Fintry Provincial Park and Protected Area
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Fintry Provincial Park and Protected Area
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 The Fintry waterfall |
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| location | British Columbia (Canada) | |
| surface | 884 ha (Provincial Park - 357 ha; Protected Area - 523 ha) |
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| WDPA ID |
555516311 (Provincial Park) 555516285 (Protected Area) |
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| Geographical location | 50 ° 9 ′ N , 119 ° 36 ′ W | |
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| Sea level | from 345 m to 675 m | |
| Setup date | April 30, 1996 | |
| administration | BC parks | |
| particularities | Provincial Park with attached protected area | |
The Fintry Provincial Park and Protected Area is a total of 884 hectare provincial park in the center of the Canadian province of British Columbia . The park is located on the western shore of Okanagan Lake , about 23 miles north of Kelowna in the Regional District of Central Okanagan .
investment
The park is a bit remote from the major roads on Okanagan Lake. The official access to the park and the campground is either from Kelowna in the south via an approximately 34 km long access road from Highway 97 or from the north from Vernon or Amstrong via an approximately 36 km long driveway.
The park is divided into two parts, both of which are traversed by Shorts Creek. The smaller part of the park with 361 hectares, which represents the Provincial Park , is for the most part between Okanagan Lake and the access road to the park, which also cuts through it in a north-south direction. The much larger part of the park with 523 hectares, the Protected Area , extends about 13 kilometers to the west from the access road.
In proportion Provincial Park , with the lake shore, are almost all the infrastructural facilities of the park. In addition to the actual campground with its facilities, this also includes the information center The Manor House . There is also a small lighthouse in this part of the park at Shorts Point . This part of the park also includes a small settlement, which is not part of the park.
The protected area is located to the west of the access road. While the other part of the park is rather flat along the lake, this part of the park rises significantly and is much more mountainous. In this part of the park is also the waterfall. Shorts Creek falls down the rocks here in three stages before flowing through a 60 to 70 meter deep canyon made of ancient granite and granodiorite to the lake.
In the protected area allocation by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources , the park is divided into two parts. The Provincial Park portion is a Category III protected area ( natural monument ), while the Protected Area portion is a Category II protected area ( National Park ).
history
The park was established in 1996 and had a size of 361 hectares when it was founded. This area now forms the Provincial Park . Over time, the park boundaries were redefined several times and the park changed its size each time. The park was expanded to include the Protected Area in 2001.
The park is primarily located in the traditional hunting and settlement area of the West Bank First Nation of the Okanagan people . The history is therefore, as with almost all provincial parks, more extensive than recorded by the European historiography.
Historiography, which was influenced by Europe, began in the 19th century, when many traders from the Hudson's Bay Company were active on the west bank of the lake . The nearby settlement was one of the overnight spots on one of the trade routes, the "Okanagan Brigade Trail". The name shorts goes back to a later time. Thomas D. Shorts was the captain and operator of a steamboat fleet on the lake from 1880 and had his residence in Fintry around 1900. Located in the park, The Manor House dates back to 1909 and was built by James Cameron Dunwaters. This is where other houses were built in the park (e.g. the farm buildings at Parkgate), as this is where his farm was located.
Flora and fauna
Basically, the park is located in the drier Interior Plateau . However, within the British Columbia ecosystem, the park area is assigned to different ecological zones. The Provincial Park portion is assigned to the Interior Douglas-fir Zone (with the subzones Moist Warm and Very Dry Hot ). The Protected Area portion is assigned to the Interior Douglas-fir Zone , with the subzones Moist Warm and Very Dry Mild and the Montane Spruce Zone with the Dry Mild subzone . These biogeoclimatic zones are characterized by the same 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.
Due to the sometimes very different zones, there is a relatively large number of plants in the park. In addition to widespread species such as Douglas fir , coastal pine , spruce and American quivering aspen, there are also the much rarer species such as the western balsam poplar and the yellow pine . This biodiversity also continues in the undergrowth and the meadow areas with the alder-leaved rock pear , sacred flowers ( Ceanothus ) as well as the red stem moss and various mosses and lichens.
The detectable animal species correspond to the size and location of the park. Various predators such as grizzly bears , black bears , coyote and real martens can be found in the area . In addition to various types of red deer, such as the mule deer or the white-tailed deer , there are also bighorn sheep in the park . At the same time, the park is also an important winter retreat for the red deer living in the area.
The park also offers a habitat for a wide variety of birds, such as the American long-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii), the collar grouse or the endangered red-diver . Because of the old trees, the helmeted woodpecker and the great horned owl also occur here. There are also hawks and bald eagles in the park. The occurring Canada geese pose a potential problem, but so far this has been prevented by their natural predators Great Horned Owl, Bald Eagle and Coyote.
In the streams and rivers you can find brook trout as well as sockeye salmon and rainbow trout . In addition to sockeye salmon and rainbow trout, there are also herring vendace and burbot in Okanagan Lake .
activities
The park has 100 parking spaces, some of which can be reserved, for mobile homes and tents and has sanitary facilities with showers. The campground is divided into three sub-areas and with its parking spaces and sanitary facilities cannot be used all year round.
The tourist attraction of the park, besides the lake and the numerous hiking trails and climbing opportunities, is the waterfall. Furthermore, riding and mountain biking is permitted on various paths in the park.
Motorboats are permitted on the lake. There is also a slipway for boats in the park . The lake is also an excellent fishing spot.
According to legend, the sea monster Ogopogo lives in Lake Okanagan .
Web links
- Fintry Provincial Park and Protected Area . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
- Fintry Provincial Park and Protected Area. In: English-language website of the park at BC Parks
- Information about the park at www.britishcolumbia.com (Engl.)
- Friends of Fintry Provincial Park Society website
Individual evidence
- ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Fintry Park (English)
- ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Fintry Protected Area (English)
- ^ Fintry Provincial Park - Management Plan. (PDF; 2.40 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , October 1998, accessed on November 16, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF; 9.85 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , February 1991, accessed on November 16, 2012 .
- ^ Fintry Protected Area - Purpose Statement and Zoning Plan. (PDF; 137.14 kB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, February 2006, accessed on February 27, 2013 (English).
- ↑ Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, accessed May 3, 2016 .