Join us in protecting the rich biodiversity of Clayoquot Sound
“You don’t need to be Indigenous to be a steward of our lands.”
— Tyee Hawilth Hasheukumiss (Richard George)
The ʕaḥuusʔatḥ (Ahousaht) People are leaders in Indigenous-led stewardship, including forging a new partnership with British Columbia, which restores decision-making authority to Nuu-chah-nulth Peoples and protects eco-systems critical to the rich biodiversity of Clayoquot Sound via Indigenous-led conservancies. Within approximately 340,000 acres (138,000 ha) of terrestrial protected areas (freshwater and forests) in Unceded Ahousaht territories is a significant store of natural carbon in coastal Pacific temperate rainforest, critical salmon habitat in its watersheds and estuaries. Within its waters, blue carbon (i.e., carbon captured by the ocean and coastal ecosystems) and an evolving relationship with Ihtuup (whale), integral to the Nuu-chah-nulth way of life, through eco-marine tourism.
Describing this groundbreaking shift in area management as “acts of reconciliation between Ahousaht and the British Columbia government”, ʔikaatius (Tyson Atleo), hereditary chief-in-line of the Ahousaht Nation, points out that it helps to uphold Ahousaht values in the haḥuułii where “people come from all over the world to experience and see and be in awe of: bears in the rainforest and on the beaches, salmon moving up the rivers, feeding the orcas, and coming to spawn on those beaches, feeding the whales and the whole web of life in our ecosystem.” Lands and waters with which the Ahousaht have an intimate relationship of reciprocity since time immemorial.
Ahousaht guiding values
This visionary stewardship is guided by Ahousaht core values:
Iisʔaḱstaƛ — respect one another
Haaḥuupstaƛ — teach one another
Ya?akstaƛ — care for one another
Huupiił’aƛ — help one another.
Your role in visionary ecotourism
The Ahousaht Stewardship Fee (A.S.F.) is your invitation to support this work of guardianship, scientific research and restoration, and future visioning to help ensure the wonder of Clayoquot Sound continues to inspire generations to come.
Every journey with Ahous Adventures supports stewardship
This ecosystem service fee, included in every tour with award-winning Ahousaht-owned Ahous Adventures, an Original Original and Authentic Indigenous, and collected by other local eco-marine tour operators, helps to support the Stewardship Guardian program established in 2016 to reinvigorate stewardship efforts and train Junior Guardians to continue this work. It is also included in every stay at Ahousaht-owned Wahous Wilderness Lodge in Quait Bay, revitalizing an area the Ahousaht originally inhabited.
Apply for visitor access online
You can also apply online for day- and multi-day passes to access campsites and trails within the haḥuułii if you’re kayaking to Vargas Island or hiking the Wildside Trail on Flores Island, along with paying a separate access fee to visit to Mux̣šiƛa Hot Springs at Nism̓aakqin (Maquinna Marine Park). Annual passes are also available for local Pacific Rim residents. Simply follow these easy steps in “How it works” Here.
How your fee supports stewardship initiatives
100% of the A.S.F. funds stewardship initiatives across the haḥuułii from those that enrich your visitor experience by maintaining Lone Cone Trail and managing Mux̣šiƛa Hot Springs at Nism̓aakqin (Maquinna Marine Park), to ocean, pelagic seabird, and wildlife monitoring, to partnership efforts safeguarding the ecosystem’s vibrancy today and for future generations. A collaborative Clean Coast, Clean Waters campaign removed marine debris from 394.21 kms along Vancouver Island’s West Coast. Ongoing watershed restoration focuses on critical salmon habitat in the Atleo, Bedwell, Moyeha, Anderson, and Atapq Rivers in partnership with Redd Fish Restoration. The Atleo River once supported all five species of Suu’haa (Pacific Salmon): Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, Pink, and Hink’uuʔas (Chum). Stewardship Guardians built new riffles, pools, and spawning platforms in Anderson Creek. Efforts to monitor, assess, and enhance the resilience of estuaries to sea level rise are also underway with Nature Trust BC. In 2022, 100,000 Coho salmon fry were released back into the recovering Atleo watershed from Ahousaht’s hatchery-in-a-box thanks to M.H.S.S.’s support of Tofino Salmon Enhancement Society.
“We are the last true indicator of the wild salmon,” points out Hasheukumiss. “Moving forward we’ve put our stance on rebuilding our river systems. We have nine rivers that we’re rebuilding from the logging devastation in the past,” adding matter-of-factly, “Not to mention the nine rivers that we will never ever be able to rebuild.”
Ḥaw̓iiḥ oversight ensures continuity of vision
The Ahousaht Stewardship Fund is overseen by the non-profit Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society (M.H.S.S), established by Tyee Hawilth Ḿukʷina (Lewis George) and the ʕaḥuusʔatḥ Ḥaw̓iiḥ (hereditary chiefs) in 2012 to build economic and cultural capacity for the Ahousaht People, foster sustainable growth within the haḥuułii, and restore hereditary leadership and a continuity of vision since time immemorial. All profits from regenerative tourism businesses like Ahous Adventures and Wahous Wilderness Lodge, managed under Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Enterprises Inc. (M.H.E.I.). are held in trust for the benefit of the Ahousaht People and reinvested in the community.
How M.H.S.S. builds stewardship and cultural capacity
Stewardship Guardians
Initially launching the Stewardship Guardians with support from Nature United, M.H.S.S. grew the program further via the federal Indigenous Guardians Pilot Program – a fund now managed by the world’s first Indigenous-led national stewardship network. Synthesizing western science with Ahousaht traditional knowledge, Stewardship Guardians support the preservation, restoration, and protection of Ahousaht resources and culture for generations to come. Welcoming respectful visitors to the ʕaḥuusʔatḥ haḥuułii, they are happy to share information to help make your visit more enjoyable.
Learn more about the Guardian and Junior Guardian programs Here.
Review the open-source Indigenous Guardians toolkit to help start a program Here.
Projects which decolonize and restore the haḥuułii
M.H.S.S. secured project support from the Indigenous Watersheds Initiative to decolonize the haḥuułii’s three main watersheds: e ts’ikt’akis (Atleo), uuʔinmitis (Bedwell), and waʔuus (Cypre) impacted by logging and overfishing. This initiative encompasses salmon enhancement, clam garden repatriation, culturally significant plant restoration, and youth engagement through the Junior Guardian program.
Stewardship Guardians are also working with Coastal Restoration Society (CRS) to reduce impacts of invasive European Green Crabs and monitor eelgrass beds —critical habitat for juvenile fish—within the haḥuułii—part of the South Coast European Green Crab Control Project stretching from Sooke Basin to Haida Gwaii.
“We have evidence from CRS and our biologists that they’ve infiltrated our estuaries because they hide in the eelgrass and they’re actually picking off the smolts as they’re coming down,” Hasheukumiss points out.
Learn more about restoration efforts Here.
Vital Research
Surveys
Guardians perform field surveys to monitor historical clam beds and sea star recovery, identify culturally significant plants and harvest seeds, as well as undertaking archaeological surveys to observe Culturally Modified Trees (CMTs) which may intersect with trails and campsites.
Research partnerships
Monitoring of Rhinoceros auklet diet
Raincoast Education Society has been collecting data on how changes in ocean conditions and phytoplankton abundance affect predator/prey communities by studying the Rhinoceros auklet diet on Kwatmik (Cleland) Island in the Ahousaht haḥuułii.
Kelp farm monitoring
A former salmon aquaculture site converted to a kelp farm will provide cultivated wild salmon habitat and a better understanding of how salmon and their prey utilize it. In partnership with Cascadia Seaweed Corp., this farm is being monitored along with a nearby control site via underwater drone (ROVs) fish surveys, zooplankton surveys, underwater drop cameras, and dive surveys.
Kelp and eelgrass habitat modeling
In 2022, Stewardship Guardians worked alongside researchers from the University of Victoria (UVic) to study of kelp and eelgrass as important marine species habitat and a source of blue carbon. As part of a 4-year Vancouver Island-based study UVic researchers are creating fine-scale species distribution models (SDMs) which will be shared in future with the community, along with maps and underwater drone footage. Read more about “Restoring climate-resilient kelp forests” Here.
Learn more about research projects Here.
Improving ecotourism and capacity building
Guardians also work on trail building and infrastructure projects, providing employment for Ahousaht workers while improving your ecotourism experience. In 2022, nearly 2 kms of boardwalk and staircases were replaced at Mux̣šiƛa Hot Springs at Nism̓aakqin (Maquinna Marine Park) in a joint venture between Ahousaht and BC Parks. This year, enhanced trail access, safety, and signage at Lone Cone Summit is being made possible by the Outdoor Recreation Fund of BC. Trails help protect the understory and keep impact on the rainforest low.
Sharing Ahousaht culture with the world
“What we’ve realized collectively as a Nation is how precious and how sensitive these ecosystems are to destruction and how they can offer things to the world amidst biodiversity and climate crisis,” ʔikaatius emphasizes.
“Through the Ahousaht Stewardship program our guests directly participate in restoring and protecting these ecosystems and helping to sustain biodiversity for generations to come. Our guests are directly contributing to future opportunities for young people whether they want to be Guardians or researchers or retain access to local food such as fish.
“The future vision is the continued management of these protected areas and stewardship of these protected areas. The continued restoration of our ecosystem, and the rebuilding of intimacy between our people, and the life-giving forces of that ecosystem.”
The Ahousaht Ḥaẁiiḥ share their vision for regenerative tourism in this three-part series on our blog and on the Destination Think podcast.
Learn more about the Ahousaht Land Use Vision Here.
Follow M.H.S.S. Stewardship for new developments on Instagram Here and Facebook Here.