I noticed a field school of geology students investigating the geology of Armstrong Point today, so I listened in for a few minutes before talking with the instructor David Nelles. At first I thought they were Camosun students who frequently use the point as a major field site. It has long been used by geology students and was included as one of the significant features to visit in Chris Yorath’s classic field guide to the geology of Vancouver Island.

It is significant for a number of reasons that are instructive. Comprised of three groups of rocks dating back to the Early Jurassic ( ca 200 million years) granodiorite base, with volcanic intrusions. It is topped off by sedimentary sandstone from the Upper Cretaceous ( 85-65 million years ago). The students were examining the three geological ages within a short space of 200 metres, and paying particular attention to the non-conformity right at the tip of the point, aligned with Octopus Reef in the centre of Roberts Bay.

Shoal Harbour offers some stunning views of the Salish Sea, as well as some spectacular outcrops of rocks. Nearby we could hear Red-necked Grebes braying and there was a dozen juvenile Surf Scoters, among the last of winter inhabitants preparing to leave. The sanctuary offers tremendous opportunities in the entire field of natural history and its interpretation.

Park’s Canada’s state-of-the-art headquarters is within two blocks of this site, and yet somehow it was excluded from the original National Marina Conservation Area boundaries. Hopefully the renewed support of Parks Canada by the Trudeau government will help reverse this untenable situation.

Farrell has composed a poem about Wrangellia  based on Yorath’s book. Watch this space for its appearance.

University of Victoria students with the Earth Science’s Field School on 27 April, 2016.