Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park
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Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park
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 The eponymous rapids of the park |
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| location | British Columbia (Canada) | |
| surface | 123 ha | |
| WDPA ID | 65410 | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 44 ′ N , 123 ° 54 ′ W | |
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| Setup date | August 25, 1957 | |
| administration | BC parks | |
The Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park is a 123 hectare Provincial Park in the Canadian province of British Columbia . It is located on the Sunshine Coast , about 7 kilometers east of the Earls Cove Ferry Terminal on the road to Egmont. The park is located in the Sunshine Coast Regional District .
investment
The park is a category II protected area ( national park ). The park is located at the transition between the Jervis Inelt and the Sechelt Inlet . This transition then also forms the eponymous Skookumchuck Narrows . The park was created to protect these rapids. The rapids here usually have a tidal range between 2 meters and 5 meters. The water level in the Sechelt Inlet is usually 1 to 2 meters below the water level in front of the rapids.
The park also has a small lake, Brown Lake.
history
As with almost all provincial parks in British Columbia, this one too was the hunting and fishing area of various First Nations tribes long before the area was settled by immigrants or became part of a park . They already named the rapids. Skookumchuck is a word in the Chinook Wawa language , which is made up of skookum for strong, strong, wild and chuck for water. The use of the area by the First Nations is also documented by two archaeological sites.
When it was founded in 1957, the park was only 40.5 hectares. Through extensions over time, it grew to its present size.
Flora and fauna
The park is located in the temperate rainforest area . 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, this area is assigned to the Dry Maritime Subzone of the Coastal Western Hemlock Zone . In addition to the Douglas fir , the Nootka false cypress , the West American hemlock and the purple fir , alder and maple also grow in the park . The trees here in the park are no longer part of the original vegetation of the area after they have been used for timber production in the past, so they are so-called secondary forests . They are therefore not covered with epiphytic lichens and mosses , as is otherwise very common in the temperate rainforest . However, 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 , is also found.
The fish is also represented here, the Pacific salmon , mainly with the subspecies silver salmon (English Coho Salmon) and Ketalachs (English Chum Salmon). The fish attract ospreys and bald eagles . In the sparsely populated hinterland of the park there are also black bears , bobcats and pumas . Many species of birds are also native to the park area. Among them is of course also the heraldic bird of British Columbia, the diademed jay .
Brown Lake offers a special feature. It is not only home to the fish and water birds that are common in this region, such as the common loon , but there is also a population of turtles.
activities
The tourist attraction of the park are the rapids. They are particularly popular with white water sports enthusiasts. Due to the relatively high flow speed, however, only experienced water sports enthusiasts should dare to tackle the rapids.
The park does not have a picnic area or camping area. However, there is a very simply equipped sanitary facility near the rapids.
Web links
- Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
- Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park . In: English language website of the park at BC Parks
Individual evidence
- ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Skookumchuck Narrows Park (English)
- ↑ Boom Islet (# 7843) Tidal Prediction. Fisheries and Oceans Canada , accessed October 19, 2012 .
- ↑ Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , accessed May 19, 2016 .
- ↑ Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park - Purpose Statement and Zoning Plan. (PDF, 18.15 KB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , December 2002, accessed March 12, 2013 .
- ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF, 10.31 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, February 1991, accessed on March 12, 2013 .