Goldstream Provincial Park

Goldstream Provincial Park IUCN Category II - National Park
The Niagara Creek Fall
location	British Columbia (Canada)
surface	4.77 km²
WDPA ID	65211
Geographical location	48 ° 28 '  N , 123 ° 33'  W Coordinates: 48 ° 28 '16 "  N , 123 ° 33' 10"  W
Setup date	June 26, 1958
administration	BC parks

The Goldstream Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian province of British Columbia . It is located in the city of Langford around 16 km northwest of Victoria on Vancouver Island and covers an area of ​​477 hectares. The park is located in the Capital Regional District .

investment

The park is located in the immediate catchment area of ​​Victoria. It consists of the spatially separated camping area and the picnic area. The camping area is on the Goldstream River with Goldstream Falls , while the picnic area (Day Use Area) is in the area around Niagara Creek Falls and the lower reaches of the Goldstream River. The Niagara Creek Falls plunge 47.3 m deep into a basin, while the Goldstream Falls are only a few meters high. The park is criss-crossed by various hiking trails. It is also cut by British Columbia Highway 1 , which is part of the Trans-Canada Highway System . Furthermore, the Goldstream Provincial Park includes Mount Finlayson, a section of the Gowlland Range .
The park is a category II protected area ( national park ).

history

The park was established in 1956. However, several First Nations used the Goldstream River for fishing long before, especially during salmon migrations. Gold was found there in the mid-19th century, which triggered a short-lived gold rush. The gold prospectors usually left the area after a short time to look elsewhere.

Although most left the region, some stayed in Victoria, so the provincial capital grew rapidly. To ensure their water supply, a water pipe was built from the Goldstream River into the city. The Greater Victoria Water Board responsible for management handed the area over to the province in 1958.

In 1994 the area of ​​the highest mountain in the Victoria area, Mount Finlayson, was added to the park. In 1996 further areas were added, so that the park reached its present size.

South of Finlayson Arm in Goldstream Provincial Park

On April 16, 2011, there was a tanker truck accident in which significant amounts of diesel spilled into the river.

Flora and fauna

Within the British Columbia ecosystem, the park area is assigned to the Coastal Douglasfir Zone . 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 zone.

One of the larger trees in the park, a giant arborvitae (Thuja plicata), also known as Western or Pacific Red Cedar

In addition, there are stocks of 600 to 700 year-old Douglas firs, giant coarse trees, West American hemlocks and maples, but also the American strawberry tree and the western balsam poplar and numerous flowering plants. There is also a rare type of oak, the Oregon oak (English Garry oak). Here, too, the forest has an undergrowth of sword ferns and heather plants. The Pacific flowering dogwood , the heraldic plant of British Columbia, which is widespread in large parts of the province , can also be found here.

The eponymous Goldstream River has heavy salmon migrations (mainly ketal salmon and silver salmon ) from late October to November and is home to a large population of bald eagles . Up to 25,000 salmon migrate into the park from the Pacific via the Finlayson Arm. Also, black bears , cougars (Cougars), otters, beavers and numerous rodent species live in the park. Different types of garter snakes can also be found relatively often in the park .

activities

The park offers a variety of hiking opportunities, such as the "Mount Finlayson Trail".

In the park is the Goldstream Nature House maintained by RLC Enterprize , which organizes events (the so-called "Interpretive Programs"). This event features lectures and games to bring the audience closer to nature, as well as exhibitions on the natural history of the park.

Web links

Commons : Goldstream Provincial Park  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Goldstream Provincial Park . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
• Goldstream Provincial Park . In: English language website of the park at BC Parks
• Information to the park on britishcolumbia.com (Engl.)
• English-language website of the Goldstream Nature House
• Goldstream Provincial Park, Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC
• goldstreampark.com

supporting documents

1. ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Goldstream Park (English)
2. ^ Goldstream Park Management Plan. (PDF; 1.56 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , March 1993, accessed April 12, 2018 . 
3. ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF; 10.31 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , February 1991, accessed on January 3, 2013 . 
4. ↑ Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, accessed May 3, 2016 . 
5. ^ Tree Book. Arbutus. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, accessed January 3, 2013 .