PEALE'S PEREGRIN FALCON - The fastest bird in the world
Biologically Unsurpassed
Highest concentration of seabirds and raptors in Canada
One hundred km off British Columbia's coast is Canada's most isolated island group, the Queen Charlottes. At their southern end is South Moresby, a naturalist's paradise. Upwelling, nutrient-rich currents; warm mist-filled air from the open Pacific; and isolation combine to make it the Canadian Galapagos. Here, life carries on at an intensified pace. Primarily because of a lack of land predators like fox and mink, seabirds, who spend most of their life on the open ocean, find the needed haven to nest. Nesting habitat, especially for the burrow nesters, is not common on the Canadian coast. Ancient Murrelets and Cassin's Auklets temporarily occupy sites on the seaward-facing slopes of the old-growth forest in South Moresby every spring.
More than 30% of B.C.'s nesting seabirds need South Moresby. This includes 3/4 of all the Ancient Murrelets, 2/3 of the Tufted Puffins, 1/3 of the Storm Petrals, and 1/2 of the Cassin's Auklets. Just last spring a new colony was discovered on the steep slopes of Ramsey Island, right next to Hot Spring Island. With over 15,000 nesting pairs it is the largest colony of Ancient Murrelets in South Moresby.
BALD EAGLES gather to wait for salmon
The biology of these birds is still relatively unknown. One seabird species, the Marbled Murrelet, found around South Moresby in large numbers, hides its nests so well that no one has ever found one. At dusk the birds flytar inland, perhaps to nest in the mossy branches of the mature forest canopy several miles from shore.
With the abundant seabirds, it is not surprising that over 1/3 of Canada's rare and endangered Peale's Peregrin Falcons nest on the South Moresby cliff faces. Murrelets are their babies' favourite food.
Incomplete surveys show Darwin Sound in South Moresby to have the second highest Bald Eagle nesting density in the world. The abundance of food and undisturbed old-growth nesting trees make such densities possible. The area is frequented by other raptors, including a subspecies of Saw-whet owl unique to the Queen Charlottes.
ANCIENT MURRELET with the two eggs lays in old growth forest floor burrows
GOLDEN PINE MARTIN-Unique to the Queen Charlotte Islands
Only seven species of land mammals are indigenous to the Islands. These include the world's largest black bear, golden pine mar-tin, river otter, short-tailed weasel, wandering shrew and two kinds of mice. Isolated development has made them different from their mainland cousins in both size and colouration. Many of the 42 freshwater lakes have their own uniquely evolved stickleback fish. The countless bays and inlets are washed by 27-foot tides and crashing seas from the most powerful storms that arise in the Pacific. This 1600 km. shoreline, dotted with 138 islands, is indeed a biological paradise of awe and mystery.
IS IT ENOUGH?
In November of 1974, 500 residents of the Queen Charlotte Islands signed a petition requesting a moratorium on development in South Moresby so that the South Mores-by Wilderness Proposal could be fully studied by government, industry and public alike.
Since that time the support for preserving South Moresby has grown to include hundreds of organizations representing hundreds of thousands of members. Here are some of the supporters.
Alberta Wilderness Association; B.C. Native Brotherhood; B.C. Wildlife Federation; Canadian Ass'n of Smelter and Allied Workers Union; Canadian Nature Federation; Confederation of Canadian Unions, B.C. Council; Elsa Canada; Federation of Mountain Clubs of B.C.: Federation of B.C. Naturalists; Federation of Ontario Naturalists; Friends of the Earth; Friends of Ecological Reserves of B.C.; Graham Island East Coast Farmers Institute; Haida Nation; Islands Protection Society; National and Provincial Parks Ass'n of B.C. and Canada; NDP Provincial and Federal caucuses; Northern Trollers Ass'n; Ottawa Field Naturalists; Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C.; Pacific Seabird Group; Progressive Conservative Caucus of B.C. and Canada; Prince George Naturalist Club; Pulp and Paper Woodworkers of Canada, Local 4; Queen Charlotte City and Skidegate Landing Advisory Planning Commission; Queen Charlotte Islands Tour Operators Ass'n; Saskatchewan Federation of Naturalists; Sierra Club of Ontario and of Western Canada ; Simon Fraser University Student Society ; Tourism Industry Ass'n of Canada; United Fisherman & Allied Workers Union; World Wildlife Fund
