Bowron Lake Provincial Park
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Bowron Lake Provincial Park
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 The Cariboo Mountains from Isaac Lake |
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| location | British Columbia (Canada) | |
| surface | 1397 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 18486 | |
| Geographical location | 53 ° 12 ' N , 120 ° 58' W | |
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| Sea level | from 1000 m to 2700 m | |
| Setup date | June 6, 1961 | |
| administration | BC parks | |
The Bowron Lake Provincial Park is a 139,700-hectare Provincial Park in the center of the Canadian province of British Columbia . It is located about 115 kilometers east of Quesnel , in the Cariboo Regional District .
The park is a bit off Highway 26 , which ends in Barkerville , about 30 kilometers to the west .
investment
The park is one of several in the Cariboo Mountains and in the transition area to the Interior Plateau . Basically, the protected area is almost rectangular in shape, with the greatest orientation in north-south direction. In the south the park borders directly on the Cariboo Mountains Provincial Park , which in turn borders on the Wells Gray Provincial Park . These three parks form a contiguous, not quite 800,000 hectare protected area.
Official road access is only possible via a gravel road from Bakerville. This access road ends in the northwest corner of the park. This is also where the park's campground and the park administration can be found.
The location of the park in the transition area from mountains to plateau is also evident in the mountains. In the north-western part of the park, which is more likely to be assigned to the Interior Plateau, the mountains are more rounded, while in the eastern part, which is part of the Cariboo Mountains, the mountains are more rugged. The highest point in the park and in the immediate vicinity is Vixen Peak with a height of 2693 m . Other mountains of similar height are z. B. Mount Amos Bowman ( 2582 m ) or Kaza Mountain ( 2543 m ). There are also numerous large and small lakes in it. The lakes, which are predominantly elongated, also form a rectangle in relation to each other. One of the largest of them is Bowron Lake, which gives the park its name . The largest lake is Isaac Lake . Various streams and smaller rivers such as the Cariboo River and the Bowron River have their source in the park .
The park is a category II protected area ( national park ).
history
The park was established in 1961 and was named after the lake on which the park is located. Bowron Lake, as well as the Bowron River, was named after John Bowron, who was the Gold Commissioner in nearby Barkerville during the Cariboo gold rush . Before the area became a Provincial Park, it had been protected as a game reserve by the Canadian Ministry of Environment since 1925 . When it was established as a provincial park, the reserve had an area of approx. 120,000 hectares. Changes in the boundaries in 1969 and 1971 increased the park to approx. 123,000 hectares. The last time the borders were changed was in 2000. With this last change, the park reached its present size.
The park is located in the traditional hunting and settlement area of the First Nations of the Dakelh people . In the park there are indications of their presence at various points. A smallpox epidemic in the 1860s greatly reduced their numbers. An existing settlement slipped into Bowron Lake in 1964. There are various theses about what triggered this: either an undercutting or an earthquake in Alaska. The dwellings were burrows. Some names in the area for lakes, rivers or mountains still have their origins in the language of the carrier.
During the Cariboo gold rush, gold seekers also came to what is now the park area. Signs of their earlier presence can be found in old dilapidated huts or crumbling chimneys.
Flora and fauna
Within the British Columbia ecosystem, the park area is assigned to different biogeoclimatic zones. In terms of height, these are the Sub-boreal Spruce Zone , the Interior Cedar Hemlock Zone , the Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir Zone and the Alpine Tundra Zone . Biogeoclimatic zones are characterized by a similar climate and the same or very similar biological and geological conditions. This results in a very similar population of plants and animals in the respective zones.
Apart from some non-forested wetlands and the treeless alpine area, the forest landscape of the park is characterized by old, naturally grown forest.
The sub-boreal Spruce Zone is the lowest of the biogeoclimatic zones in the park in terms of altitude. In this zone the rock mountain fir and the Engelmann spruce are decisive. Mixed forms of Engelmann spruce and white spruce can also be found here . There are also many Douglas firs as well as American quivering aspen and paper birch in groups . In the area that was devastated by a fire at the beginning of the millennium, the forests regenerated. Here dominate lodgepole pine the stock.
In the next higher located Interior Cedar Hemlock Zone , the rock mountain fir and the Engelmann spruce are the dominant tree species. Characteristics of this zone, however, are the eponymous West American hemlock and the giant tree of life .
The Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir Zone is also dominated by Engelmann spruce and rocky fir. The mixed forms of Engelmann spruce and white spruce can also be found here.
Above the ESSF is the Alpine Tundra Zone , in which trees no longer grow due to colder temperatures, prolonged snowfall, short growing seasons and severe winters. Above the tree line, on the highest elevation in the park, a mosaic of grasses, mosses and bushes dominates.
Furthermore, in the undergrowth of the trees in the park there are also endangered and rare species of flowers, bushes, shrubs and grasses. These rare or endangered species include a subspecies of arnica , various subspecies of evening primrose family and carnation family , as well as various swathes and rushes .
A wide variety of wildlife lives in the park, including a relatively large number of grizzly bears as well as American black bears , Mackenzie wolves and wolverines as hunters. Also, there are elk , deer , mountain goats and caribou . Beavers and otters as well as rainbow trout , American char , brown trout , bull trout ( Salvelinus confluentus ), brook trout , whitefish and the coregonine species Prosopium williamsoni (English mountain whitefish ) and sockeye salmon can be found in or on the streams and lakes . The park administration states that around 130 different bird species are constantly or intermittently in the park. These include sandhill cranes , trumpeter swans , short-eared owls , great blue herons and the North American bittern .
Neighboring parks
In addition to the Cariboo Mountains Provincial Park and the Wells Gray Provincial Park, other parks are more or less close by. This includes:
- Mount Robson Provincial Park (as the largest of the neighboring parks)
- West Twin Provincial Park
- Ptarmigan Creek Provincial Park
- Erg Mountain Provincial Park
- Cariboo River Provincial Park
activities
The park has 25 parking spaces, some of which can be reserved, for campers and tents and has several simple sanitary facilities. Along the lakes and rivers, the park offers seven more refuges with sleeping places as well as cooking houses and prepared tent sites. "Wild" camping and making a fire are permitted with restrictions. Due to the presence of bears, there are bear poles at the designated camping sites .
The park is particularly popular with Canadians and kayakers , but is not officially open to them all year round (only from May 15 to September 30). Two different circular hiking courses lead through the park. These water hiking trails follow the course of various rivers and lakes and are connected with each other via short portages . The longer of the two circular hiking trails, with a total of around 116 km of paddling and 11 km of portages, can be completed in around seven days, while the shorter one can be done in around two to three days. Canoe hikers have to register before starting the hike. Groups of a certain size not only have to register, they also need a permit for the hike.
The mountains on the southern and southeastern border of the park are also very popular with climbers and mountaineers. However, these are difficult to achieve.
Furthermore, there are no longer developed and designated hiking trails in the park. Because of its difficult accessibility, the park only offers outdoor enthusiasts a chance to relax.
Web links
- Bowron Lake Provincial Park . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
- Bowron Lake Provincial Park . In: English language website of the park at BC Parks
- Information about the park on britishcolumbia.com
Individual evidence
- ^ Vixen Peak . In: Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 10, 2013
- ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Bowron Lake Park (English)
- ↑ Management Plan for Bowron Lake, Cariboo Mountains and Cariboo River Provincial Parks - Part 2. (PDF, 195.47 kB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , February 2002, accessed on October 10, 2013 .
- ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF, 10.31 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , February 1991, accessed on March 18, 2013 .
- ↑ Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, accessed April 4, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Management Plan for Bowron Lake, Cariboo Mountains and Cariboo River Provincial Parks - Part 4. (PDF, 298.71 kB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, February 2002, accessed on October 10, 2013 (English) .