Good day,

You are receiving this notice as a Park Use Permit holder authorized to conduct commercial recreation activities within Vargas Island Park.

As you may already know, there have been some concerning interactions between park guests and the wolves as of late. One or more wolves have been showing behaviour that would indicate that they are food conditioned and habituated. This is very serious and BC Parks staff are asking that all Permittees provide wildlife information to the guests that they are transporting to the island so that we can try and avoid future conflict. If the wolves continue to exhibit concerning behaviour it will only be a matter of time before someone is hurt and the animals destroyed. I remind you to please share the following information with your guests.

With the recent increase in wildlife activity in and around Vargas Island Provincial Park, BC Parks is advising park users to:

Be extremely mindful about how food and attractants are stored, always use food caches where possible, and have equipment to hang food if food caches are full. Kayak hatches and dry bags are NOT a suitable place to store food as wolves have learned how to get into them. Unlawfully storing food and/or garbage may result in an eviction or violation ticket under section 33.1 of the Wildlife Act.

Due to high frequency of wildlife coming into campsites during the night, do not sleep outside your tent.

Do not bring pets to Vargas Island Park. Dogs are a high level attractant to wolves and other large carnivores. Protect your pet – keep them at home.

Do not attempt to get in close proximity to wildlife, specifically large carnivores. Do your part to help keep wildlife wild.

If a wolf approaches, scare it off immediately. Do not wait. Make noise, wave your arms and scare it away. If attacked, fight back.

Do not camp near natural food sources such as marine wildlife carcasses.

If you encounter an aggressive wild animal, report it to the Conservation Officer Service 24-hour hotline toll free at 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP) or #7277 on the Telus Mobility Network.

Lastly, there is a fire ban in effect and campfires are not permitted in Vargas Island Park. Please ensure that your guests are aware of this. We have had several reports of campers having fires in the park so we will be increasing our patrols to ensure compliance to the current Order. Anyone having a campfire can be subject to an $1150 fine and will be evicted from the park.

Kind regards,

Michael Grandbois

Clayoquot Area Supervisor

BC Parks

Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy

West Coast Region

(250) 736-6816

cid:[email protected]