Water's Edge Ucluelet Blog

By Jacqueline Windh

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. Its image appears on many American government seals. But when I used to kayak-guide in Clayoquot Sound, I found it ironic that many Americans only see a bald eagle for the first time here in Canada. To residents of Tofino and Ucluelet, a soaring bald eagle is almost a daily sight.

Bald eagle populations fell into decline in the U.S.A. as a result of both DDT pesticide use, which kept the birds from reproducing successfully, and as a result of hunting. By the mid-1950s, a bald eagle population that was estimated to have been in the hundreds of thousands had fallen to just 412 nesting pairs (in the U.S.A., excluding Alaska). The bald eagle was placed on the endangered species list in 1967, and DDT was banned in the U.S.A. in 1972.

>> Read complete article on A-Life BC Travel Blog

By Jacqueline Windh

This weekend marks the 11th annual Tofino Lantern Festival.

Anyone who has ever attended the Lantern Festival will remember the magic of the rainforest at night, lit up by the soft glow of hundreds of hand-made lanterns. And anyone who has not attended… well, they should put this unique event into their calendar.

The Lantern Festival takes place in the Tofino Botanical Gardens, and it is organized by the Raincoast Education Society. RES events in the week leading up to the festival include numerous lantern-making workshops—you can bring your own craft supplies or use one of their kits with all supplies included. So, anyone who wants to take their own original lantern to the event has their chance to do that. (Check out the RES website for the workshop schedule).

> Read more on the A-Life Blog

By Jacqueline Windh

Yes, you heard that right.

Many people want to do the right thing both environmentally and healthwise, but lament the high price of local organic food.

Well, out here on the west coast, we have local organic food available for free, six months of the year!

Wild berries are one of the most delicious and easy-to-find food sources here on the west coast. And yes, the season really does run for six months or more. The first salmonberries appear in May, and evergreen huckleberries (also known locally as cinamock or winterberries) remain good for the picking in the cool temperatures of early winter, through November and even December.

> Read more on the A-Life Blog

By Jacqueline Windh

This long-running annual festival presents a lot more than just fun. Ukee Days is also a window into Ucluelet’s logging heritage, both past and present. The rich natural resources of the west coast: furs, fish and timber were what drew Europeans to this coast.

In the Ucluelet, one of those very first European settlements was the Sutton brothers’ sawmill, established in 1861—you can still see the site of that original mill across the harbour from the Ucluelet docks.

Logging and fishing were the two industries that drove this remote outpost into the town that it is today.

Although logging is no longer the mainstay of Ucluelet’s economy, many of Ukee’s logging families still live in town and some of them still work in the industry.

> Read more on the A-Life Blog

By Jacqueline Windh

Summer is a chance to step back in history from the docks of Ucluelet.

The historic ship MV Frances Barkley sails the waters of Alberni Inlet year-round, servicing Bamfield and smaller settlements along the inlet from Port Alberni, but it only stops in to Ucluelet over the summer months.

> Read more on the A-Life Blog to find out why you should set sail on the MV Frances Barkley to get yourself from Port Alberni to Ucluelet this summer instead of taking the highway.

By Jacqueline Windh

It’s the running event of the year for those of us who live in Tofino and Ucluelet—as well as for the hundreds of runners who come out to the edge of the island for the marathon (42 km), half-marathon (21 km), or marathon-relay (each runner’s distance ranging from 7 km to 10 km).

Tofino and Ucluelet just happen to be 40 km apart—so near to the standard marathon distance (which is actually 42.2 km) that it only seemed logical to organize a marathon here.

By Cassandra Anderton

During the month of May and into the first week of June, Tofino and Ucluelet are hosting Feast, a multi-venue celebration of all good things food and wine related in the area.

While there are always many culinary adventures to be had in the area, this is an opportunity to really delve into the local food culture. 

By Jacqueline Windh

The town of Tofino sits on the "mainland" of Vancouver Island.

But when non-native people first started to colonize Clayoquot Sound, back in the mid-1800s (coming from Europe, China and, later, Japan), there was no reason to favour the "mainland" because there were no roads.

> Read more of Jacqueline's post on the A-Life Blog

We're proud to be a gold sponsor of the 2nd Annual Ucluelet Salmon Ladder Derby, which runs from May 1st to September 7th, 2011!

This summer-long derby provides recreational fishers an opportunity to win cash and prizes all season, as well as helps to fund Ucluelet's local Chinook and Coho salmon hatchery program at Thornton Creek Hatchery.

Early-bird annual tickets ($35) are available for the season until May 31st, 2011. To purchase your tickets on-line, please visit the Salmon Derby website.

By Jacqueline Windh

Only in Tofino…

This Thursday, April 28th marks Tofino’s seventh annual Box Parade.

The Box Parade may not be one of the events that visitors ever hear much about—but it is actually an event that gives a look inside this strange community, an example of the town’s quirkiness.

> Read more of Tofino local Jacqueline Windh's post on the A-Life Blog!