Preliminary Research
The research component of Phase I began with the consolidation of data necessary to produce a map and ecological inventory of Retreat Cove. These data included several layers of terrestrial ecosystem mapping, other environmental geospatial data, and species occurrence records, all of which were incorporated into a geographic information system (GIS)—detailed further under GIS and Data Analysis.
Key resources
We also consolidated the following:
- existing ecocultural resources, including Hul’q’umi’num’ Treaty Group (2011), Turner (2014) and Luschiim (2021) (preprint shared by Nancy Turner prior to publication)
- documentation from a previous participatory mapping project on Galiano Island (Emmings & Erickson, 2004) which complemented the creation of Galiano Island’s Land Classification dataset
- resources describing the sensitive ecosystems of the southern Gulf Islands (Islands Trust, 2020)
Table 4 provides a summary of key resources incorporated into this project to date.
Table 4. Key Resources
| Name | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 / 2000 Urban Salmon Habitat Program Final Report | Species occurrences | Erickson, 2014 |
| Hunterston Farm Stewardship Report (and dataset) | Species occurrences | Hunterston Farms, 2010 |
| iNaturalist biodiversity data | Species occurrences | Biodiversity Galiano Project 2021 |
| Toward an Atlas of Salish Sea Biodiversity | Species occurrences | Simon et al., 2022 |
| Eelgrass Extent at Select Sites in the Southern Gulf Islands (2009–2020) | Geospatial data | Mayne Island Conservancy, 2020 |
| Galiano Landscape Classification Mapping | Geospatial data | Emmings & Erickson, 2004 |
| Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge | Literature | Turner, 2014 |
| Ecosystem Guide: a Hul’q’umi’num’ language guide to plants and animals of southern Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Salish Sea | Literature | Hul’q’umi’num’ Treaty Group, 2011 |
| Galiano Island Landscape Classification and UP-CLOSE Workshop Series Final Report | Literature | Emmings & Erickson, 2004 |
| Islands Trust Sensitive Ecosystem Guide | Literature | Islands Trust, 2020 |
| Luschiim’s Plants: Traditional Indigenous Foods, Materials and Medicines | Literature | Luschiim, 2021 |
Mapping ecological communities
To facilitate the ecocultural mapping process using these existing data, we identified key ecological features and attributes in the available geospatial data which corresponded to content in our source literature. This content was tabulated to map the correspondences between these geospatial attributes and metadata / content from the source literature.
As an example of the outcome of this work, Table 5 summarizes four ecological communities emphasized in Emmings & Erickson (2004), which are highlighted in our ecocultural map.
The process of tabulating content from these source documents based on key features and attributes in our GIS allowed us to integrate outcomes of these past participatory mapping workshops into our online map and data visualizations, adding value to our pilot project by honouring the legacy of this work.
Table 5. Key Ecological Communities Documented in Emmings & Erickson (2004)
| Ecological Community | Corresponding ‘Site Class’ geospatial attributes |
|---|---|
| Freshwater | Lakes (LC), Riparian (RI), Streams, Wetlands (WN) |
| Forest | Mature Forests (MF), Young Forests (YF), Pole Sapling (PS), Recently Harvested (RH) |
| Garry Oak Meadows | Woodlands (WD), Cliffs / Rock outcrops (CL) |
| Marine and Foreshore | Marine (unmapped in Land Classification) and Littoral (LT) |
Hul’q’umi’num’ names and cultural values of species
A similar process was taken to tabulate ecocultural information for species, including Hul’q’umi’num’ names and cultural values of species. Three sources of literature were reviewed for this purpose, including Hul’q’umi’num’ Treaty Group (2011), Turner (2014) and Luschiim (2021), the content of which was tabulated with reference to the scientific names of species and broader taxonomic groups—e.g., grass, Poaceae, called sáxw əl in the Cowichan dialect of the Hul’q’umi’num’ language (Turner, 2014).
Learning from past ecocultural mapping projects
Finally, we reviewed previous ecocultural mapping projects, considering sessions from the Indigenous Science Working Tools Seminar Series, and documentation from the UP-CLOSE Workshop Series Final Report, which complemented the development of the Land Classification dataset for Galiano Island (Emmings & Erickson, 2004).
We were also briefed by Briony Penn on approaches taken to other ecocultural mapping projects in the region, such as the management plan developed for Helliwell Provincial Park, Hornby Island, BC, in collaboration with Comox elders.
Finally, we developed a preliminary Data Management Plan in consultation with Mairin Deith at UBC. Table 6 summarizes the key research tasks undertaken during Phase I of this project.
Table 6. Phase I Research Tasks
| Task | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| Consolidate existing resources (ecocultural literature, geospatial data, biodiversity data, past participatory mapping reports) | November 2020 | December 2020 |
| Tabulate Hul’q’umi’num’ species names and cultural values based on existing resources | November 2020 | January 2021 |
| Tabulate information corresponding to key features and attributes represented in geospatial datasets | November 2020 | January 2021 |
| Research past ecocultural mapping projects and adapt outcomes and practices to support this ongoing work | November 2020 | January 2021 |
| Develop a preliminary Data Management Plan | November 2020 | November 2021 |