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Chain Islets

British Columbia Coast geography stubsGreater VictoriaIslands of the Gulf Islands

The Chain Islets and Great Chain Island (occasionally Great Chain Islet) are a group of at least 18 islets situated off the east coast of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada. They lie in Mayor Channel about halfway between Mary Tod Island (W) and Discovery Island (E). Most of the islets are very small, rocky, and are unnamed, except for Great Chain Island which is covered in grass and herbaceous cover with occasional shrub thickets. The islets are noted as an important gathering place for harbor seals in the summer and for many seabirds such as seagulls and cormorants.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Chain Islets (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

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Latitude Longitude
N 48.416666666667 ° E -123.26666666667 °
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Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
Chatham Islands (British Columbia)

The Chatham Islands are a group of islands off the east coast of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada. All the islands (except the Alpha Islets ecological reserve) are in Chatham Islands Indian Reserve No. 4, under the control of the Songhees First Nation. The island foreshore, defined as the land between low tide and the beginning of land-based vegetation, is provincial Crown land. The Songhees First Nation did not forfeit its rights to the foreshore and aquatic lands to the Crown. Starting in 1701, in its North American colonies, the British Crown entered into treaties with indigenous groups to support peaceful economic and military relations; the islands are treaty lands. Between the early 18th century and the end of the 19th century, the Crown signed treaties that defined the respective rights of indigenous peoples and European newcomers to use the North American lands that indigenous peoples historically occupied. The treaties signed after 1763 transferred Aboriginal title to the Crown in exchange for reserve lands and other benefits. However, the Songhees never forfeited their rights to IR 3 & IR 4 foreshore, currently protected by the Songhees due to archaeological significance. The Chatham Islands were given their current name in 1846 by surveyors in honor of HMS Chatham, the escort ship of HMS Discovery, which carried 18th century British explorer Captain George Vancouver on his voyage to chart the coastline of British Columbia between 1792 and 1794 (the Vancouver Expedition). The adjacent Discovery Island was named after the Discovery. Around 2012, a coastal gray wolf, (Canis lupus) from a specialized population commonly called "coastal wolves" (https://www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/coastal-wolf-bull-canis-lupus.html) travelled through or near Victoria, and swam to the Chatham Islands. Named Takaya, the wolf lived on the small island for eight years until he left on his own accord and headed back to the mainland later being shot by a hunter near Shawinigan Lake.

Discovery Island (British Columbia)
Discovery Island (British Columbia)

Discovery Island is located off the eastern side of Vancouver Island and is viewable from Ten Mile Point, near Cadboro Bay, and Oak Bay. Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park occupies the southern portion of Discovery Island, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Oak Bay. The northern portion of the island is part of Discovery Island Indian Reserve 3, under the control of the Songhees First Nation. Discovery island was named in 1846 by surveyors in honour of HMS Discovery, the ship used by 18th-century British Explorer Captain George Vancouver to chart the coastline of British Columbia between 1792 and 1794 (see the Vancouver Expedition). The adjacent Chatham Islands were named after his escort ship, HMS Chatham. During the early stages of the 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic, which started in Victoria, almost all Songhees self-quarantined themselves by abandoning their villages and relocating en masse to Discovery Island. Other indigenous people, many already infected, were forced to leave the Victoria area. Some tried to join the refugees on Discovery Island, but the Songhees fought off such attempts. Due to their self-quarantine as well as HBC physician Dr. John Helmcken's efforts to vaccinate as many Songhees as he could, the Songhees were one of the few First Nations to survive the epidemic with few deaths.The Lighthouse at Sea Bird Point, the eastern end of Discovery Island, marks the junction of the Haro and Juan De Fuca Straits. These two straits form the border between Canada and the United States. The lighthouse was built in 1886 and staffed for 110 years before being fully automated in 1996. The island has two homes for the light keeper's families, a helicopter pad, a diesel power generation station, a well, a water reservoir, a boathouse and dock. The coast guard used to keep a truck on the island. Sea Bird Point was named after an American paddle steamer which caught fire and was run aground in 1858 to save the lives of the crew. Designated as a park in 1972, the uninhabited and undeveloped 61-hectare Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park was once the home of Captain E.G. Beaumont, who purchased part of the island in 1918. He died in 1967 after living on Discovery Island with his wife for nearly half a century. Beaumont owned roughly 160 acres (half) of Discovery Island, and in his will gave his share of the island to the province of British Columbia (with the exception of 8.71 acres, which was transferred to Scouts Canada and later sold to private owners). Beaumont was an avid seaman and even in his 80s would regularly row his boat from Discovery Island to Ten Mile Point, where he would go for walks in the woods. Evidence of the Beaumonts' beautiful home and gardens overlooking Rudlin Bay can still be seen. The home was designed on a nautical motif by the noted architect Francis Rattenbury. Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park is open year round. There is a camping fee and services provided from May 1 - September 30. During the off-season, there is no fee and no services. There are gravel beaches and a few walking and hiking trails along the shores and through fir and arbutus woodlands. The trail system runs from the lighthouse on Sea Bird Point to Commodore Point and across to the western shore of the park. Hikers can ascend the 38-metre (125 foot) Pandora Hill for improved views of the area and spectacular sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains. In May 2012 a lone wolf took up residence on Discovery Island. The park was closed and attempts to trap the wolf were made, but these were unsuccessful, and it was decided to reopen the park. The wolf had proven safe to humans. The lone wolf, Takaya, was relocated to an area near Port Renfrew by conservation officers in January 2020. After relocation, Takaya was shot and killed by a hunter in March 2020.Other flora and fauna on the island include sea lions, seals, mink, mussels, clams, rock crab, morel mushrooms, and blackberries.

Ten Mile Point, British Columbia
Ten Mile Point, British Columbia

Ten Mile Point is a neighbourhood in the District of Saanich in Victoria, British Columbia, and is the most easterly point on Vancouver Island. Ten Mile Point was so named because it was ten nautical miles (18.5 km (11.5 mi)) from what was at the time the headquarters of the Pacific Station of the Royal Navy (now CFB Esquimalt). Ten Mile Point is a wooded peninsula that forms one side of Cadboro Bay, the home of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and the mythical Cadborosaurus sea monster. Cadboro Point is located on the east part of this peninsula. Prevost Hill was named after James Charles Prevost, British commissioner in the negotiations to settle the San Juan boundary dispute. Prevost Hill is the highest elevation on Ten Mile Point and is known informally in the neighbourhood as "Minnie Mountain". Prevost Hill is the location for a subdivision within Ten Mile Point called "Wedgewood Point" or "Wedgewood Estates". A small wooded island, "Flower Island", almost touches the southern shore of Ten Mile Point. Ten Mile Point has many secluded beaches and coves. One such cove, called "Smuggler's Cove", was used during the prohibition years as a boat landing and launch for rum-runners traveling back and forth to the United States. Another cove is called "Telegraph Cove" and was the location of a dynamite factory which operated in the late 19th century. In the early part of the 20th century, Ten Mile Point became a summer retreat with many cabins on its shores. It gradually developed into the present upscale residential neighbourhood. Ten Mile Point maintains a rural, bucolic feel as a result of 1-acre (4,000 m2) lot municipal zoning implemented specifically for this area by the District of Saanich. The area has only two street lamps. Retired two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash and singer/songwriter Nelly Furtado both own homes in Ten Mile Point. The neighbourhood was also home to movie director George Pan Cosmatos. Canadian musician Ten Mile Point is named after the neighbourhood.Ten Mile Point was the filming location for the fictional Washington State community of "Fisher Island" in the 2021 Netflix series, "Maid".