Mitlenatch Island Nature Park is home to the largest seabird colony in the Strait of Georgia. All sedentary marine life, including abalones, scallops and sea cucumbers, are fully protected within the park’s boundaries, which extend 300 metres out from the shore. 

This nature reserve is an important nesting colony for thousands of Glaucous-winged Gulls, as well as Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers and many other species of birds. Marine life around the island includes river otters and harbour seals throughout the year, and Steller’s and California sea lions from late fall through to summer.

Accessible only by boat, Mitlenatch Island Nature Park offers excellent opportunities to observe and photograph wildflowers and birds. Visit in May when the island’s meadows of spring wildflowers are in bloom, or in late May to July when the harvest brodia blooms and in the last half of June when the coastal cactus bloom. Birders should approach the observation blind as a group, slowly and quietly, this may help to reduce the birds’ anxiety and allow you to observe their behaviour more easily.

Mitlenatch, which means “calm waters all around” in the Coast Salish language, is a small rocky island that features semi-arid conditions caused by the island’s location in the rain shadow of Vancouver Island. The park receives less than 75 cm (30 inches) of rain each year, which is about half the Campbell River average. 

The Pacific WildLife Foundation partnered with BC Parks and the Mitlenatch Island Stewardship Team (MIST) to create this captivating and informative short video about Mitlenatch Island Nature Park. Shot and edited by Mike McKinlay and narrated by MIST volunteer Kate Rubin.