Park Information
• Established on May 9th, 2003 by Parks Canada
• Located in British Columbia in the gulf islands
• 33 square kilometres over 16 islands.
• 40th reserve of the 43 in Canada
• Spread across 15 islands and many islets and reefs in the northern reaches of the inland
• Rocky shorelines and steep headlands.
• Park was made to protect the unique eco-system, which is rich in its healthy plant life and diverse animal life
Landform
• Part of the Cordilleran region
• underlain by folded and highly faulted sedimentary rocks
• This specific area of BC is seismically active overlying a tectonic subduction zone
• Glacial ice as much as a mile thick carved the landscape over two glacial periods
• sea levels have remained the same for the last 5,000 years
Climate
• Canada’s only Mediterranean type climate warm and dry in the summer and mild and wet in the winter
• Mediterranean type of climate with dry summers, moderate rainfall in the winter
• More than 2000 hours of sunshine annually
• Summer temperatures are around 200C
• Winter temperatures are cooler at 5-100 C
• Freezing temperatures are rare
• Autumn is the foggiest season and spring brings the windiest weather
Wildlife
• The wide variety of terrestrial and marine habitats mean that the wildlife found in the Gulf Islands is very diverse
• Eagles, falcons, turkey vultures fly in the sky
• Hundreds and thousands of sea birds and shore birds and water fowls visit this reserve
• There are no large predators in the islands
• 15 endangered species, 10 threatened species and 13 species of special concern
• Animals of such include, butterflies, sharp tailed snakes, shellfish, ferns, bats, killer whales
Birds
• Blue Heron
• Bald Eagle
• Kingfisher
Sea Life
• Salmon
• Jellyfish
• Octopus
• Anemone
• Sea Stars
Mammals
• Otters
• Harbour Seal
• California Sea Lion
• Steller’s Sea Lion
• Northern Elephant Seal
Whales, porpoises and dolphins
• Orca
• Gray Whale
• Humpback Whale
• Minke Whale
• Dall’s Porpoise
• Harbour Porpoise
• Pacific Dolphin
Vegetation
• There are plant life in the Gulf islands cannot be found elsewhere in Canada
• Garry oak and arbutus trees (smooth red bark and evergreen leaves)
• Garry oak ecosystem is one of Canada’s most endangered ecosystems
• Dominant ecosystem of the southern Gulf Islands is Douglas fir balsam red cedar
• Areas of open wildflower meadows and grassy hilltops
• Scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry and gorse
Park activities
• Kayaking, boating, hiking, camping and tide pool exploration
• Cycling is popular on the larger islands, with the hilly topography giving cyclists a good workout
• You can only visit some islands by boat or ferry rides, giving kayakers and boaters unique opportunities to explore and hike more remote areas and islands
• Also a great place to go site seeing, at the top of the Mount Waterburton Pike mountain on Saturna Island
• On clear days, the snow-capped Olympic Mountains, volcanic Mount Baker, and the Coast ranges on both Vancouver Island and the mainland can be seen.
Before Lake Coeur d’Alene existed, the St. Joe River ran through the present lakebed northward and up through the Rathdrum Prairie before turning west and into the Spokane Valley. About 15,000 years ago, during the peak of the last glacial period, huge glaciers covered much of British Columbia. This ice, which was almost 4,000 feet thick, unimaginably covered all but the highest mountain peaks. The glacier slowly crept down into North Idaho, stopping just north of Coeur d’Alene (Wuerthner, 30, 32).
Isle Royal is located fifty-six miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. It is the largest wilderness area in Michigan (USNPS, 2014). The island is surrounded by Lake Superior, which creates a cooler temperature. This results in arctic plant species growth on the island. There are only eighteen mammal species present on the island because most mammals cannot make the trip across the frozen great lake (USNPS, 2014). The need for an ice bridge is not the only environmental factor that is stopping the migration of animals; there is also the severe cold, and also wind and fog (Vucetich, 2012). Some species such as caribou and coyote have found the island to be too intense and have gone extinct (Vucetich, 2012). Due to the harsh weather and isolation of the island, humans have never regularly lived on the island (Vucetich, 2012). Some of species that are present such as the red squirrel are becoming their own subspecies due to its separation from the mainland (USNPS, 2014). The isolation of Isle Royal is what makes it a great place to conduct research, it has very low human interaction and the species that are on the island will have been and continue to be isolated from the mainland.
Due to the moderating effect, this ecozone has long, mild summers (18 to 22°C) and cool, short winters (-3 to -12°C), with around 720 to 1000mm of precipitation, and 180 to 260 growing days annually. The Westerlies can also alter the weather quickly in this ecozone.
The Long Island Sound is an estuary, and is in fact one of the largest in the world. An estuary is a place where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water from the rivers that drain from the land. Moreover, like other estuaries, the Long Island Sound has an abundance of fish and other waterfowl that add to the natural balance of the island, as well as one of the most important economic factors (Tedesco). Like other estuaries around the world, the Sound provides breeding, feeding, nesting, and nursery areas for many species that will spend most of their adult lives in the oceans (Long Island Sound Study). Despite these similarities to other estuaries, the Long Island Sound is unique from anywhere else in the world. Unlike other estuaries, the Long Island Sound does not just have one connection to the sea but it has two. It has two major sources of fresh water flowing into the bay that empty into the ocean. It combines this two-...
Victoria has a temperate climate. Plenty of precipitation and have long mild winters and warm summers. Atlantic maritime is filled with both coniferous and deciduous
Since its creation in 1916, the National Park Service (NPS) has had to balance between its two goals, which are to preserve wilderness and nature and to provide the public with access to these wonders in a monitored environment. These two goals tend to create a conflict for the NPS because as soon as one goal is given more priority than the other, the administration of national parks is harshly criticized by the public. The accusation that by allowing people to experience the wilderness, the NPS is corrupting the natural environment is very common, as well, as the criticism towards the lack of government funding to preserve nature and history. However, regardless of arguable criticism and a certain need for improvement, after one hundred years,
There are 500 acres of protected lands along the Connecticut River, but there are signs of civilization amongst them. During the tour, several landmarks were pointed out including the Goodspeed Opera House, Gillette Castle and the Chester/Hadlyme Ferry. Also seen on the tours are many different hawk and duck species along with fox, coyote, deer and bobcat on the
National Parks have awed tourists and even locals for years. They provide an escape from the ordinary and relief from the everyday stress of society. National Parks provide insight into a simpler time where our ancestors were surrounded by the beauty of nature instead of the concrete jungles of modern day metropolitan areas. Few of these wonderful parks provide the same seclusion as Denali National Park in Alaska. It’s sights and sounds have fascinated many and will continue to provide a great escape from everyday life.
of about -9° C (about 16° F) and an average July temperature of about 22° C
Climate and weather are similar, describing how the atmosphere behaves, the difference being the timescale (Conway, 2010). Weather is a short-term scale of temperature and precipitation, usually considering weeks or less (ibid). Climate, however, is a long term description of months or longer, describing different seasons and trends of temperature and precipitation. Climate of Vancouver is typically mild during the spring and summer and damp during the autumn and winter, and unlike other mountainous areas of British Columbia, it is not excessively cold or snowy (“Hello BC”, n.d.).
...hich is why it is a nature reserve. It is also known for its beautiful beaches. It also holds flora and fauna not found any were else in the world. It has no permanent residents living on the island but is guarded by on duty Natural reserve security.
Canada is a unified nation with many different climates. Prince Rupert and Prince George are both in British Columbia, so you would think they both would have a similar climate. Wrong, Prince George and Prince Rupert have two different climates. There are six main factors making the two places different. There if the most important are being near water, elevation, and relief precipitation.
The Yasuni National Park possesses very diverse rainforest which significantly impact how the ecosystem functions; yet the the processes of disturbance and succession greatly affect them ("Yasuni National Park, Ecuador", "Ecuador Yasuni ITT Trust Fund" ). Just one hectare of the park contains more species of trees and bushes than all of North America ("Foreseeable Impacts of Oil Industry Activity in Yasuní")! There are a staggering 1762 species of trees and shrubs that have been identified in Yasuni, and approximately 400 of them are inherent to the region (“Foreseeable”). Hundreds of the plants in the previously untouchable zones have not even been classified or studied in depth (“Foreseeable”). The park is also paradise to a multitude of animal...
...enthic, coral reef, and estuaries. Some freshwater habitats include marches, lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, and bogs.
such an enjoyable class trip spot at first, but with a little bit of the spirit of adventure