Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park

IUCN Category II - National Park

Aerial view of Nanaimo with the barrier island

The Newcastle Iceland Marine Provincial Park is a 363 -hectare Provincial Park in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The park is located on the homonymous island, some 100 meters due east of Nanaimo off Vancouver Iceland and belongs to the Regional District of Nanaimo.

Since the park is on an island, it can be reached only by ferry or boat. The ferry from Maffeo - Sutton Park in Nanaimo, but only in the summer months.

Plant

Today, the park encompasses the entire island Newcastle Iceland, in the waters of the Strait of Georgia. In places, the bank has a steep embankment, in which then find caves and grottos. The park is rather flat with slight bumps and rises to the northwest at about 20 meters height. Furthermore, can be found on the island of a small lake. In addition to the 334 acres of land including 29 hectares of intertidal and still waters surrounding the park. The focus of tourism infrastructure as well as the ferry and boat launch is located in the southern part of the island.

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

History

The park was established in 1961 with a size of 745 acres, or approximately 301.5 hectares established. Over time, then the status of the park and its size has been amended several times. Its name goes back on the island on which the park is located. The island got its name again in 1849, when it was found on her coal. Because of these findings was reminded by the name of the English " coal city " Newcastle upon Tyne.

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 Snuneymuxw, was. The arrival of European explorers and settlers still two smaller settlements of these First Nations found on the island. Originally, these settlements were not inhabited all year round. The First Nations lived there only, on fisheries, certain times of the year. The settlement was indeed left in the park but are still found plenty of sites of archaeological importance.

The First Nations were the first who promoted coal on the island, but soon they were ousted by the European and Chinese miners of the Hudson's Bay Company. This promoted here in 1853 coal before she sold her rights to the Vancouver Coal Mining and Land Company. Total coal production took on the island until 1883.

Longer than the coal lasted the degradation of sandstone on the island. The building material was used along the west coast with many buildings and mined from 1869 to 1932.

Newcastle Iceland played a role in the fishing industry of the province. By 1910 the Japanese had here dominates the fishery and established a small settlement on the west side of the island. Here they operated until 1941, a small fish salting and a small yard, but then they were like all Japanese Canadians who lived along the coast, forcibly relocated to internment camps in the interior.

Around 1930, began the career of the island as excursion and resort. The Canadian Pacific Railway for operation with one of its subsidiaries, the British Columbia Coast Steamship Service, already on another island of the Gulf Islands such an excursion and resort. With the trips to Newcastle Iceland she expanded her range and built to the existing pavilion today on the island.

The era of CPR lasted until about the mid- 1950s. Then the railroad company sold the island to the city of Nanaimo. In their possession, however, the island remained only for a few years. In the late 1950s, the city sold the island to the province continues to build a provincial park on the condition.

Flora and Fauna

Within the ecosystem of British Columbia, Park area of ​​Moist Maritime subzone within the Coastal Douglas fir zone is assigned. This Biogeoklimatischen zones are characterized by a respective same climate and the same or similar biological and geological conditions. This results in the respective zones then a very similar inventory of plants and animals.

The year-round mild and humid climate, the months of July and August are notwithstanding, rather dry and warm, resulting in ideal growing conditions. A forestry operations took place in the park for local needs. In the resulting secondary forest finds himself a number of plants. On trees are found mainly Douglas fir, the Giant Tree of Life and the Grand Fir and Oregon oak and the Oregon maple. This diversity is also reflected in the undergrowth with many different plants. It can be found Broom, Ragwort, Common Ivy and unusual manner, the European Holly.

According to the insularity here are mainly small mammals such as the raccoon. Furthermore, there are numerous birds, including bald eagles.

Adjacent parks

In Vancouver Iceland are still numerous other provincial parks, including the famous for its numerous petroglyphs of the First Nations Petroglyph Provincial Park.

Activities

The park is of pronounced importance of tourism and attracts many visitors each year. Tourist he is a typical park for day visitors. However, he has also prepared 18 areas for camping. The tourist center is the southern island area with the picnic area, and the associated shelters, as well as the pavilion from the year 1931. The park has easy sanitation. The park offers walking paths which open up the other interesting points of the island, as the old mine shaft or the sand quarry.

At the ferry dock there is also the boot system with berths for up to 42 boats of different sizes.