NATURE
Protecting our natives
Isolated pockets of Garry oak ecosystem remain one of the West Coast’s most valued yet most threatened treasures.
By Kathryn Carlson
Sidebar: Canada’s hot spots

PORTRAIT OF PLACE
Salt of the earth
Get a taste of the creativity that blossoms in Saltspring’s grassroots Saturday market.
By Roger Brunt
Sidebar: Market change

ANTHROPOLOGY
Meaning behind the masks
Master carver Herb Rice explains what mask making means to him and his culture.
By Kate Wallace
Sidebar: Give and take

HISTORY
Place of refuge
From Athabascans to ex-slaves, hippies to cultural misfits, follow a timeline of the islands’ history of sanctuary.
By Jenn Hardy
Sidebar: A new refuge: Gulf Islands National Park Reserve

The knowledge toolbox
How to negotiate the B.C. Ferries
By Christopher Mason
Sidebar: Dumping bilge in B.C. waters

Cartographer’s table
Gulf Islands

Just the facts
The who, what, where, when and why of the Gulf Islands

From the CG vault
Archives of past Canadian Geographic articles

Re:sources
An information guide to stories in this issue