ELDER RIVER: REFLECTIONS FROM AN OLDER RESIDENT
I first arrived in Tahsis by boat in 1978. Coming up the inlet, I was struck by the rugged beauty of this spectacular location surrounded by mountains. The town was a bustling community of sawmills, with ocean freighters loading their timber cargo to ship around the world.
I was here looking for caves to explore, one of my main passions in life. I returned many times to a base camp I had near Tahsis between 1994 and 2001, finding and mapping over 40 kilometres of caves in the area. After being involved in the discovery of the first known multispecies bat hibernaculum in British Columbia, above Tahsis, I got into bat research. I learned to mist net bats at cave entrances (the first such activity in BC), ID species, sample DNA, radio-track bats, and identify maternity colonies.
“Tahsis’ mills were soon closed, and the population shrank to just 10 per cent of its heyday. It was at this point that I bought a house here.”
From caves to conservation
As a lifelong conservationist, I am proud that my research resulted in the protection of many caves from the devastating effects of logging, which had caused loss of much bat habitat across BC. A provincial park was established across from Tahsis to protect the area’s vulnerable caves and bats, as well as BC’s first Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA). There are now hundreds of these WHAs across the province, protecting vital habitats for rare and at-risk species. Our research began in Tahsis but eventually expanded across Vancouver Island and BC, leading me to establish the BatCaver program under the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada.
When the mills closed
Around the year 2000, when the provincial government changed its Tree Farm License system so it was no longer mandatory for a logging company to establish sawmills and pulp mills in its license area, everything changed for Tahsis (and many of BC’s other mill towns). Tahsis’ mills were soon closed, and the population shrank to just 10 per cent of its heyday. It was at this point that I bought a house here. Finding a way to make a living was challenging; I treeplanted and had a mail-order business sewing caving suits and related gear. Many people have boats here, and as sport fishing became a mainstay of our economy, I began sewing boat canopies.
It was obvious that Tahsis was a broken community that needed reinvention if it were to survive. A group of residents established the Tahsis Economic Development Society, opened a museum (I am still president!), and formed the Tahsis Trail Club, which began opening up trails to attract tourists to our many natural wonders. I was elected to the Tahsis Council in 2008 and ran successfully for mayor in 2018. I continue in this position to this day.
“This year, we are reopening the Grease Trail, an ancient trade route across the Island — it features waterfalls hundreds of metres high, massive old-growth forest, and centuries-old faces carved into trees.”
Fixing a town with a small population base where all the infrastructure is aging out simultaneously is a challenge. We applied for every grant we could find and set about rebuilding infrastructure. We shut down one of the old, failing sewage plants while renovating the other. Our fire hall was condemned—as well as being located in a tsunami zone—so we moved it to a better location. Other improvements are ongoing. We work closely with the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation on tourism promotion and other economic development.
A town called ‘the path
This year, we are reopening the Grease Trail, an ancient trade route across the Island that traverses spectacular terrain. It features waterfalls hundreds of metres high, massive old-growth forest, centuries-old faces carved into trees, and a glacial river entering Woss Lake. Tahsis, after all, translates as “the path.” At the regional district level, we have formed a consortium that is installing fibre optic cable, which will greatly enhance our internet speeds and encourage remote workers to relocate here, a trend that started during the pandemic and continues to this day.
Our town is growing again as people are drawn to our lifestyle. Tourism is developing as cyclists pass through on the 1000-km Tree to Sea circuit, while others hike the world-class Nootka Island Trail, and caving continues to grow as a sport. Next year, a new resort will open here, and another marina is about to be built. Renewal is afoot, and all these things make me happy. Soon the humpback whales will be back for their annual visit—I’m looking forward to it!
