Hornby Island: a unique ecosystem and tourist destination
Hornby Island is one of the smaller Northern Gulf Islands. It’s remote and more difficult to access than many others, yet renowned and heavily touristed because of its unique ecosystem—it’s the only Gulf Island with long, sandy beaches. The unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks and Tla’amin First Nations for millennia, Hornby Island saw waves of back-to-the-land dreamers, artists, and other counter-cultural groups begin to arrive in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, in search of the peace and inspiration of a home in nature. A remarkably safe place, Hornby offers a tranquillity that is increasingly rare in today’s world.
Conservancy Hornby Island: protecting the island’s natural beauty
By the 1990s, with the growth of the island’s population and word of mouth bringing more and more summer visitors, development and pressure on scarce resources became a serious concern. Conservancy Hornby Island (CHI, pronounced “chee” by locals) was founded through citizen eco-activism in 1991 and has championed the preservation and celebration of this small island’s unique natural beauty ever since. Its initial creation was a reaction to planned logging of a site that now, decades later and in part due to the success of CHI’s intervention, is home to a much-loved community garden in the woods. Today, this non-profit works on raising awareness and calling the public to action around long-term and far-reaching ecological issues of land and sea.
CHI’s success: conserving 39 per cent of Hornby Island’s land base
In 2016, after succeeding in its goal to conserve 39 per cent of the island’s land base, CHI embarked on a Marine Conservation Initiative to create public awareness of the need to protect the sea life around us. The first stage involved local fundraising and engaging a cartographer to prepare maps documenting and displaying elements of the marine ecosystems and environments surrounding Hornby Island. Next, the maps were incorporated into an atlas for general distribution as an outreach and educational resource.
Marine conservation initiative: protecting the Salish Sea ecosystem
CHI then took on the cause of the Pacific herring, whose survival is one of the most pressing issues in the Salish Sea. This overfished forage fish species is the foundation of the ecological system of the ocean, forming the link between the microorganisms of the sea and the larger animals, including birds, larger fish, cetaceans, and humans.
What’s more, every spring, Pacific herring create one of the natural world’s most extraordinary works of art. During the migration to their spawning grounds along both coasts of Vancouver Island, they look like a living river of silver, and their milt turns the waters a turquoise that would be the envy of any tropical setting. But this glorious phenomenon—central to the Indigenous cultures and food systems that thrived in balance with our non-human kin for thousands of years—is in peril along the entire west coast of North America due to extensive commercial fishing.
HerringFest: celebrating herring and the ecosystem
Inspired by this sacred relationship between the herring and other living beings in the ecosystem, Hornby Island’s HerringFest came into being in 2017. The multi-day event in early March brings people to the island’s gathering spaces to celebrate and learn about herring and the ecosystem they feed. The highlight is Saturday, with Herring School, a day of engaging presentations and talks, followed by the Herring Ball, a community dance named for the huge silver spherical swarms of the migrating fish.
For the entire week of the Fest, local boat operators volunteer their time to offer Salish Sea tours (accessible by donation) on True North Tug Tours’ restored tug, La Fille, and Hornby Island Marine Transport’s Island Transporter. With luck, passengers will see firsthand the silver-and-turquoise extravaganza and experience the huge herds of sea lions, sea birds, and often whales that come for this annual feast.
HerringFest 2024: art show fundraiser raises $8,000 for conservation
In its second year, HerringFest and the Hornby Island Arts Council first collaborated on creating the now hugely popular Art Show fundraiser. In 2024, the Art Show featured the work of local artists ranging from 12 to 92 years of age who donated at least half the proceeds of their sales, raising $8,000 for CHI’s work.
A local celebration: HerringFest brings together community and visitors
HerringFest has become one of the island’s cherished annual events, and refreshingly it takes place well outside the hectic summer tourist season. Though it brings visitors, and Herring School speakers may travel from afar to generously give their time and insight, it is above all a local event. It’s supported by the goodwill and intense efforts of teams of volunteers, it features local small businesses’ offerings, and it highlights local artistic talent.
HerringFest highlights: speakers, tours, and artistic talent
Cath Gray, CHI’s former executive director and current board chair since 2022, attests to the draw of both Hornby and this festival when reflecting on the many years of Herring School. Not once, she says, has an invited speaker declined to attend and give their time. Among the highlights over the years, HerringFest has featured David Suzuki; Alexandra Morton; Denise Smith, Lands and Resources Director for the Tla’amin First Nation; and Eric Pelkey, Hereditary Chief of the Tsawout of the WSÁNEĆ First Nation.
CHI’s role in protecting herring and eelgrass beds
The ninth annual HerringFest—a week of speakers, film showings, artwork, and ocean tours—will take place in March 2025. Organizers are keen to expand youth participation in this year’s festival, building on the success of 2024, which saw local students paired with Herring School speakers to introduce them.
For herring nerds, a highlight of the event will be the release of the findings from CHI’s most recent eelgrass study, which was funded by the Comox Valley Community Foundation and carried out by Hornby Island Diving. Eelgrass is where herring lay their eggs, and Hornby and Denman’s eelgrass beds have historically enjoyed much higher herring populations and spawning activity than other locales on the herring’s migration route because the islands have relatively fewer docks. Protecting these beds is of crucial importance.
Looking ahead: HerringFest 2025 and youth engagement
If CHI’s work is successful, and the upcoming generation carries the torch forward, Hornby’s eelgrass beds will remain Pacific herring spawning beds for millennia to come.
To learn more about CHI, donate, or to become a member, visit our website at conservancyhornbyisland.org, or email our Executive Director, Melanda Schmid-Ochieng, at chihornby@gmail.com.
