[Nick Heath]

I last went there in 2012 and back then it was delightful, but things can change greatly over time.

Now, BCMT are dealing with a long-standing issue -overuse, overcrowding and poor sanitation practices by campers at Flower I. The local FN asked some time ago that the site be removed from the BCMT map for these environmental reasons i.e site degradation. For various reasons this action was deferred pending other solutions being found – consult BC Parks (it is in a conservancy) – fund-raise for a composting toilet and other infrastructure etc.

If you have recently visited this site, please send me your impression  and recommendation. Were the users all independent paddlers or were there commercial users and other boaters there?

It would be perverse to close a site because it is too popular!

If the site is removed from the BCMT map, it likely will not affect usage much and it will remain in all printed guidebooks – but it is possible for this to become an official, posted site closure by joint action of BC Parks and the FN, thus enforceable by Guardian Watchmen and/or Park Rangers. More or less similar action closed the lovely Burdwood Group north site not so long ago.

Another point is that site closures might not solve the problem, but only displace it, so another nearby site then gets overrun and suffers a similar fate.

Thks for any help with this!

Nick H

groundcheck (at) bcmarinetrails.org

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[Jody Baker]

George, Kapila, Kevin and I just camped there 2 weeks ago. There were other kayakers coming and going too. There are two outfitter base camps just a few dozen meters across the channel. I won’t speak for the others but to me the site seemed clean and orderly; the other campers we encountered were experienced and respectful. It seemed obvious us to all of us that pooping below the tide line in the little bay across the island (50 meters or so) was the way to do things. If there is a waste problem that I couldn’t see, the obvious solution is to install an outhouse. It’s a great location and it would be a shame to close it. Signage about basic respect for the place would probably help too.

[Nick Heath]

Thanks for your thoughtful response, Diane.

Unlike the Broken Group, this is not a managed recreation area, so bookings/fees/permits/maintenance/monitoring etc are unavailable. Instead, conditions at the site depend mostly on user behaviour, which seems to be substandard.

Education, improvements in paddler etiquette and adoption of the BCMT Code of Conduct might take too long to achieve results.  Finding funds to provide a composting toilet could create a worse overcrowding issue than we already have, so maybe the short-term answer is for the Conservancy manager and local FN to declare that it is for day use only, with no camping permitted. (Enforcement of such a rule would be another matter!)

One wonders however, where all those displaced, disrespectful paddlers will camp next?

On a more optimistic note, one take some comfort in seeing major changes over time in other anti-social behaviours such as smoking and drinking and driving.

[Diane Snyder]

Hi Nick. Just read your post. My husband and I were on Flower Island a year ago in September as we thought it would be quieter then. When we landed and set up camp there were only 6 other paddlers on the island, and we felt relieved to have got the last site. When we got back from our first day of paddling there were at least 15 people and we could hardly get to our tent or find a place for our kayaks. A larger group of non-commercial paddlers had come in.

The island felt overrun and there was human waste everywhere you looked. We were only there 4 days so decided not to relocate. Next time I definitely will!! It seems there was a lack of paddling etiquette. If we plan to go to a place and it is full when we get there, then we find another place to land.

It may be time to look at the system in the Broken Group islands where you have to reserve and there is a clear indication of what is available. The Guardians in the Broken Group do a great job and were very helpful in an emergency situation we encountered. Some people may not like this idea, but it seems we can’t manage ourselves. Also, Flower is a small island and perhaps it needs a break and should be used for day use only. Just my thoughts. Thanks, Diane

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