, H2O, and O2. Other products include intense heat, bright light, a shock wave, and noise. Because the detonation of C4 is so rapid, a shock wave (also known as a pressure pulse) is propagated along the front of the expanding gasses. Such shock waves have the highest peak pressure levels of any man-made source (Richardson et al. 1995). The impulse level (i.e., strength) of a shock wave decays rapidly with increasing distance from the source. As air rapidly expands behind the pressure wave, sound energy (noise; the proverbial boom) is generated. Depending on the peak impulse level of a pressure wave, distance from the source, and species- specific susceptibility among other factors, shock waves can injure or kill animals (Demarchi et al. 1998). Regarding detonations at the three sites in WQ, such extreme effects are not believed to be relevant to marine birds and mammals at Race Rocks because of the small charge sizes (i.e., &Mac178;10 kg) and the distances (i.e., >1 km) involved (Demarchi et al. 1998). Sound energy, at sufficient levels, can temporarily or permanently injure an animal’s hearing organs. It is unlikely that animals at Race Rocks experience temporary or permanent effects to hearing. Blast-caused disturbances of marine birds and mammals at Race Rocks are believed to be triggered by responses to sounds that “scare” rather than injure animals; though it is possible that some animals sense and respond to pressure waves also (Demarchi et al. 1998). As indicated by Richardson et al. (1995), published data on all aspects of the effects of explosions on marine mammals are extremely limited.Ecotourism is a thriving venture both worldwide and on southern Vancouver Island. The tourism industry in Victoria is significant to the local economy. Local entrepreneurs have been quick to capitalize on a large population of tourists and residents willing to pay to see whales and other marine mammals such as sea lions. Obee (1998) presents a general discussion of the rapid growth of this business and the negative effects it can have on local marine life. Wildlife viewing by the pleasure-boating general public can also disturb wildlife. Tershy et al. (1997) describe how humans affected a reserve used by marine birds and pinnipeds. As observed by Demarchi et al. (1998), ecotourism and other human activities at Race Rocks are capable of disturbing birds and pinnipeds. In terms of the responses by individual animals, such disturbances are comparable to those caused by blasts. However, when taken in the perspective of an entire year, disturbances by boats and humans could out-weigh disturbances caused by explosions because the former disturbances are more frequent. Whereas DND activities occur infrequently during the course of a year, boats and other human-caused disturbances occur almost daily when weather conditions are suitable. Disturbances of birds and pinnipeds by boats and human activities on Race Rocks can be viewed as cumulative impacts on the species in question.As reported by Demarchi et al. (1998), blasting often coincided with the presence of ecotourists and pleasure boaters. As recreational boat traffic at Race Rocks increases, the likelihood of such events coinciding is expected to increase. Consequently, an increase in the number of complaints to DND regarding the effects of blasting activities on marine mammals can be expected, 9 LGL Limited(sentence missing in original copy??)regardless of the degree to which any observed disturbances were caused or compounded by the presence of the boat and its occupants8. 3.3.2 Species Accounts The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) tracks the status of flora and fauna in Canada. Listing categories applicable to the species presented in this section are defined as:

  • •Endangered—A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.
  • Threatened—A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.
  • Special Concern—A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.
  • Not at Risk—A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.
  • Not Listed—A species for which there is no present need for evaluation.

In BC, flora and fauna are assessed for concerns about their conservation by the provincial Conservation Data Centre (CDC). Listing categories are as follows:

  • Red Listed—A species that is endangered or threatened with extirpation or extinction.
  • Blue Listed—A species that is sensitive or vulnerable to extirpation or extinction, but less so than Red-listed ones.
  • Yellow Listed—A species that is not at risk, but with a management emphasis in order to meet specific public demands.

The following accounts describe selected bird and mammal species that occur at Race Rocks. Current COSEWIC listings are followed by current CDC listings.3.3.2.1 Brandt’s Cormorant (Not Listed; Red Listed) Brandt’s cormorants are uncommon to abundant throughout south-coastal BC during the year. Several small breeding colonies exist in BC, and in 1987 three nests with young were found at Race Rocks (Campbell et al. 1990a). They are much more abundant near southern Vancouver Island from August to April (Gates 2001) when numerous birds arrive from breeding areas along the west coast of the United States. Brandt’s cormorants roost on Race Rocks and forage in the surrounding waters during autumn through spring.3.3.2.2 Double-crested Cormorant (Not at Risk; Blue Listed) Double-crested cormorants are common residents of southern Vancouver Island, breeding mainly on islands in the Strait of Georgia (Gates 2001, Campbell et al. 1990a). The breeding population has been decreasing in BC in the last two decades (Fraser et al. 1999; Chatwin et al. 2002). Double-crested cormorants commonly rest on the Race Rocks islets and feed in the waters of the Ecological Reserve and surrounding area. The species is not known to breed at Race Rocks.

  • 8 A meeting discussing the present review of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Marine Mammal Regulations was hosted by DFO at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, B.C. on 29 January 2003. The majority of attendees were directly or indirectly affiliated with the marine ecotourism industry. When an audience member spoke of the need for the Marine Mammal Regulations to address the adverse effects of DND’s training exercises on marine life at Race Rocks, most of the audience applauded.

Editors note: We have linked some of the following species to the appropriate reference in the racerocks.com Taxonomy Files. That was not part of the original report. 3.3.2.3 Pelagic Cormorant (pelagicus subspecies Not Listed; Red Listed – resplendens subspecies Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Two subspecies of pelagic cormorant occur in BC and both may occur at Race Rocks. The pelagicus subspecies nests north of Vancouver Island and in Alaska and is Red-listed due to a decline in numbers. It may occur at Race Rocks occasionally during the non-breeding season. The resplendens subspecies breeds in south-coastal BC including Race Rocks (Vermeer et al. 1989a). The number of pelagic cormorants nesting on Race Rocks varies from year to year with 120 counted by Vermeer et al. (1989a) in 1987 and 0 in 2000 (Chatwin et al. 2002). Pelagic cormorants use the rocks and islets of Race Rocks throughout the year for resting and the surrounding waters for feeding.3.3.2.4 Bald Eagle (Not at Risk; Yellow listed)Bald eagles are fairly common on southern Vancouver Island from September to mid-May. During the summer months many of them move north to areas where salmon are spawning and are uncommon locally during that time. Bald eagles usually build their nests in large trees close to water. They breed near Race Rocks along the shore of Vancouver Island, but not within Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Bald eagles use Race Rocks Ecological Reserve mainly as a resting and feeding area where they forage on fish and gulls. 3.3.2.5 Peregrine Falcon (anatum subspecies Threatened; Red Listed – pealei subspecies Special Concern; Blue Listed)Three subspecies of peregrine falcons occur in BC. Although all three probably occur at Race Rocks occasionally, the most likely and frequent is probably the Peale’s peregrine falcon. Peregrine falcons breed in small numbers throughout south-coastal BC. Peregrine falcons from other areas of the west coast migrate through and/or winter in the study area. Peregrine falcons hunt their main prey (other birds) frequently in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. At times they rest or consume prey on the terrestrial portions of the Reserve, frequently perching on man-made structures on Great Race Rock or on higher portions of the rocky shorelines.3.3.2.6 Black Oystercatcher (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Black oystercatchers are common residents and breeders at rocky coastal shoreline areas of southern Vancouver Island (Gates 2001). Three pairs were counted on the islets of Race Rocks in 1987 (Vermeer et al. 1989b). It is reported by LBPC that up to six pairs nest on the islets (Race Rocks 2003). During the non-breeding season up to 40 or more birds aggregate at Race Rocks. In winter during daylight (high tide) hours they spend much of their time on Race Rocks resting and preening.3.3.2.7 Black Turnstone (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Black turnstones are common at marine shoreline habitats on southern Vancouver Island from August to mid-April (Gates 2001). They prefer rocky coastlines and are commonly seen on Race Rock islets feeding and resting. 3.3.2.8 Surfbird (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Surfbirds are present in small numbers on the marine shoreline habitats of southern Vancouver Island from late July to April. They do not breed in the study area (Gates 2001). Small numbers feed and rest on Race Rocks during that time, with peak numbers in spring and fall during migration.3.3.2.9 Rock Sandpiper (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Race Rocks is one of the best places to see rock sandpipers in the Victoria area. This species is quite rare in the region occurring almost exclusively on the rocky shores of offshore islands and islets. Rock sandpipers are regular in small numbers on Race Rocks from late October to late May. They do not breed in the study area. The islets of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve are used for resting during high tide and feeding during lower tides. 3.3.2.10 Heerman’s Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Heerman’s gulls are common in south coastal BC from mid-July to the end of October when most of their population moves north along the Pacific coast from their Mexican breeding grounds. They are very rare at other times of the year and do not breed in BC (Gates 2001, Campbell et al. 1990b). Hundreds of Heerman’s gulls use the islets of Race Rocks for resting and the surrounding waters for feeding during their time in this area.3.3.2.11 California Gull (Not Listed; Blue Listed) California gulls are common to abundant during their spring (March-April) and fall (July- October) migrations in the southern Vancouver Island area. They are quite rare at most other times of the year and do not breed in the study area (Gates 2001). They commonly feed in the water surrounding Race Rocks and rest on the islets during their stay in the area. 3.3.2.12 Herring Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Herring gulls are uncommon at southern Vancouver Island from September to April and rare during the rest of the year. This species is mainly an offshore gull in BC. Race Rocks is probably one of the better places to observe this species near shore and small numbers use the islets for resting and the surrounding waters for feeding mainly during the winter. 3.3.2.13 Thayer’s Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Thayer’s gulls are common winter visitors at southern Vancouver Island from about mid- September to March. They are not present or are very rare in the area from April to mid- September and do not breed in the area (Gates 2001). Very large numbers of Thayer’s gulls use Race Rocks during the fall and winter, resting on the islets and feeding in the surrounding waters. 3.3.2.14 Western Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Western gulls are uncommon to rare during most of the year near southern Vancouver Island (Gates 2001). This species nests along the Pacific coast of North America from Washington to California. At the northern edge of their range, hybridization with glaucous-winged gulls is frequent resulting in many hybrid birds that are impossible to classify to one species. Gulls that appear to be of pure western gull stock are uncommon to rare at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve throughout the year. They join the mixed-species gull flocks either resting on the islets or feeding in the surrounding water. Some of the gulls nesting at Race Rocks are probably hybrids. 3.3.2.15 Glaucous-winged Gull (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Glaucous-winged gulls are the only species of gull nesting at Race Rocks (Photo 2) with up to 424 nests counted in 1989 (Vermeer et al. 1992). They are common all year throughout the region and their numbers have increased dramatically in the last two decades. Other than as a nesting colony, Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is used all year for resting on the islets and feeding in the surrounding water.3.3.2.16 Pigeon Guillemot (Not Listed; Yellow Listed) Pigeon Guillemots are the only species of alcid that nests at Race Rocks. They are in the area year-round, but only use the land in Race Rocks during spring and summer. This migratory species resides in rocky coastal areas, and prefers to forage in shallow, inshore waters. Pigeon guillemots nest in rock crevices on the periphery of Great Race Rock. The first nesting record was in 1953 and published numbers of breeding pairs there range from 14 to 400 (Campbell et al. 1990b).Photo 2. Adult glaucous-winged gull nesting on a grassy area of Great Race Rock. 25 May 2003. LGL Limited 133.3.2.17 Northern Elephant Seal (Not at Risk; Yellow Listed) The northern elephant seal (Photo 3) is a member of the family Phocidae—the true seals. Although near extinction at the beginning of the 20th century, legal protection of the species and its habitat has allowed it to recover. In 1991 there was an estimated population of 127,000 animals (Stewart and Huber 1993). This species is highly migratory, breeding primarily on islands in northern Mexico and central California and moving north after the breeding season. After breeding, most animals stay far offshore in deep water. Males move over the continental shelf as far north as the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands, while females tend to move westward into the open ocean (Stewart and Huber 1993).Northern elephant seals can haul out at any time of the year, but Stewart and Huber (1993) note three seasonal peaks in abundance at haulouts. The first is in winter during the combined pupping and breeding season. The second is in late April and early May when adult females and subadults come ashore to moult. The third is in October when non-pregnant females, pups, yearlings, and subadults come ashore to moult.Baird (1990) reported that northern elephant seals are sparsely, but widely distributed in British Columbian waters throughout the year and are usually seen singly. Race Rocks is one of the few spots in BC where elephant seals regularly haul out. The account by Cowan and Carl (1945) suggests that, at least up to the mid-20th century, northern elephant seals were not as common in BC as they are at present. Based on their size and general appearance, most animals using Race Rocks are adult females or subadults, although a few adult males also haul out there.Photo 3. Subadult male northern elephant seal. Members of this species commonly hauled-out on and near the boat launch at Great Race Rock. They tolerated humans at very close distances, to the point of becoming a nuisance at times as they interfered with boat launchings and landings. This individual is moulting its brown fur, exposing its grey, scarred skin beneath. 26 June 2003. 3.3.2.18 Harbour Seal (Not at Risk; Yellow Listed)The harbour seal (Photo 4; Photo 5) is a member of the family, Phocidae—the true seals. They are the most abundant and widespread pinniped in coastal waters of southern BC and the only one that breeds in the study area. They are non-migratory residents at Race Rocks and give birth (“pup”) on the islets. The pupping season of harbour seals varies regionally, with those in the study area giving birth during the months of June through September; peaking in late July (Bigg 1969). Harbour seal pups are highly precocial at birth and are reared in the water as well as on land (Riedman 1990). Pups are weaned at an age of 5-6 weeks. Harbour seals spend a considerable amount of time hauled-out on beaches, rocks, man-made structures, and islets, including the islets at Race Rocks. Numbers of harbour seals have increased dramatically in and near British Columbian waters after the species was afforded protection from hunting under Canadian and American laws (Olesiuk et al. 1990; Jeffries et al. 2003). Photo 4. Mother-pup pairs of harbour seals are commonly observed at Race Rocks during summer. The species is present at Race Rocks year-round. Sub-Area G; 17 July 2003. Photo 5. Harbour seals haul out in abundance on intertidal portions of the study area. Sub-area F; 17 July 2003. LGL Limited 153.3.2.19 California Sea Lion (Not at Risk; Yellow Listed)The California sea lion (Photo 6) is a member of the eared seal family, Otariidae. California sea lions move north into the study area from breeding colonies in Mexico and California after each summer breeding season, then return south in the late winter and spring. Peak abundance in BC is between September and May. Most of the animals in BC are adult and subadult males but females are known to occur. The number of California sea lions using British Columbian coastal waters has increased substantially during the last century, and in particular, since 1980 (Bigg 1988a). Bigg (1988a) reported that California sea lions were not present on Race Rocks prior to 1965. Records from 1971 (summarized in Bigg 1988a) indicate a maximum of approximately 30 animals at Race Rocks. Since then, numbers have increased to several hundred animals at times. P. Olesiuk (pers. comm. 2002) indicated that California sea lions are expanding their non- breeding range northward within BC, but that little is known of this expansion due to limited monitoring of pinnipeds.In recent years there has been a continued northward expansion of the species on both the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island (P. Olesiuk, pers. comm. 2002). A few radio tags deployed on California sea lions in the early 1990s revealed that while in BC waters, California sea lions are very mobile and do not remain in the same area (haulout) for extended periods (P. Olesiuk pers. comm. 2002). In BC, California sea lions appear to readily and rapidly shift their distributions in response to the movements of their main prey, salmon and herring (P. Olesiuk pers. comm. 2002). A northward shift in schools of adult herring during the mid-winter pre- spawning period has resulted in a concomitant shift in California sea lions. For example, they no longer occur in the same abundance at Harmac (near Nanaimo) as in the past, but greater numbers are now seen near Hornby Island to the north (P. Olesiuk pers. comm. 2002).Photo 6. California sea lions hauled-out on Great Race Rock. The vast majority of California sea lions at Race Rocks are adult and subadult males. October 2002; (Photo: M. Bentley). 3.3.2.20 Northern Sea Lion (Special Concern; Red Listed)The northern sea lion (Photo 7) is a member of family Otariidae (eared seals). The breeding range of this species is from California, along the Pacific coast to Alaska and northeast Asia. Two stocks are recognized: the Western Stock which ranges from Russia to the Gulf of Alaska; and an Eastern Stock which ranges from southeast Alaska to California. In BC between 1912 and 1968, thousands of northern sea lions were killed in a campaign to reduce the perceived conflict between this species and commercial fishermen. A review of historic data (Bigg 1988b) indicated that control programs and commercial harvests conducted in BC during 1912-1967 eradicated one breeding area and reduced numbers on the remaining rookeries to about 25-30% of peak levels observed in the early 20th century, prior to any large-scale culls. Numbers of northern sea lions on Race Rocks appear to have rebounded since the control program ended (Bigg 1988b). Presently there is considerable concern about conservation of the western stock because of a dramatic, unexplained decline since 1970 (Trites and Donnelly 2003). Conversely, the Eastern Stock (the one which occurs at Race Rocks) has exhibited a modest increase during this period (Bigg 1988a; Calkins et al. 1999). Despite this increase, in November 2003 COSEWIC upgraded this species’ listing from “Not at Risk” to “Special Concern” because there are only three breeding locations in BC, the species is sensitive to human disturbance while on land, the threat of acute oil spills, and unexplained declines in other populations to the north and west of BC .The closest rookeries to Race Rocks are on the Scott Islands off northern Vancouver Island (Bigg 1988b; Loughlin et al. 1984). Northern sea lions migrate into the study area where they spend a considerable amount of time hauled-out on traditional beaches, rocks, and islets. Bigg (1988b) identified Race Rocks as a haulout site used by northern sea lions during their nonbreeding season, with peak abundance occurring during September through May. All sexes and age-classes (except newborn pups) of northern sea lions occur on Race Rocks.Photo 7. Northern sea lions hauled out on Sub-Area 2-5 of Race Rocks. That area was commonly used by both sexes and all age classes. Photo date: 20 November 2003. 3.3.2.21 Killer Whale (Northeast Pacific Southern Resident population: Endangered, Red Listed – Northeast Pacific Transient population: Threatened, Red Listed) Killer whales (Photo 8) are large members of the family Delphinidae that occur in arctic, temperate, and tropical waters of the world’s oceans. Two different populations occur in and near the study area: residents (which typically forage on fish—namely salmon) and transients (which typically forage on pinnipeds). The terms resident and transient do not accurately denote the movement patterns of each population (references in Baird 2001b) and members of either population can occur in the study area at any time of the year. They are infrequent visitors to Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, seldom spending more than a few minutes in it when they do occur there (this study). Baird and Dill (1994, cited in Calambokidis and Baird 1994) reported that killer whales take “large numbers’ of harbour seals at Race Rocks, but such behaviour was never observed during the present study or that by Demarchi et al. (1998). Since 1960, the Southern Resident population of about 96 in 1967, declined to a low of 67 in 1971, then rose to about 100 individuals in 1995 (Baird 2001b). By 2001 the population had declined to 789, qualifying it as an endangered and “depleted stock” under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (Krahn et al. 2002). Much less is known of the local transient population. Photo 8. Killer whales, such as this lone male, were infrequently observed in the study area. 7 August 2003.
9 The 2003 population estimate by the Washington-based Center for Whale Research
(http://www.whaleresearch.com/thecenter/southern.html) was 83.4 METHODS The methodology employed in this study was based on that used during a similar study conducted in 1997 and 1998 (Demarchi et al. 1998). Race Rocks was accessed by an inflatable boat launched from Rocky Point. Monitoring days were selected to represent a sample of weekday and weekend conditions. Two or three observers recorded data in four different Microsoft Access 2002 databases using a hand-held Comapq iPAQ computer running Visual CE v6.1. Binoculars (8-10x) and tripod-mounted spotting scopes (20-60x) were used to assist with animal identification. In addition to the information presented below, additional information on data collection is presented in Appendix 2. The first database concerned weather. Weather conditions were measured using on-site meteorological equipment (windspeed in knots and direction in degrees off true north) operated by the Coast Guard or by visual estimates (all others). As animal responses to disturbance may vary with time of day, cloud cover, wind speed, wind direction, wave height, swell condition, and tide height, weather parameters were measured in the morning and at the end of the day, and whenever notable changes in conditions occurred throughout the day. Tidal data were obtained for William Head (123° 32.0′ W, 48° 20.0′ N) using the computer program WXtide32 v2.7 (Hopper 2002). William Head is within 5 km to the north of Race Rocks.The second database contained counts of bird and pinniped species in the study area. Those data provided information on how numbers of animals in the study area changed during daily and seasonal timescales. Birds and pinnipeds were censused twice (morning and afternoon). Only animals that were supported by terrestrial features (i.e., islands, islets, rocks, man-made structures, etc.) within one of the sub-areas (see Figure 2) were counted because of the difficulties in seeing animals in the water or counting birds in the air. Further, only animals visible from the tower were counted. Some animals were hidden from view, but in our opinion, based on our familiarity with the study area viewed from different boat-based vantages, the vast majority (>90%) of individuals were visible from the tower. Densely crowded pinnipeds also obscured the view of some animals. Considering these visibility biases, counts were likely lower than the actual number of animals within the Reserve.The third database involved sweep counts of the numbers and behaviours of animals in selected sub-areas. These data facilitated an assessment of the effects of disturbance on bird and on pinniped behaviour and numbers by facilitating comparisons between pre- and post-disturbance conditions. These counts were made approximately every 30-60 minutes during the observation period, together with additional counts made immediately prior to, and within a few minutes following, blasting or the closest approach by people, boats, or aircraft. Two visible measures of disturbance are: 1) the change in body position (i.e., activity level; head-down or head-up of pinnipeds10), and 2) the change in numbers of pinnipeds on the haulouts and birds on hard surfaces. During samples of activity levels, we noted whether a disturbance stimulus was present or had occurred (e.g., if an ecotour boat was situated such that the passengers were focusing on the animals in the selected sub-area; or if a blast had just occurred). Multiple stimuli were recorded if they occurred simultaneously. Observations on the visible effects (or lack thereof) of a given stimulus were also noted as comments for each record.10 It is acknowledged that sea lions sometimes rest in a head-up position, but in our experience at Race Rocks, the proportion of such animals is in the vast minority. The fourth database tracked potential disturbance events. Because the nature of disturbances from sources other than blasting by DND were unpredictable both spatially and temporally, it was important to track such disturbances in the vicinity of marine animals. To that end, a 250 m by 250 m grid was superimposed on a map of the study area. Grid cells entered by each disturbance stimuli were recorded, as well as the time at which the disturbance entered and left the study area. Cells were recorded a maximum of one time per individual disturbance factor even if the factor temporarily left then re-entered the same cell.Field sampling began 6 October 2002 and ended 27 November 2003. Where possible, days were scheduled to coincide with explosive training or demolition activities by DND. The dates and exact timing of explosions were coordinated with DND personnel. Up-to-the-minute reports on blast activities were monitored via VHF radio or cellular phone. “Non-training” days were scheduled to document responses to other sources of disturbance such as whale watching tours, pleasure craft, recreational dive boats, aircraft, and other types of human disturbance.4.1 Analytical LimitationsData analyses are complicated by several factors with implications for the application of statistical inference to the study’s results:

  • The study was conducted at a single (unreplicated) site. Consequently, data from one or more control sites (i.e., a site similar in every way to Race Rocks, but without any disturbances) are not available for comparison. Further, military activities, ecotourism, and other human activities have been occurring near or at Race Rocks for many years and no baseline (pre-disturbance) data from Race Rocks are available for comparison.
  • . Because the occurrence of disturbance events was not under the investigators’ control, observations of disturbance were opportunistic. Considering this and the point above, the study does not represent a true scientific experiment.
  • . Extrapolating our results to days when we did not monitor the area is not straightforward. With the exception of LBPC and DND activities, our monitoring sessions are believed to approximate a random sample of days with the potential disturbances to which animals in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve are subjected. However, because our monitoring schedule was communicated in advance to LBPC staff, it is not known whether or not they altered any of their activities at Race Rocks in response to our presence. Further, in the interests of increasing our sample sizes of blast-related disturbances, days when Bentinck Island was active were sampled disproportionately more often than if our sampling had been random.
  • . Because residual effects of disturbance can persist for hours or more, sample records are not independent because repeated samples from the same animals are taken during the course of a day. For example, if a disturbance occurs at time = t and animals move to the water, a sample of animal numbers and activity taken at time = t + 1 is likely to differ from a subsequent sample taken under the scenario where no disturbance had occurred previously. Sample values averaged during the course of a day are more appropriate foruse in statistical testing than individual values obtained from repeated observations of the same animals on the same day.
  • Dependent response variables (i.e., activity and number of individuals visible in the study area) are not exclusively affected by human-caused disturbance events. Animal activity and departure from a haulout occur naturally and are potentially affected by many independent variables such as: time of year, time of day, weather, sea state, tide height, local prey availability, time since feeding, interspecific interactions, intraspecific interactions, behavioural differences among individuals, animal body condition, animal migration, and interactions between these variables. As a result, determining when changes in animal activity or numbers are in response to human-caused disturbances monitored by this study is not straight-forward because of confounding effects. An even greater challenge is to determine what degree of human-caused change in activity level or numbers of animals constitutes a significant, adverse biological effect (see Demarchi 2002).
  • Total counts allow inferences about changes in total numbers of animals in the study area, but the absence of a sample of radio-tagged animals restricts conclusions regarding the extent to which any given disturbance results in temporary or permanent abandonment of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve by a portion of the population.
  • For the most part, differences between the numbers of each pinniped species observed during each pair of daily censuses reflect animals moving on or off the haulouts. However, these values cannot be interpreted strictly as animals moving on or off a haulout because some animals simply moved in and out of view while remaining on the haulout. This is particularly true of northern elephant seals.
  • It was not possible to visually monitor all sub-areas simultaneously during area-wide disturbances such as blasts. Therefore, the proportion of disturbances that actually caused animals to leave the land in the study area could be biased downward. It was usually possible to track individual boats and people to determine whether a decrease in subsequent counts was in response to disturbance or just a natural occurrence.

4.2 Data AnalysesDetailed descriptions of analyses based on census and activity sample data are presented in Appendix 3.5 RESULTSDuring the period 6 October 2002 through 27 November 2003, 52 monitoring sessions were conducted (Table 1). With the exception of two full days and one partial day when fog precluded accurate counts, monitoring was conducted as planned. On two other occasions, the trip to Race Rocks was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions. A wide range of weather conditions occurred during monitoring sessions, from sunny and clear to gale- and storm-force winds and rain storms. Observations were made under a wide range of tide heights and swell conditions.Although much of the land in the Race Rocks complex is exposed at even the highest tides, the amount of exposed land available for resting birds and pinnipeds varied considerably as a function of tide height. Note that no attempt was made to quantify the total area available for resting at any given time. A strong seasonal pattern was observed for tide heights and daily timing, both as observed in the field and as calculated (Hopper 2002). The highest tides were observed during monitoring sessions in November through March (Figure 4). Storms were also more common at that time of year, causing swells and wind-waves that further decreased the availability of resting areas or shortened the duration intertidal areas were exposed during the day (Photo 9). The November-March period was also characterized by a tendency for tides in the late afternoon (near the time when the second daily census was conducted) to be lower than those in the morning (when the first daily census was conducted; Figure 5). The remainder of the year followed the opposite pattern. Tidal variation measured on an hourly scale was sufficient to strongly affect the availability of land for resting birds and pinnipeds—especially harbour seals. Other pinnipeds were not so visibly affected.Table 1. Dates and active range status in WQ during 52 monitoring sessions at Race Rocks. For a summary of dates when the Bentinck Island range was active refer to Appendix 8. a. Days when no blasting occurred as used for comparative purposes to days when blasting occurred on at least Bentinck Island
b. Thick fog precluded complete censuses in both morning and afternoon
c. Thick fog precluded a census in the afternoon

Species Present year round Breeding Migration
Staging.		 Wintering
Summering
Moulting
Northern Elephant Seal .. .. .. .. .. ..
Harbour Seal .. .. .. .. .. ..
California Sea Lion .. .. .. .. .. ..
Northern Sea Lion .. .. .. .. .. ..
Brandt’s Cormorant .. .. .. .. .. ..
Double-crested Cormorant .. .. .. .. .. ..
Pelagic Cormorant .. .. .. .. .. ..
Harlequin Duck .. .. .. .. .. ..
Bald Eagle .. .. .. .. .. ..
Peregrine Falcon .. .. .. .. .. ..
Black Oystercatcher .. .. .. .. .. ..
Black Turnstone .. .. .. .. .. ..
Surfbird .. .. .. .. .. ..
Rock Sandpiper .. .. .. .. .. ..
Heermann’s Gull .. .. .. .. .. ..
California Gull .. .. .. .. .. ..
Herring Gull .. .. .. .. .. ..
Thayer’s Gull .. .. .. .. .. ..
Glaucous-winged Gull .. .. .. .. .. ..
Pigeon Guillemot .. .. .. .. .. ..
Monitoring Date Active Range Monitoring Date Active Range
06-Oct-02a none 02-May-03 Bentinck
07-Oct-02 Bentinck 12-May-03a -none
10-Oct-02 Bentinck 25-May-03a none
17-Oct-02a none 05-Jun-03a none
24-Oct-02 b Bentinck 13-Jun-03a none
30-Oct-02a none 19-Jun-03 Bentinck
08-Nov-02 Bentinck 26-Jun-03 c none
15-Nov-02 none 05-Jul-03a none
22-Nov-02a none 17-Jul-03 none
02-Dec-02 Whirl Bay 27-Jul-03 none
05-Dec-02 Bentinck&Whirl Bay 07-Aug-03 none
16-Dec-02a none 15-Aug-03 none
31-Dec-02a none 23-Aug-03 none
17-Jan-03a none 02-Sep-03 none
20-Jan-03 Whirl Bay 12-Sep-03 none
23-Jan-03 Whirl Bay 18-Sep-03 none
30-Jan-03 Bentinck 25-Sep-03a none
10-Feb-03a none 02-Oct-03b none
20-Feb-03 Bentinck&
Christopher Point		 09-Oct-03 Bentinck
06-Mar-03a none 20-Oct-03a none
14-Mar-03 none 27-Oct-03 Bentinck
20-Mar-03 none 06-Nov-03a none
27-Mar-03 none 13-Nov-03a none
10-Apr-03 none 20-Nov-03 Bentinck
16-Apr-03a none none 21-Nov-03 Bentinck
01-May-03Bentinck Bentinck 27-Nov-03a none
Proceed to PART 2
The following are reports done in later years :
MONITORING DEMOLITION TRAINING IMPACTS IN MILITARY TRAINING AREA WQ ON SEA LIONS IN THE RACE ROCKS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
PROGRESS REPORT #1 REVISED
LGL, Dec 8, 2010
EFFECTIVENESS OF A FIVE-MINUTE DEMOLITION INTERVAL TO MITIGATE BLASTING NOISE IMPACTS IN MILITARY TRAINING AREA WQ ON SEA LIONS IN THE RACE ROCKS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE, BRITISH COLUMBIA,
LGL, Mar 2010
TEMPORAL SPACING OF DEMOLITIONS TO MITIGATE DEMOLITION TRAINING IMPACTS IN MILITARY TRAINING AREA WQ ON SEA LIONS IN THE RACE ROCKS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
LGL, Mar 23 2009

Proposal and Rationale for all PC Students spending time at Race Rocks as part of their College experience.

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Proposal and Rationale for all PC Students spending time at Race Rocks as part of their College experience.

By Ryan Murphy

A select few students have been given the opportunity over the past twenty-odd years to experience and take part in one of the region’s most prominent educational installations. And we are not talking about Pearson College. Race Rocks is an incredible resource, utilized by students from around the world via racerocks.com, yet since the end of orientation week tours to the archipelago, many of our own students graduate without having ever seen the islands.

It is this gross under-use of a “national jewel” that forms the basis for this proposal: an institutionalized system that would see every student at the College spend one week of their first year living and learning on Race Rocks.

Logistics:

There are 27 weeks of classes for students in their first year of study. As well, there are upwards of 104 first year students in any given year. Four students per week for 26 weeks covers the first year student body, as well as being a typical occupant load for the assistant keeper’s residence on the island. Any combination of first year students could be tried: two pairs of roommates, all males, all females, planned groups, interest groups, etc. The important thing is the provision of this unique opportunity to all students, not just the few divers, environmental systems, and racerocks.com activity students. This initiative is doable, and should not be a matter of if, but when.

Rationale:

This proposal fits with the aims of the College in numerous ways. The overlying goal of the UWC movement, as first enounced by Kurt Hahn is “to provide an education, in the total sense, which will produce involved, active, educated citizens…” Having seen many of the students who’ve spent even a weekend here, and having spent upwards of three months here myself, I know that living at Race is not only just different from living at the College, but beneficial for this difference.

These benefits are many:

  1. students learn organizational skills as they plan meals and budget food stores,

  2. they learn responsibility through the daily chores that structure one’s stay on the island,

  3. they develop leadership skills by handling the various challenges that isolated island life present as well as,

  4. interpersonal skills while handling the various challenges that isolated, and secluded island life present,

  5. Race Rocks is an inspirational place in many ways, a wonderful location to encourage creative expression,

  6. being a Marine Protected Area, Guardians learn profound respect for the environment,

  7. for many students, the change of location and open space can be mood elevating, particularly effective in months containing the letter “r”.

Responding to the unique physical and emotional challenges of the Race Rocks environment while attending the College can only foster growth and positive development in our students.

It is believed that having a College-wide participation in this program will not only benefit our students but the College as a whole:

  1. with proper planning and effective use of the technology already available to us, students can not only keep up with their school work, but contribute to their classes as well,

  2. nowhere on campus other than Race Rocks can students experience the raw forces of nature. This increased awareness aids not only science courses, but more creative ones as well, not to mention many activities.

  3. Student groups on the island can be assigned or create their own themes or subjects for discussion during their week, akin to the activities during Jack Matthews’ Days. These discussions can take place online, and a summary could be provided to The Link to eventually create an impressive library of topics.

.

Returning now to The Core, this project responds in many efficient and eloquent ways:

  1. Sleep. In September, the matter of sleep will have completed its third decade of being an ongoing problem at the College. When the sunsets at Race Rocks, there is nothing to do. The computers will allow students to keep in touch, but all students who stay on the island get more than enough sleep.

  2. Physical Exercise. Though it is a small island, the climb to the tower is often enough to wind most people. Physical chores have the same benefits as most Village Service activities and are more exercise than many students would normally get.

  3. Time for Reflection. See point 1, Race Rocks is sufficiently devoid of distractions to provide plenty of time for reflection.

  4. Service. This program can easily be incorporated into a student’s requirements of service to the College.

  5. Conflict Resolution. As stated above, interpersonal skills will be tried and tested during the week, cementing some relationships, and encouraging growth for others.

  6. Aesthetic Appreciation. Any student inclined to pursue an artistic endeavor would meet with success at Race Rocks.

  7. Environmental and Political Awareness. As previously discussed, Race Rocks is perfectly situated to increase awareness on both these fronts.

In conclusion, I would like to reemphasize that Pearson College is not using Race Rocks to its full potential. Both the students and the College as a whole are missing out because of this waste, and it is the goal of this proposal to first make you aware of this potential, and to secondly encourage your own thoughts for the development of this new initiative.

Prepared for Chris Blondeau, July 9, 2003.

by Ryan Murphy (Year 26).

Race Rocks Pre-packaged Tours: 2003

by Ryan Murphy

Adolescents:
Think young, easily bored, but impressionable and inexperienced.
Will want photos of themselves and maybe MPA.

General:

– Safety talk and general information at the docks before getting way.

– Get them involved and thinking early, find out group’s interest(s) and play off that.

– Encourage questions, cater tour to these.

– Orientation stop near Bentinck, get them to point out (guess) local features and places.

– Watch for Bull kelp on way out for demonstration.

MPA tour:

Route dictated by weather and sea conditions.

– Welcome to Canada’s “first” MPA.

– Discuss recent history and management.

– Get them to look around, ask them what they think makes this place distinct/different.

– Point out local flora and fauna, their importance in past and today.

– If there are sea lions, point out differences between them, and with seals.

– Make First Nations link here as boat gets closer to Great Race.

– Discuss LBPC’s role in making/keeping Race Rocks such an important place.

– Point out school-based activities done on the island.

– Get them to smile and wave as they pass in front of the cameras.

– Discuss the internet’s role in preserving the MPA while giving even greater access.

– Talk about diving and other ways students at LBPC get involved.

Miscellaneous:

– If they’re whale crazy, or whales just happen to stop by, identification of two types of orcas, discussion on whale/watcher interactions, other problems encountered by the whales, make link with farmed salmon (poison).

– If the MPA is devoid of everything except the elephant seal, shift focus towards him, story of boat props, and the importance of protecting Race Rocks.

– If they’re a little too excited, the Boxing Day drownings, and Johan Ashuvud stories might help reshift their focus.

– If they’re bored, stories of shipwrecks and sunken treasure might get their attention as well.

Little Kids:

Think very young, easily distracted, mostly uninterested, but easily impressed with simple things. May fall asleep or start to cry.

General:

– Emphasize safety on the boat, warm clothes, and exciting possibilities. The majority of the experience will be new for them, so take time to make interesting and fun as much as you can.

– Get them involved and thinking early, keep it simple and fun

– Encourage conversation and interaction, keep them involved.

– Orientation stop near Bentinck, keep it simple, make leprosy fun.

– Watch for Bull kelp on way out for demonstration.

MPA tour:

Route dictated by weather and sea conditions.

– Welcome to the first protected place of its kind in Canada.

– Get them to look around, point out some features that make this place distinct/different.

– Point out local animals, tell the kids why they’re there and what they do.

– If there are sea lions, point out differences between them, and with seals. Everyone can try animal sounds.

– Mention First Nation’s connection with the past and future of the islands.

– Point out school-based activities done on the island.

– Get them to smile and wave as they pass in front of the cameras.

– Tell kids that they can watch the sea lions at home with their parents at rr.com.

– Talk about going under the water, and how beautiful and colourful it is there.

Miscellaneous:

– If they’re whale crazy, or whales just happen to stop by, identification of two types of orcas, simple discussion of current issues.

– If the MPA is devoid of everything except the elephant seal, shift focus towards him, story of boat props, and the importance of protecting Race Rocks.

– Make the connection of visiting the animals and having a herd of buffalo visit your living room.

– Keep adults involved, if the kids are too young or too uninterested, give the adults their tour, and hit on some exciting things for the kids every so often.

Adults:

Think future donor or concerned private citizen

General:

– Safety talk and general information at the docks before getting way.

– Get them talking early, find out group’s interest(s) and play off that.

– Encourage questions, cater tour to these.

– Orientation stop near Bentinck, indicate local features and places.

MPA tour:

Route dictated by weather and sea conditions.

– Welcome to Canada’s “first” MPA.

– Discuss recent history and management.

– Describe what features make Race Rocks so incredible.

– Point out local flora and fauna.

– If there are sea lions, point out differences between them, and with seals.

– Make First Nations link here as boat gets closer to Great Race.

– Discuss LBPC’s role in making/keeping Race Rocks such an important place.

– Point out college activities done on the island, Mike and Carol’s role.

– Get them to smile and wave as they pass in front of the cameras.

– Discuss the internet’s role in preserving the MPA while giving even greater access.

– Talk about funding issues, the partnerships created, and how important outside involvement is.

Miscellaneous:

– If they’re whale crazy, or whales just happen to stop by, identification of two types of orcas, discussion on whale/watcher interactions, other problems encountered by the whales, make link with farmed salmon (poison).

– If the MPA is devoid of everything except the elephant seal, shift focus towards him, story of boat props, and the importance of protecting Race Rocks.

– Relating the Johan Ashuvud story will help emphasize the importance Race Rocks has.

– Many adults are concerned with who has access to the islands, the particulars of management and the like. Knowing the operating budget helps.

First Nations:

Be conscious of current issues, as well as information they may have

General:

– Safety talk and general information at the docks before getting way.

– Get them talking early, find out group’s interest(s) and play off that.

– Encourage questions, cater tour to these.

– Orientation stop near Bentinck, indicate local features and places.

MPA tour:

Route dictated by weather and sea conditions.

– Welcome to Canada’s “first” MPA.

– Know which month of the Salish calendar you’re in.

– Xwayen used by the Saanich people (Coast Salish), speak Klallum language.

– Discuss recent history and management (milk-stool).

– Describe what features make Race Rocks so incredible.

– Feel the crowd for any traditional knowledge, encourage stories.

– Point out local flora and fauna of importance, traditional uses.

– Make First Nations link here as boat gets closer to Great Race.

– Earle Claxton of the Tsawout First Nation and Joe Bartleman of the Tsartlip First Nation.

– Discuss LBPC’s role in making/keeping Race Rocks such an important place.

– Point out college activities done on the island, Mike and Carol’s role.

– Indicate the cameras as you pass in front of the windows.

– Discuss the internet’s role in preserving the MPA while giving even greater access.

– Talk about funding issues, the partnerships created, and how important outside involvement is.

Miscellaneous:

– If they’re whale crazy, or whales just happen to stop by, identification of two types of orcas, discussion on whale/watcher interactions, other problems encountered by the whales, make link with farmed salmon (poison).

– If the MPA is devoid of everything except the elephant seal, shift focus towards him, story of boat props, and the importance of protecting Race Rocks.

– Relating the Johan Ashuvud story will help emphasize the importance Race Rocks has.

– Many people are concerned with who has access to the islands, the particulars of management and the like. Knowing the operating budget helps.

Fund Raising:

Think future donor, the most diverse group. Some come to show off gadgets, others want to see the lighthouse, and still others don’t even know they want to support us yet.

General:

– Safety talk and general information at the docks before getting way.

– Get them talking early, find out group’s focus and build on that.

– Encourage questions, cater tour to these.

– Orientation stop near Bentinck, if there are signs of genuine interest. If not, casually pointing things out should suffice.

MPA tour:

Route dictated by weather and sea conditions.

– Welcome to Canada’s “first” MPA.

– Discuss recent history and management.

– Describe what features make Race Rocks so incredible.

– Point out local flora and fauna.

– Make First Nations link here as boat gets closer to Great Race.

– Discuss LBPC’s role in making/keeping Race Rocks such an important place.

– Point out college activities done on the island, Mike and Carol’s role.

– Point to the cameras as you go by, discuss the many contributions already made.

– Discuss the internet’s role in preserving the MPA while giving even greater access.

– Talk about funding issues, the partnerships already created, and how important outside involvement is.

– Stress negative human impact, and importance of our mission to share and protect.

– How incredible the racerocks.com project is, world-class educational resource.

Miscellaneous:

– If they’re whale crazy, or whales just happen to stop by, identification of two types of orcas, discussion on whale/watcher interactions, other problems encountered by the whales, make link with farmed salmon (poison).

– If the MPA is devoid of everything except the elephant seal, shift focus towards him, story of boat props, and the importance of protecting Race Rocks.

– Relating the Johan Ashuvud story will help emphasize the importance Race Rocks has.

– Many adults are concerned with who has access to the islands, the particulars of management and the like. Knowing the operating budget helps.

– Jordanian student who completed university course with our site alone.

Information:

General:

Users:

Coast Guard, LBPC, Whale Watchers/Eco-tourists, Private citizens, Academics, Educators, First Nations.

Management:

DFO (Federal), BC Parks (Provincial), and LBPC (us).

Operating budget $150,000 a year. Relies heavily on private donors like you. What you see is made possible by many generous sponsors contributing time, money, and expertise.

Sponsors:

Apple Computers. ALI, LBPC, SONY, Friends of Ecological Reserves, Millennium Foundation, Richard Ivey Foundation, Johan Ashuvud Fund, Ken Dunham, Giovanni Rosso, Jochen Kumm…

Stories to know:

Boxing Day drownings, Sunken treasure, shipwrecks, L-51 death -> farmed salmon, toxins, elephant seal struck/healed, whale/watcher interactions, Johan Ashuvud, Bull Kelp, Jordanian student completing course online…

Website to know:

Why we have one, How we do it, and What is on it.

First Nations:

Late April- Early May Penawen (Harvest Seaweed)

May Centeki (Sockeye Return to Earth)

June-July Cenhenen (Pink Salmon/Humpback Return to Earth)

August Centawen (Coho Return to Earth)

Xwayen used by the Saanich people (Coast Salish), speak Klallum language.
Earle Claxton of the Tsawout and Jow Bartleman of the Tsartlip First Nation are elders who are involved with the MPA.

Used: Rockfish, Dungeness Crab, Sea Urchins, Sea cucumber, Gooseneck Barnacnles, Mussels, Abalone, Oysters, Bird’s Eggs, and various marine algaes.

Flora and Fauna:

Birds:

Herring Gull (common), Western Gull (seasonally), Bonaparte’s Gull (seasonally), Heermann’s Gull (seasonally), Glacous-winged Gull (v. common, breeder), Arctic Tern (rare, breeder), Black Turnstone (common), Short-billed dowitcher (common), Rock sandpiper (common), Black Oystercatcher (v. common, breeder), Bald Eagle (v. common), Harlequin Duck (seasonal), Rhinocerous Auklet (seasonally), Pigeon Guillemont (v. common, breeder), Common Murre (seasonally), Pelagic Cormorant (seasonally), Double-Crested Cormorant (common), Brandt’s Cormorant (seasonally, endangered).

Mammals:

Grey whale (rare), Humpback whale (v. rare), Orca (seasonal, transient rare), Dall’s Porpoise (rare), Harbour Porpoise (rare, in area), Northern Elephant seal (v. common), Northern Fur Seal (v. rare), California sea lion (common, seasonal), Steller/Northern sea lion (common, seasonal), Pacific Harbour Seal (v. common, breeder).

Others:

Bull kelp, giant pacific octopus, wolf eel, abalone, salmon.

Pests: River otters, Canada geese, Crows, Grackles.

History:

1860 lighthouse constructed with Scottish granite (ballast) and local rock,

Same paint as space shuttle,

20W light bulb, solar powered (automated), Fresnel lens,

Most southerly point of Canada west of Ontario,

3 days before the tower was lit, Nanette (tallship) struck, total loss,

1865 Boxing Day drownings of family and friends of keepers,

1867 SS Nichola Biddle sank

1877 Swordfish ran aground

1882 SS Rosedale lost

1886 Barnard Castle struck

1896 SS Tees lost

1901 Prince Victor sank

1911 Sechelt capsized in Race Passage

1923 Siberian Prince lost (didn’t hear foghorn)

1925 Eemdijk lost (didn’t hear foghorn)

1925 Hope (tug) lost trying to salvage Eemdijk.

1929 Hydrographic Survey ship the Lilloet finds silent zone due to positioning of foghorn.

1885 Argyle (keeper) dives for gold sovereigns.

1950 Arthur Anderson lost as sea, skiff found near Port Angeles.

1997 Coast Guard hands management over to Pearson College

1998 Pilot MPA

2000 announced as MPA

2000 racerocks.com starts with live cameras broadcasting over the internet.

Race Rocks Update Spring 2002- Angus Matthews

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The New Landlord
Responsibility for Great Race Island has recently reverted back to the Province of British Columbia represented by BC Parks. The Coast Guard has officially turned all surplus buildings and facilities at Race Rocks over to BC Parks for use in support of education, research and the protection of the Marine Protected Area. Before transferring the assets, the Coast Guard completed extensive upgrades of the fuel systems, generators, buildings and other equipment including the large equipment hoist. The Coast Guard retains a small area of land around the historic light tower and responsibility for maintenance of the tower, operation of the light, fog signal and automated weather reporting system.

BC Parks has in turn entered into a 30 year agreement with Pearson College to designate responsibility to the College for the operation of the facilities, delivering education programs, supporting research and providing supervision for the Ecological Reserve and Marine Protected Area. We look forward to working closely with BC Parks to serve as custodians of this precious ecosystem on behalf of the people of British Columbia and Canada.

Community Support
We are fortunate to have strong support and co-operation from the many visitors to the MPA. We continue to work with the eco-tourism and scuba diving operators to ensure their operating guidelines are carefully followed while their many appreciative visitors have the opportunity to experience the remarkable diversity of Race Rocks. This kind of public education is an essential element of promoting public awareness of the value of the MPA initiative. We hope to work with the eco-tourism operators this year to encourage their customers to voluntarily contribute financial support for Race Rocks. We continue to have an excellent working relationship with the operators.

Sports fishers continue to honour their commitment to avoid fishing within the MPA boundary and we have had great cooperation from Sean and the staff at Pedder Bay Marina. DFO staff members have recently strengthened relationships with the local kayaking community as well.

We are also engaged in an effort with the Department of National Defence and DFO in an attempt to mitigate the impacts on the MPA as a consequence of DND activities at the nearby Rocky Point Base.

The Financial Picture
We continue to rely on our many supporters to sustain the operation of Race Rocks MPA and the racerocks.com website. We greatly appreciate the support of many of you who have made donations both large and small. Every donation helps and through the web we have made new donor friends all over the world. We particularly welcome as new supporters, the Ivey Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, Georgia Strait Alliance and a new technology sponsor, Channel Storm from Israel. Apple Canada, Apple Learning Interchange and Akamai continue to be generous and helpful supporters and advisors

Regrettably we are likely to end our fiscal year on June 30, 2002 with an operating shortfall of $27,000 on our budget. Pearson College has undertaken this debt on an interim basis. We are working closely with government agencies to stabilise the financial plan for long term sustainability of the MPA.

racerocks.com
Garry and our students continue to develop extraordinary features for the MPA’s award winning website. The use of the site by students, teachers, science centres and cyber visitors from around the world has expanded considerably. Technology has proven to be an effective way to widely share Race Rocks and Canada’s Marine Protected Area strategy without negative impacts. Three of the most popular new resources on the website are the Archives, Daily Log and Race Rocks Taxonomy file features.

Video Archives
A great supplement to our live cameras (because you can be sure to find what you are looking for) is an extensive menu of special topic video clips that are being developed for the site. These are great classroom resources for teachers and on-line learning. Check them out at https://www.racerocks.ca/archived-video/

Daily Log
Our resident eco-guardians, Mike and Carol Slater have done a great job of telling the Race Rocks story on the web in the Ecoguardians log. Everything from an elephant seal invasion, to the surprise hatching of our first Canada Geese chicks a few weeks ago have been faithfully recorded. Information in the Log is also backed up by a data base that will allow us to recover data on various marine mammal and bird sightings as well as visitor and vessel traffic. Over the years this data is bound to be useful to researchers and resource managers.

Race Rocks Taxonomy File
This will be a long term project. Garry is determined that we create a truly innovative and accessable taxonomy file featuring all the species at Race Rocks and utilising the very best of what the web has to offer; video clips, photos, text and Internet links. With the guidance of Garry and our other Biology/Environmental Systems faculty members Catrin Brown and Laura Verhegge, the project is launched with 70 species files established this year. This work in progress is available on the web at
https://www.racerocks.ca/race-rocks-animals-plants/taxonomy-image-gallery/

and Next………
We look forward to an interesting summer season. Throughout June we will have a team of students as guests at Race Rocks providing regular webcasts. Check the calendar for the schedule. We hope to raise the funds required to deal with our debt and a few important upgrades on the project. we urgently need to upgrade the sewage facilities on the island by installing composting toilets to eliminate discharge into the MPA there is a remarkable enhanced remote control camera with 360 degree rotation and a much more powerful zoom capability which we hope to acquire we hope to get data from the underwater sensors (which have run well for over a year) available to you on the website

Most of all, we look forward to your continued involvement and support for Race Rocks Marine Protected Area. Thank you for your support.

Angus Matthews
Director of Administration and Special Projects
Pearson College/Race Rocks

racerocks.com: Education and Research in Real Time

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racerocks.com: Education and Research in Real Time
By Garry Fletcher

There are a few places on earth where a person who is naive in the principles of ecology can still have that feeling of “ah ha! Now I understand”. I understand why organisms are so intricately tied to their environment; how animals interact for purposes of food and mutual assistance; how many birds, plants, mammals and invertebrates are so closely tied together; how human intervention can be disruptive to natural things; and why it is essential to keep places like these preserved forever. The small Archipelago of islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the Southern tip of Vancouver Island – known as Race Rocks by those who live here now, but as Xwayen, the place of the swift flowing water, by previous generations of First Nations people – is such a place.

So it was no wonder that Race Rocks attracted our attention at Lester B. Pearson College as far back as the late 1970’s. In 1980, when the area was established as a Provincial Ecological Reserve, the College assumed a role of Stewardship and started a program of basic research and recording of the features of the area. It takes only a few hours in any kind of weather to realize the value of the place as an educational resource. Through the years, it has promoted protection of and education about the unique ecosystems Race Rocks.

Their size and location make it difficult to encourage many people to visit the islands. So, in order to expose their wonders to the outside world, we collaborated with the B.C. Parks, the Royal BC Museum, and volunteers with expertise in the telecommunications industry to produce a week-long series of live T.V. Programs,”Underwater SAFARI ” in 1992. After that experience, I knew we just had to find a way to make this resource available to the world – without attracting so many people that the very values we were so enthusiastic about were threatened. By 1999, webcasting in real time had become a possibility, and so, with seed money from the Millennium Partnership Fund of Canada, racerocks.com was born.

From the beginning of the project, we required racerocks.com to remain universally accessible for the purposes of Education and Research, and we limited commercial advertisement to a minimum, with recognition of sponsors and supporters included in a special designated part of the website.

My priority with the website has been to include the ecology of Race Rocks as a resource for the objectives of the Biology and Environmental Systems classes at Lester B. Pearson College. In addition, we have highlighted the resource material links for the Grade 11 Biology curriculum for the Province of British Columbia. For the past year, the educational branch of Apple, the Apple Learning Interchange, (ALI) has hosted our video and audio feeds on the Akamai network. We have also collaborated with ALI to develop more curriculum links and to make “units of practice” accessible to all schools. Recently, with their assistance, we have added a Conference Room – a chat site for our cameras, and a discussion forum.

Collaboration with outside researchers has added another valuable educational dimension to the website. Several pages are now available profiling the work of scientists in documenting the physical and biological processes of Race Rocks.

We have also been working with local First Nations to build the stories and explanations of the central role of intertidal ecosytems in the lives of First Nations people, past and present. The theme of the 13 moons of the Coast Salish people will soon be a focus of some of the educational materials available on the website for school children. Eventually, sharing in the management of the resources of the Marine Protected Area with First Nations will provide a great educational angle.

Pearson College students play a major role in the production of Race Rocks content for the internet, making racerocks.com an educational experience for those who create and maintain it as well as for those who visit it.. In the past year, students have worked at least one afternoon a week learning to use programs like Adobe Go-Live, Adobe Photoshop, Quick TimeVR, iMovie , and Sorenson Broadcaster . On six occasions students were involved in live webcasts for presentations I was making in California, Victoria, and New York. One student presented to a conference in Halifax while I was back at Race Rocks making an underwater presentation with the other students of the racerocks.com activity.

Two students, Damien Guihen from Ireland and Jean-Olivier Dalphond from Quebec stayed on at Race Rocks for two weeks after the end of the college this past summer, working with the computers producing Virtual reality 360 degree scenes and video for the archives while diving frequently to observe and gather data.

Damien, who is back as a student this fall, has already realized the valuable contribution he will be able to pass on to new students in the activity. He summarized his experience in June like this.

“This summer I spent nearly two weeks on Race Rocks working with digital video, 360 degree panoramic movies, sensor upkeep and diving. The results of some of my work are available for view at www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vrindex.htm . From this page you can see a 360 degree view of the island from many points on the island and one from underwater. . . From my time spent on Race Rocks throughout the year I have learned many things about boats, video and, of course, diving. In the last two terms, I have developed a love for the ocean. As I live inland in Ireland, I have realized since I came home exactly how difficult it will be for me to live anywhere without a view of the ocean within five minutes walk. . . Diving at Race Rocks has presented me with some of the most beautiful and thrilling sights that I have seen in my life and provided me with a number of skills, many of which are as relevant in everyday life as they are underwater.

… Race Rocks is almost a second home for the students who get really involved with the project . . . and a magnificent case study for environmental systems and biology students as it possesses not only a dazzling biodiversity but also a variety of conditions such as the intertidal zones. Its fast, mineral rich currents and algae covering give it a fantastic scope for the study of ecosystems.

Students at Pearson College are not the only ones who benefit from this unique educational resource. Throughout the year we have conducted scheduled webcasts specifically for people in locations all over North America. From Victoria to New York, from Halifax to California and from Toronto to Texas, we have had audiences watching action on Race Rocks through the internet via our three constant live cameras and our mobile camera . . . This technology means that we can now reach classrooms anywhere with a speedy connection to the internet. . .”

Damien will share the skills he developed in computer graphics during his two-week stay on the island with other members of the racerocks.com activity this year.

A graduating student of Pearson College, Jean-Olivier has become an expert in the production of QuickTime movies for racerocks.com using iMovies . In the weeks at Race Rocks he was able to do another nine movies to add to our archives site.

“For the first two weeks of June, I have resided on Race Rocks with Damien Guihen from Ireland. We had a great time out there! Our main focus was to pursue the work done with the website, www.racerocks.com, throughout the school year. I’m now graduated from Pearson, and I wanted to spend some more time on the island before I left. I’m must say I’m really starting to like this place!

My ‘specialty’ this year was with underwater video and video editing. I have had the chance to not only dive in the unique waters of Race Rocks, but also to make use of my interest in images, to share their beauty with everyone via the Net.

Sometimes when I sit back and look at the window overlooking the ocean, I feel very lucky. Around me the inspiring scenery is one that I would hate seeing spoiled. The new Marine Protected Area designation of the surrounding waters of Race Rocks makes me feel safe. It really became a goal for me to try to show it to people who aren’t here, to try to capture of bit of the generosity of sight present here to show to people.

The sea water doesn’t show its fragility to the first look, but requires a close relationship with it, whether it is on land or underwater. The sensitive activities that take place are for me a natural order that need to be left to themselves to develop and evolve. Being around here this summer was great for that. A few people with real interest in the place came to visit. It was another opportunity to share my ideas. I have learned a lot here.”

The racerocks.com site has proven to be of great value for my own class instruction in biology and environmental systems. We use the opportunity of the mobile camera to do live webcast discussions in class and, as an added advantage, we can take a recorded one hour video and play it directly through the broadcaster. I have used this technique for several school visits this year. Four grade seven students with us on the island can serve as proxies for the rest of their class, allowing us to limit the number of people on the island while maintaining the personal connection with the classroom.

I have designed several labs using the materials on the web site, with new ones always in the planning stages. A lab on tidepools, with the detailed directions for measurement from digital images, helps students quantify bacterial growth from digital images of colonies. The transect files serve a valuable purpose in providing students with real data for detailing parameters of ecological niches of organisms.

Students make a lasting contribution by providing a digital legacy of their work on the internet, thus adding to the accumulated information on the unique ecosystems of the islands. Each year some students choose to do a biology or environmental systems extended essay or a research project on Race Rocks. Although these research papers are preliminary studies, they add greatly to the content of the site and demonstrate the wealth of data that can be obtained there.

Environmental factors at Race Rocks form the core of our next phase of work. Environmental Sensors are being installed in 5 different ecosystems here and real time readouts will be available on the website. By September, students will have access to a wealth of data and a database that will allow analysis and graphing of the data.

The technology of racerocks.com has enable our own and many other students to extend the boundaries of the classroom to experience a sensitive ecosystem while ensuring the ecological integrity of that ecosystem.

Financial Proposal For Race Rocks Operation

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The following operational budget provided details of projected minimum operational expenses at Race Rocks for the period April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002. The budget is based on our four years of experience in funding the Race Rocks project and the highly efficient operational format we have established. Pearson College guarantees to cover any cost over runs if they should occur.

It is proposed that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, BC Parks, and Pearson College each contribute $50,000 to cover the 2001-2002 operating budget.

(Ed Note: As of 2012 Neither Provincial or Federal governments have responded to this request with any financial support. During that time Pearson College has raised funding separate from the college funding to maintain operations at Race Rock.)

Race Rocks MPA/ER
Operating Budget April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002
Salaries
Eco-guardian(s)
42,000
Educator (1/2 time)
30,000
Shore-side support (1/3 time)
14,000
Benefits
9,460
95,460
Fuel
Generator
11,000
Heating
1,400
Boat
1,750
Lube/oils
2,000
16,150
Maintenance
Buildings
6,000
Generators
4,300
Water pumps
2,100
Desalinator
2,200
Winches
800
Boat and motor
4,700
Jetty
400
Fuel system
450
Radios
200
Diving equipment
2,500
23,650
Administration Costs
Phone
600
Insurance
1,800
Stationery/printing
1,150
3,550
Education Program
Classroom materials
4,500
Communication/outreach programs
2,500
First Nations’ program
5,000
Internet access
2,000
14,000
 
Total expenditures
$152,810

 

Provincial Proposal for Race Rocks MPA Funding

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Ecological Reserve and Marine Protected Area
OPERATIONAL PROPOSAL 2001/2002

Presented to: Province of British Columbia
BC Parks
Attention:Denis O’Gorman
Assistant Deputy Minister
January 31, 2001

Background

BC Parks was among the first to recognize the extraordinary value of this treasured eco-system. In 1980 the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve was established to protect marine life on the rocky outcrops and the ocean floor extending to a depth of 20 fathoms. Great Race Island, home to the Race Rocks light station was leased to the Federal Government since BC joined confederation. As a result the Island was excluded from the Ecological Reserve.

As a consequence of a Federal decision to de-staff the light station in 1997, the keepers were to be removed and they would no longer provide the essential supervision required for full protection of the Reserve. In excess of $25 million worth of commercially exploitable species are known to exist within the Reserve area. The presence of the keepers was determined to be essential for continued protection. Coast Guard agreed to a special short-term agreement whereby Pearson College would retain the former light keepers as eco-guardians and operate the surplus facilities as a new Marine Education Centre until such time as a permanent solution for the operation of Race Rocks could be found.

BC Parks and the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans began community consultations in 1998 to assess the possibility of Race Rocks being recognized as Canada’s first Marine Protected Area. For the first time, Race Rocks, with the cooperation of both levels of government would be truly protected with a management plan that included both the Provincially managed Ecological Reserve and the Federally controlled water column.

On January 24, 2001 Great Race Island (except for a small piece of land which accommodates the navigational aids) reverted back to the Province of British Columbia under the control of BC Parks.

A New Beginning

A long-term Parks permit is currently being prepared by BC Parks to allow Pearson College to operate the facilities at Race Rocks as a Marine Science and Education Centre in accordance with the new management plan and the original rationale from 1980 when the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve was established.

For the first time, the Race Rocks eco-system enjoys full protection under a unified management plan with the authority of both the Provincial and Federal governments. An important new provision has also been made for the full involvement of First Nations in on-going management of the Race Rocks area. The priorities of protecting ecological values, education and research are the primary focus of the recently developed management plan.

Scope of the Race Rocks Project

  • The key activities that Pearson College will manage on behalf of BC Parks include:
  • Protection
    • Continuous supervision of the island and Reserve by resident eco-guardian.
    • Security for buildings, equipment and infrastructure (24 hrs/day all year).
    • Vigilant observation of activities within the Reserve and if needed, reporting of infractions to appropriate agencies.
    • Electronic video monitoring of the Ecological Reserve by enforcement agencies.
    • Restrict access to specific areas as necessary.
  • Safety
    • Observe and report any situations which may represent a safety hazard.
    • Assist individuals in distress when required and liaise with rescue agencies.
    • Assist in emergency communications.
    • Be vigilant for fire hazards.
    • Monitor for the occurrence of hazardous material spills.

    Science

    Continue monitoring program for weather conditions.

    • Continue monitoring program for seawater temperature and salinity.
    • Ongoing protection of unique Northern Abalone populations and monitoring of population and growth rates.
    • Annual intertidal and subtidal transect site monitoring.
    • Installation of environmental scan sensor arrays for air, soil and seawater with full accessibility on the Internet.
    • Observation and recording of marine mammal and bird populations.
    • Daily ecological events log.
    • Support for visiting scientists.
    • Development of alternative energy solutions.

    The Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans began community

    Education

    • Development of curriculum materials for K-12 use.
    • Cooperative development of information about First Nations focusing on the history of traditional uses and creating a supporting curriculum.
    • Operation and continuous upgrading of the racerocks.com education site with a major commitment for the production of online archived video for classroom and public use.
    • Interactive web cast production and delivery for use by schools, science centres, museums and conferences.
    • Public education programs for visitors to the Race Rocks area.
    • Education programs in cooperation with eco-tourism industry and dive community.

     Operations

      • Supervision and monitoring of operating systems including generators, water systems, heating systems and data network.
      • Routine preventative maintenance for all buildings, equipment and infrastructure.
      • Maintenance of station vessel.
      • Assistance to government agencies with equipment installed at Race Rocks.

    Eco-guardian / Project Management

     Pearson College is uniquely qualified and suited to operate and manage Race Rocks on behalf of BC Parks and the public.
    Located 3.7 nautical miles from Pearson Collegeâs docks at Pedder Bay, Race Rocks is within easy reach in moderate weather conditions. In addition to the Race Rocks station boat, Pearson College operates two purpose built aluminum workboats suitable for transporting fuel, personnel, equipment and supplies to Race Rocks.

    Pearson College staff provides all logistical support required for the efficient operation of Race Rocks. Qualified staffing for maintenance, accounting, purchasing and deliveries are all coordinated by existing College systems. Mike and Carol Slater, the former light-house keepers, are now employed by Pearson College and they live at Race Rocks. They are particularly well qualified to supervise and operate the facility after 30 years of experience with the Coast Guard and extensive experience observing marine life. Over the past 14 years they have been responsible for dealing with the public in the Reserve area and, when necessary, reporting infractions to the appropriate agency. Many of the College’s suppliers such as Nixon Electrical Services, Day’s Welding, Aramark Services, Henning’s Plumbing and others offer their services to Race Rocks at reduced rates or by donation.

  • It is an extraordinary legacy of the Millennium Partnership Fund and our partners that Race Rocks is now the most technologically advanced Marine Protected Area in the world. The state of the art information technology system includes a full island network, wireless technology, remote controlled live video streams from above and below water and an environmental data array all streamed live on the Internet for public use. Major sponsorships from Apple, Apple Learning, LGS Group, Sorenson, Sony, Telus, Yamaha, Seapoint Sensors, the Vancouver Aquarium and others support the Race Rocks project.As an educational institution Pearson College applies significant educational resources to the Race Rocks project. Environmental Systems/Biology faculty member Garry Fletcher serves as Educational Director of the Race Rocks program. Supported by students involved in web design, scuba diving, vessel operation, photography, video production, research and school program delivery, Garry has established an award winning education program at Race Rocks. This program is widely used by provincial agencies such as the Open Learning Agency, Ministry of Education, University of Victoria and the Royal British Columbia Museum. In the past year alone there have been over 65,000 users of the racerocks.com site.
  • This project has proved conclusively that there can be mass electronic public access to a protected area without the negative impact of large numbers of visitors to the islands. Race Rocks provides a viable alternative to the potentially high impact personal site visit. Rather than a BC Parks Ecological Reserve being a secret resource this approach encourages public education and appreciation of the area while maintaining a high level of protection.Pearson College has a proven record of successful fundraising for the Race Rocks project. Since 1997 over $280,000 has been raised from private donors to operate Race Rocks. This was an emergency initiative to save the site from demolition while a long-term solution could be found. Pearson College will continue this commitment to fundraising for the project by raising one third of the annual operating costs for the ongoing operation of Race Rocks.

 

Community Commitment

BC Environment Minister The Hon. Joan Sawicki and Federal Fisheries Minister The Hon. Herb Dhaliwal committed their respective governments to the establishment of a Marine Protected Area at Race Rocks on September 14, 2000. Their action was based on the unanimous recommendations of the Race Rocks Advisory Board. The Advisory Board includes senior staff from BC Parks, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and south island First Nations leadership. In addition there is broad public representation from groups such as sports fishers, the dive community, ecotourism companies, marina operators, scientists, Friends of Ecological Reserves, Georgia Strait Alliance, and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. A key feature of the Race Rocks Advisory Board conclusions is a recommendation that both the Federal and Provincial governments provide financial support for the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.

So many Parks so little money

British Columbia leads Canada in the establishment of parks and protected areas. The fact BC is the first jurisdiction in Canada to attain the 12% of total landmass under protection goal is an extraordinary accomplishment that places British Columbia as a world leader. In only the past nine years the NDP government has doubled total park space to 11.7 million hectares to meet itâs declared objective. One might think the Ministry budget would also have been increased to provide financial support for this initiative. The Ministry budget has in fact decreased.

 

The financial reality of the Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks budget situation makes it extremely difficult for BC Parks managers to fulfill the operational challenges of administering this burgeoning parks system. One solution to the budget crisis as identified by the BC Parks Legacy Panel in their 2000 report is partnership funding arrangements with the private charitable giving sector. This is exactly what we propose for Race Rocks. Under the formula presented here BC Parks will contribute only one third of the annual operating cost of Race Rocks. For every dollar expended by BC Parks two additional dollars will be contributed to operate this BC Parks facility.

Why is Race Rocks funding special?

Race Rocks is a unique Provincial asset with specific circumstances that qualify it to be deserving of a special funding allocation designated at the Ministerial level.

 

So many Parks so little money

British Columbia leads Canada in the establishment of parks and protected areas. The fact BC is the first jurisdiction in Canada to attain the 12% of total landmass under protection goal is an extraordinary accomplishment that places British Columbia as a world leader. In only the past nine years the NDP government has doubled total park space to 11.7 million hectares to meet itâs declared objective. One might think the Ministry budget would also have been increased to provide financial support for this initiative. The Ministry budget has in fact decreased.

 

The financial reality of the Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks budget situation makes it extremely difficult for BC Parks managers to fulfill the operational challenges of administering this burgeoning parks system. One solution to the budget crisis as identified by the BC Parks Legacy Panel in their 2000 report is partnership funding arrangements with the private charitable giving sector. This is exactly what we propose for Race Rocks. Under the formula presented here BC Parks will contribute only one third of the annual operating cost of Race Rocks. For every dollar expended by BC Parks two additional dollars will be contributed to operate this BC Parks facility.

Why is Race Rocks funding special?

Race Rocks is a unique Provincial asset with specific circumstances that qualify it to be deserving of a special funding allocation designated at the Ministerial level.

Race Rocks is:

  • an internationally recognized Marine Protected Area established jointly by the Province and the Federal government.
  • Canadaâs first and only Marine Protected Area and therefore success is essential if others are to follow.
  • the only Ecological Reserve in BC with over $650,000 in physical building and equipment assets owned by the Province which clearly require security and routine maintenance.
  • over $25 million worth of extremely marketable sea-life that has prospered under 20 years of protection would be subject to immediate poaching without the presence of the resident eco-guardians.
  • Race Rocks has the most comprehensive accumulation of scientific data of any marine Ecological Reserve. The continuous data chain some of which dates back to 1926 must be sustained.
  • Race Rocks, through award winning web based education programming, is recognized as a word leader in environmental monitoring and education delivery.
  • partnerships with Provincial agencies such as the Open Learning Agency, Royal BC Museum, and Ministry of Education provide direct benefit to the BC Government and British Columbians.
  • the funding formula proposed is in accordance with recommendations of both the Race Rocks Advisory Board and the BC Parks Legacy Panel.
  • BC Parks investment in Race Rocks will be directly matched at a two to one ratio by other independent funding sources.
  • when gift in kind contributions from our other sponsors are considered the ratio of private contribution is over ten times the BC Parks contribution level.
  • the involvement of BC Parks assures the project of stable funding. The lack of involvement by BC Parks will lead to immediate financial collapse.

Financial Proposal

The following operational budget provides details of projected minimum operational expenses at Race Rocks for the period April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002. The budget is based on our four years of experience in funding the Race Rocks project and the highly efficient operational format we have established. Pearson College guarantees to cover any cost over runs if they should occur.

It is proposed that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, BC Parks, and Pearson College each contribute $50,000 to cover the 2001-2002 operating budget.

Race Rocks MPA/ER
Operating Budget April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002
Salaries
Eco-guardian(s)
42,000
Educator (1/2 time)
30,000
Shoreside support (1/3 time)
14,000
Benefits
9,460
95,460
Fuel
Generator
11,000
Heating
1,400
Boat
1,750
Lube/oils
2,000
16,150
Maintenance
Buildings
6,000
Generators
4,300
Water pumps
2,100
Desalinator
2,200
Winches
800
Boat and motor
4,700
Jetty
400
Fuel system
450
Radios
200
Diving equipment
2,500
23,650
Administration Costs
Phone
600
Insurance
1,800
Stationery/printing
1,150
3,550
Education Program
Classroom materials
4,500
Communication/outreach programs
2,500
First Nations’ program
5,000
Internet access
2,000
14,000
 
Total expenditures
$152,810

 

 Pearson College is a registered charity and as such is subject to an annual audit. Our auditors KPMG will provide fully audited accounting details of all Race Rocks expenditures to the partner agencies. In addition the College will file an annual operating report with BC Parks.

Conclusion

 We had not expected to operate the facility on an interim basis without any financial support from any government for the past four years. Our donors are experiencing fatigue and our largest private financial supporter has indicated their continued support is conditional upon governments entering into this cost sharing formula.  A similar proposal has been well received by the Federal Government. Race Rocks is an essential investment by BC Parks, a cost effective arrangement, a unique innovation in the field of environmental protection and education and a proud accomplishment for all British Columbians. We ask that you agree to support Race Rocks Ecological Reserve as it begins a new life.

Respectfully submitted,

Angus Matthews
Director of Special Projects
Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific
650 Pearson College Drive
Victoria, BC