Jody Bissett, Interpretation Coordinator, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site would like to announce that Parks Canada has scheduled virtual orientation sessions again in the Spring of 2022.

As you may already be aware of, all visitors planning to visit  Gwaii Haanas who are not travelling with a licensed tour operator must participate in the Orientation Program. For the past few years (with the exception of 2021) orientation sessions were hosted in-person in Vancouver and Victoria or Sydney in March.  These sessions were open to the public, but geared towards boaters planning on entering Gwaii Haanas from the south, and unable to attend an Orientation in Skidegate prior to entry.

Similarly to what happened this past Spring, in the Spring of 2022 the mandatory orientation sessions will be hosted virtually, due to the continued uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic.  Parks Canada will be offering two virtual Gwaii Haanas Orientation and Q&A sessions in late March and early April.  You will need to register prior to these sessions by contacting the Parks Canada office at 1-577-559-8818 or gwaihaanas@pc.gc.ca.

The virtual orientation sessions are scheduled for 1900h on Wednesday March 30  and Thursday April 7, on Google Meets. The link to the meetings will be shared with participants when they register for the session.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jody Bissett directly; she will be pleased to assist.

Also, if you are dreaming about or planning a trip to Gwaii Haanas, there is a lot of great trip planning information on the website.

Feature Photo Credit:  Sgan Gwaay Village (© Parks Canada/Maggie Stronge); Tufted Puffin (© Parks Canada/Carey Bergman); Mount Yatza (© Parks Canada/Charlotte Houston); Humpback (© Parks Canada/Daniel McNeill)