Plumper Cove Marine Provincial Park

	Plumper Cove Marine Provincial Park IUCN Category II - National Park
location	British Columbia (Canada)
surface	66 ha
WDPA ID	13103
Geographical location	49 ° 24 ' N , 123 ° 28' W Coordinates: 49 ° 24 '16 " N , 123 ° 27' 54" W
Setup date	Feb. 22, 1960
administration	BC parks
particularities	Walk-in park

The Plumper Cove Marine Provincial Park is a 66-hectare Provincial Park in the Canadian province of British Columbia and one of the oldest Marine Provincial Park in the province. The park is located on Keats Island , at the entrance to Howe Sound , and is in the Sunshine Coast Regional District . Since the park is on a small island with no car connection, it can only be reached by water or on foot. Access on foot is only possible from the west side of the island. The island has to be crossed in full width from the ferry pier, which is operated on behalf of BC Ferries .

investment

The small park includes both land and water areas. The park includes 33 hectares of land as well as 33 hectares of tidal zones and offshore waters. It is located on the northwest side of Keats Island on the Shoal Channel , across from the small town of Gibsons . Since the park is a marine park, the tourist infrastructure also includes a ferry and boat pier where up to 20 boats can moor.
The park is a category II protected area ( national park ).

history

As with almost all provincial parks in British Columbia, it is also true that - long before the area was settled by immigrants or part of a park - it was a hunting and fishing area of various First Nations tribes , here mainly the Sechelt and the Squamish .

The park was established in 1960, then called Plumper Cove Park , and is one of the oldest marine provincial parks in British Columbia , after Maquinna Marine Provincial Park , Montague Harbor Marine Provincial Park and Rebecca Spit Marine Provincial Park . The park was given its current name in 1988. The name change was followed in 2000 by a change in size. Thereafter, the size of the park was set at 33 hectares of land and 23 hectares of intertidal zone. In 2004 there was another change in size. The area of the intertidal zone was also set at 33 hectares.

The name of the park is derived from the bay on which it is located. The name goes back to the survey ship of the British Royal Navy HMS Plumper . From 1857 to 1861, the ship carried out surveys and hydrographic records on Canada's west coast.

Flora and fauna

British Columbia's ecosystem is divided into different biogeoclimatic zones using the Biogeoclimatic Ecological Classification (BEC) Zoning System . Biogeoclimatic zones are characterized by a fundamentally identical or very 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. Within this system, the park area is assigned to the Coastal Douglas Fir Zone . According to the name of the zone, the coastal Douglas fir is the predominant tree species in the park .

Due to its island location and the size of the island, only small mammals such as raccoons can be found in the Plumper Cove Marine Provincial Park . There are also numerous birds, mainly water birds, but also bald eagles .

activities

The park is a popular destination for water sports enthusiasts. Users of motor boats and yachts in particular use the park to anchor and spend the night. The park has no parking spaces for mobile homes, but there are 16 prepared areas for tents. It also has a number of fixed tables and benches. In addition, the simplest sanitary facilities are available. A two-kilometer circular hiking trail runs through the park.

Neighboring parks

Numerous other provincial parks can be found on other islands in Howe Sound (for example, Bowen Iceland of Apodaca Provincial Park or Halkett Bay Provincial Park on Gambier Iceland ), in the south on the mainland (eg the Porteau Cove Provincial Park or the Shannon Falls Provincial Park ), as well as in the north on the Sunshine Coast (including Mount Elphinstone Provincial Park or Porpoise Bay Provincial Park ).

Web links

Plumper Cove Marine Provincial Park . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
Plumper Cove Marine Provincial Park . In: English language website of the park at BC Parks
Information about the park on britishcolumbia.com (English)

Individual evidence

↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Plumper Cove Marine Park (English)
^ Andrew Scott: The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names: A Complete Reference to Coastal British Columbia . Harbor Publishing, Madeira Park, BC October 2009 (English).
↑ Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , accessed May 19, 2016 .
↑ Plumper Cove Marine Park Master Plan. (PDF; 1.19 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , accessed on July 1, 2014 .
^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF; 10.31 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, February 1991, accessed on July 1, 2014 .

[1] World Database on Protected Areas - Plumper Cove Marine Park (English)

[2] Andrew Scott: The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names: A Complete Reference to Coastal British Columbia . Harbor Publishing, Madeira Park, BC October 2009 (English).

[3] Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , accessed May 19, 2016 .

[4] Plumper Cove Marine Park Master Plan. (PDF; 1.19 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , accessed on July 1, 2014 .

[5] Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF; 10.31 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, February 1991, accessed on July 1, 2014 .