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Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole to be raised at Hlk’yah GawGa (Windy Bay)

Hlk'yah GaawGa (Windy Bay)
© Parks Canada / Neil Osborne

The Archipelago Management Board (AMB) is pleased to announce that the 42-foot Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole will be raised at Hlk’yah GawGa (Windy Bay) on Lyell Island on August 15, 2013.

The pole is being carved to honour the 20th anniversary of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement, which established the AMB, a unique cooperative management board that governs the planning and operations for Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site.

This pole tells a multi faceted story about 1000’s of years of people and place, the past and the present and the interconnections between the land, the sea and the people who care about this special place.

Windy Bay is a Haida Gwaii Watchmen site. The protection of the Windy Creek watershed was one of the primary reasons the Haida led Athili Gwaii blockade activities took place in 1985. No logging has ever taken place in this beautiful location.

The pole, which will be visible from a distance at sea, will complement the existing features such as the long house, accessible old growth, culturally modified trees, salmon run and cultural history.

The pole will be raised in Gwaii Haanas on Lyell Island at Hlk’yah GawGa (Windy Bay) on August 15, 2013 and a community celebration will follow on August 17, 2013. Come celebrate 20 years of the Haida Nation and Government of Canada cooperatively managing Gwaii Haanas.

The AMB is made up of an equal number of members representing the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada.

Thermal Activity Detected on Hotspring Island

Hotspring Island © Parks Canada / Neil Osborne

Parks Canada staff have confirmed thermal activity on Hotspring Island in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on Haida Gwaii.

Water flow and thermal activity at hot springs on the island previously stopped following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Haida Gwaii in late October 2012.

On Wednesday, January 16, three Parks Canada scientists made the discovery during a check of heat detecting devices that were installed after the water stopped flowing. Hot water seeps were observed above the surface near two of the hot pools, but below the high tide line.

Thermal activity has been detected in all the areas of the island where it had previously occurred, but water flow has not returned to previous levels. The highest water temperature recorded was 60 degrees Celsius, while the highest ground temperature was 21 degrees Celsius.

"Hotspring Island is a special place for the Haida and all visitors to Gwaii Haanas. This is a promising development but the mystery of what will happen to the hot pools continues,” said Ernie Gladstone, Gwaii Haanas Field Unit Superintendent.

"We can’t confirm if this means the hot springs will be back to normal in the future. Parks Canada will continue to observe the situation throughout the coming months, and we are hopeful that this is just the beginning.”

The Haida language name of the island, Gandll K'in, means "hot water". There were at least 26 hot springs and seeps on the island. These springs produced water at temperatures ranging from 32 to 77 degrees Celsius. The area of the hot springs is located close to a major fault system with a warm reservoir several kilometers deep. The site has been culturally important to the Haida people for many generations thanks to its warm waters, its unique ecology and its abundance of seafood.

Hot water location © Parks Canada

Recently, Jaalen Edenshaw, the carver of the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole, changed the design to include a new figure known as Sacred-One-Standing-and-Moving, the supernatural being responsible for earthquakes on Haida Gwaii. "Maybe I am hoping he will give the hot spring back to us,” Edenshaw said, acknowledging the change in design is also related to the disappearance of the hot water from Hotspring Island.

The Legacy Pole project celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement, the document that led to the groundbreaking cooperative management relationship between the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada.

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site is cooperatively managed by the Government of Canada and the Haida Nation through the Archipelago Management Board. Created in 1993, the area protects a rich natural and cultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest. Gwaii Haanas is also home to SGang Gwaay UNESCO World Heritage Site, several national historic sites and nine Important Bird Areas.

The Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole: Carving Connections

Carving the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole begins © Parks Canada / J. Shafto

The Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole is a 42-foot monumental pole being carved to honour the 20th anniversary of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement, the cornerstone of a groundbreaking cooperative management relationship between the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada.

Where Did the Hotsprings Go?

Gandll K'in Gwaay.yaay (Hotspring Island) © Parks Canada / Neil Osborne 

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit off the west coast of Gwaii Haanas on October 27, 2012. Within days, we learned that the hot springs of Gandll K'in Gwaay.yaay (Hotspring Island) had stopped flowing.

Will the springs return?

Restoring the Land and Honouring the History of Lyell Island

Future stewards learn about protecting the land and sea in Gwaii Haanas © Parks Canada

Gwaii Haanas was recognized for modelling best practices in ecological restoration by the international conservation community at the World Conservation Congress in Korea in September 2012. Yahguudang Dlljuu: A Respectful Act was showcased in a new set of guidelines on ecological restoration for protected areas written by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Night Birds Returning

Ancient Murrelets on the water © Parks Canada / C. Bergman

Ancient Murrelets (or "night bird" as translated from the Haida language), a species-at-risk in Canada, are being devastated by invasive rats. More than half of the world population of these seabirds breed on remote islands in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site. Action on the Ground: Night Birds Returning