Dionisio Point Provincial Park
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Dionisio Point Provincial Park
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 The intertidal zone in the park at Dionisio Point |
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| location | British Columbia (Canada) | |
| surface | 142 ha | |
| WDPA ID | 67040 | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 0 ′ N , 123 ° 34 ′ W | |
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| Sea level | from 0 m to 110 m | |
| Setup date | July 31, 1991 | |
| administration | BC parks | |
The Dionisio Point Provincial Park is a 142 ha large Provincial Park in the Canadian province of British Columbia . The park is located on the northeast tip of Galiano Island , across from the southern tip of Valdes Island , and is part of the Capital Regional District .
investment
The park is located on an island in the southern Gulf Islands and can therefore only be reached by ferry from the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal on the mainland or from the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal on Vancouver Island. The island and with it the park is on the Strait of Georgia .
The centerpiece of the park is the eponymous Dionisio Point , which is only connected to the island by a tombolo , as well as the shoreline adjoining the island. The park also includes the intertidal tidal zone .
The park is a category II protected area ( national park ).
history
The park was established in 1991. The area is a gift from MacMillan Bloedel , now a daughter of Weyerhaeuser , to the province.
The park was named after a headland within the park. While the island itself bears the surname of its Spanish explorer, the headland was named after the explorer's first name, after Dionisio Alcalá-Galiano . The name Dionisios Point can be found in English nautical charts from around 1859.
However, as with almost all provincial parks in British Columbia, this one too, long before the area was settled by immigrants or became part of a park, it was the settlement and hunting / fishing area of various tribes of the First Nations , here mainly the Penelakut people , was. At various points on the island, especially at Montague Harbor and at Dionisio Point, there are still indications, mainly in the form of clams, that the area was used for fishing up to 1000 years ago. However, remains of house platforms were also found in 1971.
Flora and fauna
Within the British Columbia ecosystem, the Moist Maritime subzone is assigned to the Coastal Douglas Fir Zone . These biogeoclimatic zones are characterized by a similar climate and the same or similar biological and geological conditions. This results in a very similar population of plants and animals in the respective zones.
After extensive felling work on behalf of MacMillan Bloedel from the 1950s on, there is no longer any primary forest in the park . The trees are mainly regrown Douglas firs , but there are also occasional Oregon oaks and coastal firs . There are also individual American strawberry trees as well as Oregon maple and red alder . The undergrowth of the trees is made up of the various ferns and heather plants. There are Shallon pseudo-berries and common snowberries as well as common mahonia as well as forest foam spar and sword fern (Polystichum munitum). Also, among others, the partially threatened lily plants speckled chess flower , Leichtlin prairie lily and Oregon dog tooth were detected.
Due to the small size of the park, the only larger mammals found here are those that are also found in the area. In addition to the Columbia black-tailed deer and the wolf, these include various smaller mammals such as the North American otter , American mink, and raccoon . The population of smaller mammals, reptiles and amphibians has not yet been studied in detail.
The bird species found are numerous, ranging from widespread species to threatened species. There are large hunters such as bald eagles and peregrine falcons , as well as various sea and water birds and also normal bird species. Were spotted among others: glaucous-winged gull , Bonaparte's Gull , Brandt's Cormorant , Harlequin Duck , Robin , Pileated Woodpecker , Common Loon , Red-necked Grebe , Great Blue Heron or black oystercatcher .
The tidal range of the Strait of Georgia is also clearly noticeable and visible here, it is usually around 2 to 3 meters. The surrounding waters and the intertidal zone are also rich in marine life. Hunters such as Steller's sea lions , Californian sea lions and killer whales occur as well as various Oncorhynchus species, cod , halibut and various salmon species.
Neighboring parks
There are three other Provincial Parks on the island, Bellhouse Provincial Park , Bodega Ridge Provincial Park and Montague Harbor Marine Provincial Park . The Montague Harbor Marine Provincial Park is of particular interest, as it is the only one of the four island parks where it is possible to spend the night with tents and mobile homes.
activities
The park is basically a small park for day visitors. It therefore does not offer extensive tourist infrastructure. Camping in the park is generally allowed, but several areas have been prepared as wilderness campsites in two places . The park only has very basic sanitary facilities. Various hiking trails have been created in the park.
Web links
- Dionisio Point Provincial Park . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
- Dionisio Point Provincial Park . In: English language website of the park at BC Parks
- Information park on britishcolumbia.com (Engl.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Dionisio Point Park (English)
- ^ Management Plan for Dionisio Point Provincial Park. (PDF, 2.35 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , May 1995, accessed April 16, 2013 .
- ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF, 10.31 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , February 1991, accessed April 16, 2013 .
- ↑ Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, accessed May 3, 2016 .
- ↑ Whaler Bay (# 7532) Tidal Prediction. Fisheries and Oceans Canada , accessed April 16, 2013 (English, Whalers Bay is about 10 km away, on the east coast of Galiano Island).