Uchucklesaht Tribe's traditional village of Ehthlateese is located 64km by logging roads from the closest city, Port Alberni. Most citizens reside in Port Alberni as access to the village is challenging, however, Uchucklesaht Tribe Government is diligently working to make village access and residency more attainable for citizens. Road access can be more dangerous with no lighting, narrow roads, and bridges, and many logging and access roads with no signage. Getting lost or turned around is a very real possibility with no cell service or frequent passers-by. Uchucklesaht Tribe Government is installing solar-lit directional signage along Henderson Main, Henderson 500, Henderson Lake 8, and the Village road to ensure safe arrival of all road users.

Uchucklesaht's traditional territory and village are located 39km by boat, or 64km by road, from the nearest city of Port Alberni, where many citizens reside. Access to the territory requires the use of active and retired logging roads that are constantly changing and growing. Frequent users of the road, as well as responding emergency personnel, have gotten lost or turned around while navigating the road system. There are currently no signs or cell phone service to give drivers, cyclists, or hikers direction. Many citizens that reside in Port Alberni have never had the opportunity to access their traditional village due to inaccessibility and unfamiliarity. Uchucklesaht Tribe Government aims to reconnect all citizens with their traditional lands and waters but the lack of lighting, signage, and cell phone coverage makes this challenging, and in some cases, dangerous. Directional signage with lighting would also improve reliability for all road users passing by the village or in the area of the traditional territory as there are currently no waypoints, markers, or other metrics to know where travelers are or where they should be going.

Photo source: Unsplash. Photo is shown for illustration purposes only and may not be an accurate representation of the project.