Vancouver Island Nature Tours

I have been working for two years to get a tour to see the Vancouver Island Marmot going. Primarily, there was resistance from the British Columbia Ministry of Environment (MoE) because these animals are so rare.However we have reached an agreement that they will address government concerns and the tours will go ahead starting in early July. Rainbird Excursions will be the only tour company in the world to offer trips to the largest colony of Canada’s rarest mammal.

The tours will be conducted every two weeks during the summer. We will not approach closely; but instead, use binoculars and telescopes to view them. If they should approach the group, we will sit quietly to avoid alarming them. The group size will be 11 or less.

The location of the colony is on private land owned by Island Timberlands. And so it was necessary to get a permit from this company to enter their property. The company has graciously waived the fee they normally charge for this sort of thing as they are a supporter of the effort to restore the population to around 400-600 marmots in the wild.

There are still some steps to take before the final package is in place. Next week, MoE officials will and I will scout the meadow by air to check what they call emergence. Don Doyle, from the MoE, indicated that ground access may not be possible until the end of June due to the unusually high snow-pack this year. Also there are concerns that the road to the trail-head may be washed out due to the unusually heavy rains from last fall. this all has to be checked before any dates can be set.

When a guest takes the tour he or she will know that he or she is contributing directly to the effort to save them. At least $20 from each guest will be donated to the Marmot Recovery Foundation. Guests will learn and experience the kind of habitat the marmots live in, learn about their habits, about the issues around predation and about potential changes to their habitat as a result of global warming. There will be much more to learn and experience as well.

The trip there will be up a mountain valley to a trail-head. At the trail-head guests will hike to a mountain lake. From there the trail gets very steep. After about two-and-a-half hours of hiking guests will emerge onto a high mountain ridge with amazing views and spectacular wildflowers. After this the trail becomes much easier as we walk along the ridge to the best viewing spots. Actually seeing the marmots is by no means assured. However this tour is the best chance for members of the public to see them. they are most active in the early morning and evening. During the heat of the day they have siestas in their burrows.

I am so very excited to see that this is finally going to become a reality. There is more to prepare before the tours. But they will go ahead this summer. If you want more information about them, contact me.

info@rainbirdexcursions.com