Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area

IUCN Category II - National Park

Juneau Icefield on the edge of the park

The Atlin / Teix ' gi Aan Tlein Provincial Park, formerly Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area, is a total of 229 894 ha protected area in the far northwest of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The reserve is located in the west of Atlin, and part of the Stikine Regional District region.

When Atlin / Teix ' gi Aan Tlein Provincial Park is a so-called backcountry park. These parks usually have no direct connection to a proper road and they are not only accessible via dirt roads or logging roads or on roads. Here, the park is usually accessible by boat or seaplane. In the South Park area is also a gravel road approaching the park, but does not reach him.

Plant

The reserve is located in the Boundary Ranges and is composed of two parts. Through the eastern part of the two areas then pull up the foothills of the Juneau Icefields with various glaciers, the Llewellyn Glacier and the Willison glaciers are the most important.

The park area extends eastward to the border with the U.S. state of Alaska, where then partially the Haines State Forest adjoins the border. In this part of the park, the Atlin Lake and all the islands found in the park. These islands belongs to Teresa Iceland and the greatest of all. On Teresa Iceland is also the highest point of the park, the Birch Mountain will then with a height of 2062 m. The mountain is regarded as the highest peak on an island in a freshwater lake. As far as infrastructure is available in the park, she finds herself in this part.

In the park is a protected area category II (National Park).

History

The park was established in 1973. Over time, then the status of the park and its size has been amended several times. With the recent amendment in 2012 the reserve was then given its present size. The park is now managed under the present name. Originally, the park until then from the parts Atlin Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area. With the amendment in 2012 the sanctuary of the Atlin Recreation Area was lifted. A portion of the previous area ( 9,000 ha) were added to the provincial park, while the remainder was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

However, as with almost all provincial parks in British Columbia also applies to this that he long before the area populated by immigrants or she was part of a park, they refuse and Jagd-/Fischereigebiet different tribes of First Nations, here mainly by the people of the Tlingit, was. From their language comes the name ÂÂ Tlein, for " large body of water ."

Width notoriety reached the area first end of the 19th century by a spur of the Klondike Gold Rush. Within a short time found themselves in this area several thousand prospectors one. After the discovery of gold finally fell back, leaving the prospector the area and it disappeared from public observation. Only when BC Hydro here at the beginning of the 1970's years from hydropower ( with the Taku River by connecting the Atlin Lake ) wanted to generate electricity, it came back briefly into the public consciousness.

Flora and Fauna

Within the ecosystem of British Columbia is the park area, allocated on the basis of size and the different nature of different ecozones. The area is in this case different zones such as the Boreal White and Black Spruce zone ( with the Dry Cool Subzone ), the Spruce - Willow - Birch zone, the Alpine Tundra zone, the Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir zone ( with the Wet Very Cold subzone assigned ) and the Sub - Boreal Spruce zone.

The predominantly wintry air, with only a few months in which the average temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius, leading to a slow growth of the trees. Whereas in the lower altitudes prevails even the boreal forest, it is first replaced at higher elevations by the subalpine and then through the alpine forest. According to the position and the height can be found in the park area and the respective trees. The Park Authority lists in the management plan for the park also five different, endangered, species.

The wildlife meets both the height and the remote location of the park. Accordingly, it also recognizes grizzly bear, black bear and wolf. Other mammals include the Columbia black -tailed deer, the Canadian woodland caribou ( a subspecies of reindeer ), the mountain goat and a subspecies of Dall sheep and the hoary marmot, and arctic ground squirrel.

The park management lists numerous bird species that occur in the park, there are some all year and some only occur in the summer or the winter season in the park. Among the bird species that can be observed include the bald eagle and the gyrfalcon and the Arctic Tern, the loon, the Pacific diver Northern shrike, peregrine plover and the fir chicken.

In the lakes and rivers can be found next to the widespread salmon and trout species and the American lake trout, the pike, the Arctic Grayling and various Coregonidae ( in English Round whitefish and Lake Whitefish called ).

Activities

The park is not marked tourist interest and also does not attract many visitors. Therefore, there is no extensive developed tourist infrastructure in the park. At Atlin Lake to find different anchor points for boaters and to nearby prepared tent sites. Chance find there an easiest toilets. The three trails in the park are also not further expanded.