Along the breakwater...

Sculpin.

One of the odder looking species of fish, sculpin are generally small fish, five to twenty centimetres in length, although some species can grow up to 100 centimetres in length. They are bottom feeders with sharp spines rather than scales.

Sculpin can live for several hours out of water if kept moist, and often inhabit tide pools. Be careful if you see one in a tide pool, their spines are very sharp and their sting can be very painful.

Photo by Scott Stevenson. To see more of his work, click here >

Unveiling of Land & Sea Murals at Ogden Point

Over the course of the summer of 2009, a portion of the Ogden Point Breakwater inner wall has been transformed from a dark concrete surface into a series of a colorful hand-painted First Nations’ mural panels.

The Ogden Point Mural project, a collaboration between the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and aboriginal Coast Salish artists Butch Dick (representing the Songhees First Nation) and Darlene Gait (representing the Esquimalt First Nation), and a team of aboriginal youth is a tribute to the unique artistic traditions of Canada’s first people.

The murals feature a series of undulating wave and sand forms filled with a variety of land and sea creatures common to the Westcoast which can be seen by visiting cruiseship passengers and those who walk the 2km long Ogden Point Breakwater.

The images of the land represented by Darlene Gait’s images of the cougar, the running deer, the raven and the eagle as well as the wolf are symbols of family unity, honesty, generosity, and respect, values which exemplify the dignity and nobility of First Nations people.

The artwork of Butch Dick portrays images of sea life including the salmon, the harbour seal, the devil fish (octopus), and the sea monster.

Town crier welcomes visitors at Ogden Point

A town crier frozen in a permanent pose of greeting is the latest symbol to welcome visitors to Victoria.

The friendly image comes in the form of a bronze statue, erected at Ogden Point through the efforts of the Victoria A.M. Association. Also newly unveiled is an information kiosk detailing key ecosystems on Vancouver Island.

The kiosk is the second one installed by the Ogden Point Enhancement Society, which has put close to $750,000 into Ogden Point beautification efforts since its formation in 1996.

Ogden Point, located on the James Bay waterfront, is a major transportation hub. It saw a record 210 cruise ships use its docks last year and bring in a combined total of almost 400,000 passengers.

The site is owned by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.

Louise Chabros, president of the volunteer-driven Victoria A.M. Association (so named because its meetings are in the morning), said the idea for the statue came up about a year ago through her acquaintance with artist Armando Barbon of Studio 37.

"We launched the project publicly last September and began our fundraising," she said, adding that the project marks the association's 25th anniversary.

Barbon donated the statue, but fundraising is needed to pay for the bronzing of the piece, Chabros said. About $15,000 of the $50,000 cost has been collected. Chabros said the town-crier statue is life-sized and based on the venerable Tommy Mayne, a town crier and longtime Victoria A.M. volunteer who has been with the group for 19 years.

"The statue is created in his likeness, but it's been dedicated to the tradition of town crying."

Seven local town criers were on hand for the dedication.

"Town criers have always been the heralders of news and readers of town proclamations, and many of our local municipalities still use the town crier," Chabros said. "We do, as well, when we can get them down to the ships. They give the passengers a welcome while they're pulling into the port."

She said it's all part of the association's mandate -- to promote and enhance tourism in Greater Victoria.

Ogden Point gets federal funding boost

Published: November 19, 2009 3:00 PM

The federal government will pump $900,000 into the deep-sea terminal at Ogden Point.

The money, which adds to a previous $1.5 million contribution from the provincial government, will help expand the port and increase the number and size of cruise ships that can dock in Victoria.

The remaining $2.3 million for the $4.7-million infrastructure project will come from the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.

The announcement was one of 27 infrastructure projects valued at more than $150 million that will stimulate B.C.'s economy through job creation.

Terrestrial Parks of Vancouver Island...

Victoria is located within the Coastal Douglas Fir Biogeoclimatic Zone, which is only found on the southern and southeastern fringes of Vancouver Island and to most of the southern Gulf Islands.

The Coastal Douglas Fir Zone is home to a unique and sensitive group of ecosystems that includes seaside parkland, dry forest, rock outcrop, and wetland habitats and contains many rare plants.

One of the best places to see a remnant old-growth Douglas Fir ecosystem is on the grounds of Royal Roads University, in Colwood. Some Douglas Fir trees at this site are over 800 years old.

East Sooke Park is an excellent place to see Arbutus trees, second-growth Douglas Fir, and coastal bluffs, along the oceanside trail.

Marine Ecosystems panel at Ogden Point...

A multitude of marine ecosystems together characterize the ocean. The ocean is the largest aquatic system on the planet,
covering over seventy percent of the Earth’s surface. The habitats that make up this system range from very productive
nearshore and shallow water regions to dark abyssal regions more than 4000 metres below the ocean’s surface.

British Columbia’s Pacific coast is a biologically diverse and productive temperate marine environment. Island archipelagos, deep fjords, shallow mudflats and estuaries, kelp and eelgrass beds, strong tidal currents and massive upwellings all contribute to extra-ordinarily high biodiversity. The abundance of coastal marine life not only contributes to the complexity and total biomass of the marine food web but also provides food for terrestrial animals such as otters, eagles, ospreys, bears, raccoons, mink and humans.

The Interpretive Kiosk...

The Interpretive Kiosk featuring the twelve panels we have been working on for the past year is finally installed and dedicated. Please visit the area and enjoy this wonderful addition to Ogden Point.