Flores Island Marine Provincial Park

IUCN Category II - National Park

The Flores Iceland Marine Provincial Park is a total of 7113 hectare Provincial Park on Flores Iceland, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It lies about 20 kilometers northeast of Tofino in Clayoquot Regional District Alberni.

Since the park is on an island, he can be reached only by air and by water. On the neighboring islands, there are still several other parks, such as Maquinna Marine Provincial Park, Sulphur Passage Provincial Park or Iceland Vargas Provincial Park.

Plant

The park is located on the west side of Flores Iceland, which in turn is Vancouver Iceland upstream west, in Clayoquot Sound. The park is in this case composed of 4144 acres of land and 2969 hectares of water and intertidal zone. The park reaches in north-south extent of a maximum length of 19 kilometers and an east-west extent of a maximum width of 6 kilometers. At the northern and southern end closes each attached to a reserve of Ahousaht. In the southeast, also adjacent to the Gibson Marine Provincial Park.

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

History

The park was established in 1995 and is named after the island on which it lies. The name refers to Don Manuel Flores, 51 the Viceroy of Mexico ( 1787-1789 ).

The park is located in the traditional hunting and settlement area of ​​the Ahousaht. Special Notes on this are therefore found in the park. Thus one finds, among other so-called Culturally Modified Trees, so trees that were processed by the First Nation to traditional timber production and shell middens, so middens.

Flora and Fauna

Among the ecosystems of British Columbia is the park area different sub-zones, the Very Wet Maritime Subzone and the Very Wet Maritime Subzone Hyper, the Coastal Western Hemlock zone assigned.

In addition to the American West Hemlock, which are the ecozone its name, the park is largely covered with primary forest of Sitka spruce -fir and purple.

The animal and plant life corresponds to the location of the island, but also rare or endangered species occur. These endangered species, which are under special protection, for example, is one of the Marmelalk. Less threatened Steller sea lions are having a colony here. These are threatened mainly on Flores Iceland by wolves, which tear the young sea lions and also by hunting in these waters orcas.

In plants, the California wax myrtle, a myrtle plant belongs to the most endangered species. This 's becoming ever only in this region. Also coming in the park in front of the Alaska blueberry and the Canadian dogwood.

Activities

The tourist attraction of the park are the one living in those waters gray whales and orcas and other cultural traces of the First Nation. Furthermore, the park with various footpaths, such as the Wild Side Trail traversed. The park is often used by hikers and walkers kayak as the opportunity to stay.

The park does not have any prepared surfaces to camp, why is the " wild " camping allowed and has only a very basic sanitary facilities ( outhouse ) in the southern area.