Porteau Cove Provincial Park
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Porteau Cove Provincial Park
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 The ferry terminal in the park |
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| location | British Columbia (Canada) | |
| surface | 56 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 65360 | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 33 ' N , 123 ° 14' W | |
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| Setup date | July 24, 1981 | |
| administration | BC parks | |
The Porteau Cove Provincial Park is about 56 hectares small Provincial Park in the southwest of the Canadian province of British Columbia . It is located about 20 kilometers south of Squamish on Highway 99 , the Sea-to-Sky Highway , in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District .
investment
The park, with a small land area of a little less than 5 hectares and the rest as water, is located on the east bank of the Howe Sound and is itself bounded to the east by a railway line, originally a route of the BC Rail on which the Rocky Mountaineer now mainly runs. In the park there is a ferry pier which is not operated by BC Parks, but by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure of the province. The ferry dock is only used for emergencies, for example if a landslide disrupts the highway.
The park is a category II protected area ( national park ).
history
The park was established in 1981. Over time, both its size and its protection status have changed. Most recently, its limits were changed in 2012 and it was also given its current size. The park takes its name from the time when sand and gravel were extracted here. The name Porteau comes from the French (porte d'eau).
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 is assigned to the transition area from the Coastal Douglas Fir Zone to the Coastal Western Hemlock Zone .
Due to the size of the park and its location, with temperatures of 23 degrees Celsius in July and 4 degrees Celsius in January and an annual rainfall of around 130 to 150 centimeters per square meter, it has no distinct vegetation or wildlife on land. Trees and undergrowth are typical for the region and the location, mainly common Douglas fir , giant arborvitae , West American hemlock , coastal pine and American strawberry trees make up the tree population. the undergrowth is characterized by salal , blueberries ("Red Huckleberry") , real bearberries , Nutka raspberries and the common potted fern . Larger mammals can hardly be found in the park, mainly smaller mammals. The bird world is more species-rich. Waterfowl predominate, the most widespread are ducks (e.g. Scaups , bumphead ducks , long-tailed , collar ducks , Schell ducks , Spatelenten , American scoters and means sawyer ).
Due to the copper mining at Britannia Creek and the copper enrichment in Britannia Beach and the resulting acid mine drainage (referred to here as "acid mine drainage"), the fish world in Howe Sound has suffered greatly. Since its end, pollution has decreased. For the first time in 2011, after more than 100 years, humpback salmon were spotted again in Howe Sound . Even white-sided dolphins and killer whales are regularly seen again. Other underwater inhabitants are also returning.
activities
The park is particularly used by water sports enthusiasts and divers. It is popular with divers as there are several shipwrecks in the diving area. The park has 44 parking spaces (some of which can be reserved) for campers and tents and simple sanitary facilities.
Neighboring parks
The closest provincial parks, heading north along Highway 99, are Murrin Provincial Park , then Shannon Falls Provincial Park and Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, and Alice Lake Provincial Park . To the south, the closest park is Cypress Provincial Park . To the northwest are the Brackendale Eagle Provincial Park and the Tantalus Provincial Park . East of Alice Lake Provincial Park is Garibaldi Provincial Park and Pinecone Burke Provincial Park .
Web links
- Porteau Cove Provincial Park . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
- Porteau Cove Provincial Park . In: English language website of the park at BC Parks
- Information to the park on britishcolumbia.com (Engl.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Porteau Cove Park (English)
- ↑ Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , accessed November 5, 2019 .
- ↑ Approved Porteau Cove Management Plan. (PDF; 564.31 kB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , February 1999, accessed on November 5, 2019 (English).
- ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF; 264.98 KB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, November 1990, accessed on November 5, 2019 .