Pacific Rim Whale Festival Events: March 8, 2010
This icon signifies a Button Event.
Show your 2010 Pacific Rim Whale Festival button for free admission to the events marked with this icon. Buttons are available for $2 each at most events, and can also be bought at local Visitor Info Centres or at most whale watching companies. Visit our buttons page for more information!
ArtSplash! Pacific Rim Arts Society’s Annual Spring Art Show
Daily: 10 am - 6 pm
Harbour Lounge - Weigh West Marine Resort, Tofino
The Pacific Rim Arts Society’s annual community art show is back! Local artists working in mediums from painting to fibre works, photography to clay and wood to silver are set to exhibit their wares. Come and view original artworks and purchase a favorite piece to take with you. Thanks to the Pacific Rim Arts Society.
Jamie’s Whaling Station’s Westcoast Passport To Adventure Contest
Daily
Passports available at any Info Centre or
either Jamie’s Whaling Station & Adventure Centre
On your own time all throughout Whale Festival, visit participating locations to answer quirky & educational interpretive questions and collect PRWFS Stamps to enter the draw for GREAT prizes. Complete your Answer Sheet and enter the draw to win a grand prize at Closing Day Celebrations! Thank you Jamie’s for organizing this annual educational & interactive Festival activity!
Media Lounge: Interactive Multi-media Gallery & Coastal Sensory Experience
Sundays - Thursdays, 10 am - 6 pm
The Shore/Ocean Outfitters, Tofino
Time to press the rewind, pause, or play buttons @ the Media Lounge. Listen to the whales, watch Canadiana short-films, indulge your senses in the works of world-class artists, or just put up your feet and catch a breath from the festival fury. Maybe you want to be more active and shoot your own movie, sound or photo and upload it to the festival’s Youtube and Flickr websites accessible here? But don’t forget... the Feature Presentation “LIVE” is on Thurs Night (7-10:30pm), where you can experience the behind-the-scene adventures of photographer, Matt Maran, be part of Randy Celebrini’s live painting, and listen to Esther Celebrini ’s live jazz performance. Official Whale Festival Merchandise available here too!
Ucluelet Aquarium: Up Close & Personal!
Daily: 10 am - 6 pm
Ucluelet Mini Aquarium
Waterfront Promenade, Ucluelet
$5 adults / $3 kids (4-16 yrs) / $FREE under 4 yrs
Get your hands wet in the touch tanks with hungry seastars, sideways sand dollars, bright sea anemones, cool crabs, incredible fish and more! Guest interpreters and special activities! Visit with the undersea critters of Clayoquot Sound & Barkley Sound (including a giant pacific octopus!), which are exhibited - and then later released - back into the wild; all from our own backyard! Curiosity welcome & questions encouraged, for ages 1-101! Open daily 10am-6pm from now on for the season!
Marine Documentary Film Screenings
Daily: 10:15 am & 2 pm
Remote Passages Marine Excursions - at the boathouse, Tofino
Marine-based, educational and documentary films suitable for all ages. Daily screenings schedule at www.remotepassages.com Thank you Remote Passages for years of dedicated support.
Meares Island Big Tree Trail: Guided Hikes
Monday, March 8, 2010: 11am or 2pm
Depart (by boat) from Ocean Outfitters, Tofino
with naturalist Devorah Reeves
(10 spaces/trip) $49 adults/$20.10 kids special Whale Festival rates!
To reserve 250-725-2866
Choose from 2 departure times! The legendary trail begins as a boardwalk leading you past many features of special interest to the Hanging Garden Tree, which has a circumference of 18.3 meters and a height of 42.7 meters! The boardwalk is 620 meters in length and takes approximately 1.5 hours return to enjoy.
Sea Otters: From 0 to 3,000 in 35 years!
Monday, March 8, 2010: 11 am - 12 pm
Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
with marine biologist Josie Osborne
The last sea otter in BC was killed in the 1920s, after 150 years of lucrative commercial hunting. Thirty-five years ago, 89 sea otters were reintroduced to the west coast of Vancouver Island, and today there are over 3,000 in BC. Join Tofino marine biologist Josie Osborne for an informative 45 minute slideshow about the sea otter. Learn why this animal was such a valuable part of the fur trade, and how sea otter hunting became a key turning point in the history of coastal BC. You'll also learn about how this important "keystone species" is making a comeback on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and what kind of impact its recovery is having - from changes in the nearshore coastal environment to changes in our local economies. This talk will appeal to history buffs and naturalists alike, and it's great for kids and adults!
Beach Seining Interactive Specimen Collecting
with Ucluelet Aquarium interpreters & biologist friends
Monday, March 8: 1 pm
Meet at Terrace Beach, Ucluelet
What is seining, you ask? Join Ucluelet Aquarium curator Dave Hurwitz 'in his shoes' for an actual Aquarium-bound specimen collection from Terrace Beach. Oh! The life in our own backyard! A net, chest waders, some biologist friends, and you! Dave will be joined by Ucluelet Aquarium staff for some seining fun. All ages welcome!
Uu-a-thluk: Taking Care of Species At Risk In Nuu-chah-nulth Territories
Monday, March 8: 1 pm
Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
with Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Fisheries biologist Katie Beach
The Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations rely on sea resources for food, economic and spiritual needs. However, over the past two centuries, development and harvesting pressures have resulted in drastic reductions in the populations of many West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) aquatic species. These species reductions have impacted Nuu-chah-nulth culture and livelihood, as does protective measures implemented under the Species at risk Act (SARA). This presentation will outline some of the local species that are now listed under the Species at Risk Act, their cultural significance, and some of the activities that Nuu-chah-nulth and Uu-a-thluk have developed to take care of those species. Examples include abalone, sea otters, rockfish, and basking shark. Come ready to participate!
Whale Quest Tofino:
Grey Whale ID – Kids get to know local whales in print & paint!
Monday, March 8, 2010: 2 pm
Remote Passages Marine Excursions boathouse, Tofino
When researchers watch whales, they often know "who's who" – now you can too! Learn how researchers ID grey whales, and what this can tell them about the life histories of these fascinating, friendly whales. Meet Two-Dot Star, Admiral and some of their friends. Get to know your local whales in print and paint! Kids age 6-12 – interactive & creative grey whale ID activity. Pre-registration required at 250-725-3330.
Sweet Indulgence: Annual All-You-Can-Eat Dessert Reception
Monday, March 8, 2010: 7 pm - 9 pm
UAC Hall, Ucluelet
Advance tickets only: $10 adults/$5 kids 12 & under
with special musical guests Smalltown Empire
An evening of decadence; featuring favourites from the recipe archives from up and down the coast. All-you-can-eat desserts & people’s choice awards, and more. Live musical guests progressive acoustic folk duet ‘Smalltown Empire’! Sponsored generously by Evergreen Forest Cabins, Cynamoka Coffee House, and all of the bakers and decadence makers. Limited capacity, so advanced tickets only!
Monday Night Movie: screening Julian Lennon’s “WhaleDreamers”
Monday, March 8, 2010: 8 pm
Clayoquot Community Theatre, Tofino
Admission at the door: $5 minimum donation
Be inspired. Don't miss out on this inspiring documentary that brings about a timely message of hope and opens our eyes with rich narrative, breathtaking images, and a reminder of what it means for people to reconnect with their culture, the natural world and each other!
Visit www.whaledreamers.com for more information.
