The Gorge Waterway Initiative worked in partnership with the parks staff at Esquimalt, Victoria, Saanich and View Royal to develop an interpretive signage strategy for the Gorge Waterway. The aim of the interpretive signs is to improve awareness of the underwater ecology of the waterway, marine wildlife and habitat features, the watersheds drain to the waterway, key historical and cultural points of interest and other topics.
Appropriate sign locations along the waterway were identified with municipal staff, and the GWI coordinator worked with partner groups and graphic artists at Muze Creative to develop content, select images and design the templates. Each municipality along the Gorge and Portage Inlet has a large 3-sided sign featuring a map showing natural and cultural features of the waterway and adjacent watersheds, local parks and trails, kayak launch sites and other points of interest. The two other panels highlight ecological features, history and other information about this unique urban waterway.
In 2010, 8 smaller signs were installed along the waterway, each highlighting particular natural or historical features about that location, including the Gorge Narrows, early settler history, the Migratory Bird Sanctuary, the working harbour and underwater marine life. We hope to add to this group of signs over time as funding allows.
The GWI sign template is being used in 2013 for new interpretive signs to be installed on and near the new Craigflower Bridge.
View the Interpretive Sign Panels here