The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks is temporarily closing Botanical Beach in Juan de Fuca Park for 24 hours, beginning Sunday, May 25. The announced closure is intended to keep the public out of the popular tourist attraction to allow members of the Pacheedaht First Nation privacy and freedom to harvest marine resources and “to reconnect with an important part of their territory,” states a press release from the province.
Pacheedaht Chief Councillor Arliss Jones says her nation has not signed a treaty but her people continue to use their territories, including Botanical Beach, to meet the needs of the community.
PFN members use Botanical Beach for seafood harvests, as their ancestors did in generations past. They say the practice can come with “uncomfortable encounters” from visitors.
“Our people should not have to answer unwanted questions or deal with unruly people when they are only trying to put food on the table, and other people’s table,” reads a Pacheedaht First Nation statement.
Chief Arliss Jones, recuperating from major surgery in Vancouver, spoke to Ha-Shilth-Sa about why it is necessary to close the beach to the public for a day. She said delegates from Parks came to Pacheedaht, located in Port Renfrew, B.C., in early 2025 to discuss parks in PFN territories.
Jones told officials that since Botanical Beach was designated a provincial park in 1989 and opened up to the public, things have started change.
“I told them that my granny used to get her sons and their families together to spend the day there. We’d bring nothing but firewood and a big pot,” Jones recalled.
Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s an old dirt road leading out to Botanical Beach was mostly washed out and barely passable. Jones’ father and uncles would go there in a boat, pulling crab traps along the way. At low tide, the extended family would hit the tide pools gathering sea urchins, gooseneck barnacles, chitons, mussels, sea cucumbers and large barnacles, which were steamed in a pot of ocean water over an open fire.
“The kids would play in the tide pools and we’d spend the whole day out there,” she recalled.
Even though it was fun, Jones said it was important because the kids watched and learned.
“The barnacles and mussels were huge…they’re not like that anymore, 40 years later,” she noted.
Jones said it is important to get back to these old ways, so that today’s children can continue to teach their youngsters about Pacheedaht’s food “market” at Botanical Beach.
“It’s hard to live with today’s economy,” she noted.
The seafood at Botanical Beach was plentiful prior to the establishment of the park back in 1989. When that happened, a nice, new paved road was built along with groomed trails leading hikers from the parking lot down to the beach. On a typical summer weekend, the large parking lot can be full, with overflow cars parking along the edges of the road and the beaches and trails teeming with visitors.
As a designated parkland and popular spot for viewing tide pools, collecting any marine life, including shellfish, is prohibited.
“Botanical Beach is part of Juan de Fuca Park, and the regulations emphasize leaving the natural environment undisturbed,” states BC Parks on its website.
The prohibition does not apply to Pacheedaht members harvesting seafood because Botanical Beach is within their traditional territory.
According to the province, Pacheedaht had a village called li:xʷa, located just above Botanical Beach.
“The village facilitated Pacheedaht's stewardship of the area and its rich marine resources that continue to sustain Pacheedaht culture. These resources are now challenging for members to access due to the popularity of Botanical Beach,” stated the province.
The 24-hour closure this weekend promises to be a fun day for Pacheedaht to celebrate their history and culture - together, alone.
“We need to secure our market, because if we don’t use it, we’ll lost it,” said Jones.
While she cannot attend the beach day for medical reasons, Jones says her people will be allowed to camp at Botanical Beach on Saturday night and will collect seafood at low tide on Sunday morning. From there they will enjoy culture and good food over campfires.
“We’ll celebrate our history with each other with good food and not being bothered by anybody,” said Jones.
The temporary closure for recreational visitors begins at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 24, and ends at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, 2025. During this time, Parks invites people to visit other day-use areas in Juan de Fuca Park, such as Mystic Beach, Sombrio Beach and China Beach.
The temporary closure is part of a joint initiative by BC Parks and the Pacheedaht First Nation to collaboratively manage Juan de Fuca Park.
Jones says this is the first closure of Botanical Beach for traditional use, but she hopes that there will be other closure days over the summer.