Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a
national park
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
located in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, which comprises three separate regions:
Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporat ...
, the
Broken Group Islands, and the
West Coast Trail
The West Coast Trail, originally called the Dominion Lifesaving Trail, is a backpacking trail following the southwestern edge of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It was built in 1907 to facilitate the rescue of shipwrecked survivor ...
. Its the Pacific Coast Mountains, are characterized by rugged coasts and
temperate rainforest
Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain.
Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American ...
s.
Widespread vegetation found in the park includes
western hemlock
''Tsuga heterophylla'', the western hemlock or western hemlock-spruce, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma ...
,
Sitka spruce
''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-lar ...
,
western red-cedar
''Thuja plicata'' is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to western North America. Its common name is western redcedar (western red cedar in the UK), and it is also called Pacific redcedar, giant arborvitae, ...
,
deer fern and
sword fern Sword fern is a common name for several ferns and may refer to:
*''Nephrolepis'', a tropical genus of ferns, especially:
**'' Nephrolepis exaltata'', commonly cultivated as a houseplant, including the Boston fern
*''Polystichum'', a cosmopolitan ...
. Animal species vary from marine and intertidal species, such as
humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...
s and
ochre sea star, to terrestrial mammals, such as
Vancouver Island wolves. For recreational purposes, Long Beach is used for
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...
and
windsurfing
Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...
, the Broken Group for
sea kayaking, and the West Coast Trail for
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
, as well as camping in all areas and
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...
in the winter months in the Long Beach and Broken Group areas.
The Wickaninnish Beach Provincial Park formed the nucleus upon which the national park was assembled. After years of negotiation between the federal government and the provincial government of
W.A.C. Bennett, a breakthrough was reached after
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.
Born and raised in Shawinigan, Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law gradua ...
took over for
Arthur Laing as the federal minister responsible for parks. British Columbia adopted the ''West Coast National Park Act'' in 1969, and the two governments signed an agreement in 1970 to create the park through land assembly and extinguishing forestry rights. Following protracted negotiations, the park was finally added to the ''
National Parks Act'' in 2000, classified as a "park reserve" based on an accepted claim of certain rights to the area by the
Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.
History
The early popularity of national parks, like
Banff and
Yoho, created speculation about other potential parks, like one on Vancouver Island with access to the Pacific Ocean. The recreational potential of Long Beach was known and the nonprofit Canadian National Parks Association put forward the idea, in 1929, of it becoming a park. In 1930, at the request of the federal government, the provincial government placed a reserve on land in the
Nitinat Lake area, and in 1948, the provincial government reserved land that would later become the Wickaninnish Beach Provincial Park.
Reconnaissance trips by government representatives, one of them being
Hugh Llewellyn Keenleyside, found insufficient rationale for establishing a park there at that time, due to its remote and inaccessible location, outstanding forestry encumbrances, and with respect to its development as a health resort–type park, its cold waters, and fog, among other reasons.
Regardless, in 1947 the Victoria Chamber of Commerce added their voice to advocating park here, in the form of an addition to the
Strathcona Provincial Park
Strathcona Provincial Park is the oldest provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, and the largest on Vancouver Island. Founded in 1911, the park was named for Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, a wealthy philanthro ...
with land along the Clayoquot Arm to Long Beach.
In 1959, the provincial government opened both the Wickaninnish Beach Provincial Park (which was expanded in 1961 and 1968) and
Highway 4, from
Tofino
Tofino ( ) is a town of approximately 2,516 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The District of Tofino is located at the western terminus of Highway 4 on the tip of the Esowista Peninsu ...
to
Port Alberni
Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. It is the location of the head offices ...
. The highway resulted in thousands of new visitors descending on the beaches each year throughout the 1960s, including for international surfing competitions from 1966 to 1968. Though new tourist accommodations did open, some along the beach, the number of visitors far exceeded Tofino and
Ucluelet's capacity, resulting in many camping on the beach. This led to a plundering of the foreshore for food and souvenirs, building temporary shacks from driftwood, improvised latrines, and left-behind garbage and vehicles sunk in the sand.
The deteriorating conditions of the beach and the inability of the local community and the province to cope fueled a more urgent call for a national park, particularly by the Vancouver Island Chambers of Commerce and local
MLA Howard McDiarmid. However, communication and negotiations with federal Minister of Resources
Arthur Laing with the provincial Minister of Recreation and Conservation
Ken Kiernan and the cabinet of
W.A.C. Bennett were strained, as they disagreed on the appropriate size of the park and cost-sharing, in addition to their political animosity. The project would only advance after 1968 when
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.
Born and raised in Shawinigan, Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law gradua ...
replaced Laing, as
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and ...
succeeded
Lester B. Pearson as prime-minister.
The BC government was hesitant to relinquish rights to the Effingham Islands portion of the Broken Group and to lose forestry activities in the West Coast Trail area,
but proceeded to adopt the ''West Coast National Park Act'' in early 1969 which authorized the Minister of Recreation and Conservation to enter into an agreement with the federal government to establish the national park along the west coast of Vancouver Island. The final agreement was shortly reached and endorsed by the province in Order-in-Council 1466/1970 with the province responsible for acquiring lands and the federal government paying for half the costs. Following the agreement, lands were assembled by the province within the areas delineated by the agreement and transferred them the federal government with both paying the acquisition costs equally. The Wickaninnish Beach Provincial Park was transferred to federal government in 1971 to form the core of the Long Beach Unit and the province purchased or expropriated the private lands around the beach, along with the crown lands of the Broken Group Islands.
The park's opening ceremony occurred in 1971 and was attended by Princess Anne of England who was presented with a driftwood abstract sculpture by
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.
Born and raised in Shawinigan, Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law gradua ...
, the minister responsible for
Parks Canada
Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...
. The sculpture was the work of local artist
Godfrey Stephens. However, the acquisition deadline of 1975 was missed as the two governments and the companies with the timber rights on the provincial crown land, B.C. Forest Products Limited and MacMillan Bloedel, could not reach a compensation settlement. By 1982, the Broken Group Unit and most of the Long Beach Unit had been secured but all of the West Coast Trail Unit was tied up in the disagreement on the value of the timber; an appraisal by the provincial forestry ministry of the value of the timber rights that would secure the remaining lands was deemed unacceptably high by the federal counterparts. An agreement was finally reached in 1988 to transfer the remaining lands, free of encumbrances, and the park was formally included into the ''
National Parks Act'' in 2000 with Bill C-27 of the second session of the
36th Canadian Parliament
The 36th Canadian Parliament was in session from September 22, 1997, until October 22, 2000. The membership was set by the 1997 federal election on June 2, 1997, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dis ...
.
Aboriginal presence
The ''
Canada National Parks Act
The ''Canada National Parks Act'' is a Canadian federal law that regulates protection of natural areas of national significance. As of March 2019, the ''Canada National Parks Act'' extended federal protection to 47 national parks and park reserves ...
'' classifies national parks where the geographic area is subject to a claim in respect of aboriginal rights that has been accepted for negotiation by the Government of Canada as a "park reserve" which allows for the continuing of traditional renewable resource harvesting activities by aboriginal persons. Related to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, the
Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council had submitted a claim in 1980 which the government accepted for negotiation in June 1983. In the early park formation little consultation had occurred with the
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
whose interests in the land they intended to purchase or trade for other similar lands. While seven First Nations claim area within the park as part of their traditional territory, Parks Canada incorporated a working relationship with those interested in its management. Beginning in 1995 the First Nations Program resulted in the creation of the Nuu-chah-nulth interpretative trail, cultural information included in educational literature and displays, increased employment in park services, and shared management responsibilities.
The park boundaries exclude 21
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty,
that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band."
In ...
s belonging to seven different First Nations, though most of the park is claimed as part of their traditional territories which were never
ceded, including the
Huu-ay-aht,
Ditidaht,
Pacheedaht, and the
Hupacasath
The Hupacasath First Nation is a First Nations government based in the Alberni Valley on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council ...
. In the Long Beach area where the
Tla-o-qui-aht claim traditional territory, they have declared the entire
Kennedy Lake watershed, as well as
Meares Island
Meares Island is one of the many islands surrounding the Village of Tofino, British Columbia, Canada. Its name was given in 1862 by George Henry Richards, captain of , in honor of John Meares. The island is located in the Clayoquot Sound region an ...
, as a tribal park.
[ In the Broken Group area, an archaeological site on Benson Island found evidence of human presence dating back more than 5000 years, though the Tseshaht are the only remaining group whose people had lived on the islands. While Benson Island had hosted a summer village (and wintered in the area now known as Port Alberni), it had been abandoned; a subsequent village on Effingham burnt down in 1914.][
]
Geography
In the Parks Canada system of natural region representation, the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, along with the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, represents Pacific Coast Mountains. Geographically, this natural region includes Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...
, Haida Gwaii
Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Heca ...
and the Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbi ...
. Based on its landscape and habitat diversity, Parks Canada characterizes this region as Canada's rocky west coast created by crustal material moving eastward creating coastal mountains, deep fiords and channels carved by the release of water from retreating glaciers, and experiencing heavy rainfall and mild temperatures resulting in temperate rain forests.
Long Beach
The Long Beach Unit, located along Highway 4 between Tofino
Tofino ( ) is a town of approximately 2,516 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The District of Tofino is located at the western terminus of Highway 4 on the tip of the Esowista Peninsu ...
to Ucluelet, features several beaches, short trails, and a campground. Wickaninnish Bay is bordered by the eponymous Long Beach, as well as Combers Beach, and Wickaninnish Beach, while Florencia Bay to the south includes a more sheltered beach. The two bays are connected by a Nuu-chah-nulth Trail and the KWisitis Visitor Centre (formerly Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre). The Pacific Rim Visitor Centre, located at the park entrance along Highway 4, is the park's primary information centre and meeting area. A separate park administrative and maintenance building is located further down the highway, closer to the campground and airport. The Tofino/Long Beach Airport
Tofino/Long Beach Airport is a non-towered airport that is located within the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Immediately adjacent to Long Beach, it is southeast of Tofino, British Columbia, Canada.
It is both a general aviation and commer ...
, owned and operated by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District
The Alberni–Clayoquot Regional District of British Columbia is located on west central Vancouver Island. Adjacent regional districts it shares borders with are the Strathcona and Comox Valley Regional Districts to the north, and the Nanaimo ...
, is an enclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
within the park.
On the north side of the Long Beach Unit is Grice Bay. Its boat launch can be used for paddling around the bay or to access the Clayoquot Sound
, image = Clayoquot Sound - Near Tofino - Vancouver Island BC - Canada - 08.jpg
, image_size = 260px
, alt =
, caption =
, image_bathymetry = Vancouver clayoquot sound de.png
, alt_bathyme ...
or the Browning Passage around the Esowista Peninsula The Esowista Peninsula is a peninsula in the Clayoquot Sound region of the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The name was adopted in 1934 in reference to Esowista Indian Reserve No. 3. The name originally applied to the neck ...
to the ocean. The exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
portion at Kennedy Lake is a day use area for picnics and swimming but the area is flanked on both sides by the Kennedy Lake Provincial Park which has a campground and boat launch.
Broken Group Islands
The Broken Group Islands unit is a area in the Barkley Sound with over one hundred small islands. The area is predominantly marine with high-relief rock reefs and kelp beds anchored by a rocky substrate. The island beaches vary from shallow sand terrain to exposed weathered rock. The south side of the outer islands, such as Wouwer, Howell, Cree and Benson Islands, are subject to strong winds and swells, as are the Crossing Imperial Eagle and Loudon Channels between the group and Vancouver Island. The islands are uninhabited though archaeological sites show there are several abandoned village sites.
For recreational purposes, the area is predominantly used for sea kayaking, as well as related camping and wildlife viewing. Other marine vessels pass through the area but Parks Canada prohibits motorboat
A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine.
Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...
s from landing on islands with campsites. Kayaks are most often launched from Toquart Bay to the north, but sometimes from Ucluelet which is 13 km from the first campsite at Clarke Island or from Bamfield which is 15 km from Gibraltar Island. Other boats can dock at Port Alberni. For multi-day trips, Parks Canada
Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...
maintains campgrounds on seven of the islands: Hand, Turret, Gibraltar, Willis, Dodd, Clarke and Gilbert islands. The names of the islands are derived from an 1861 survey map of the area by George Henry Richards
Sir George Henry Richards (13 January 1820 –14 November 1896) was Hydrographer of the Royal Navy from 1863 to 1874.
Biography
Richards was born in Antony, Cornwall, the son of Captain G. S. Richards, and joined the Royal Navy in 1832. ...
. There was formerly a campground on Benson Island but ended in 2009 at the request of the Tseshaht First Nation
Tseshaht First Nation is an amalgamation of many tribes up and down Alberni Inlet and in the Alberni Valley of central Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. They are a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council which i ...
, though day-trips area are still permitted.
West Coast Trail
The West Coast Trail Unit covers and features the hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
trail between Port Renfrew and Bamfield
Bamfield is a community that is surrounded by Crown Land, First Nation Lands belonging to the Huu-ay-aht Nations, and portions of the Pacific Rim National Park, located on Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The community, wit ...
. The corridor was created in 1889 as an extension of a telegraph line from Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
to lighthouses along the coast, and eventually to Bamfield, the Canadian terminus of the All Red Line
The All Red Line was a system of electrical telegraphs that linked much of the British Empire. It was inaugurated on 31 October 1902. The informal name derives from the common practice of colouring the territory of the British Empire red or ...
. After the disaster of the American steamship ''SS Valencia
SS ''Valencia'' was an iron-hulled passenger steamer built for the Red D Line for service between Venezuela and New York City. She was built in 1882 by William Cramp and Sons, one year after the construction of her sister ship ''Caracas''. Sh ...
'', in 1906 with 37 survivors reaching shore along the telegraph line, the federal government upgraded the corridor to act as a trail with several shelters along the way. By 1911, it was classified as a public highway with a 20 m (66 ft) right-of-way known as the Life Saving Trail or the Shipwrecked Mariners Trail. The federal government ended its maintenance program for the trail between Port Renfrew and Carmanah Point in 1954, and the remainder of the trail by 1967. Meanwhile, there were several failed attempts at development, including coal mining, fish canning, resort development in Clo-oose
Clo-oose (Nuu-chah-nulth ''tluu7uus'') is an area adjacent to the mouth of the Cheewhat River on the west coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Within the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, the former steamboat stop is by road an ...
, and small-scale logging—the result of which are several abandoned donkey engines along the trail used to transfer logs down to the foreshore. Eventually the provincial government sold the timber rights but following advocacy by Sierra Club Canada
Sierra Club Canada (SCC) is a Canadian environmental organization. Terry A. Simmons incorporated the Sierra Club BC in 1969, affiliating the local organization with the Sierra Club of the United States. Several members of the club were prominen ...
and locals, the BC Parks branch placed a reserve, in 1964, around the trail which outdoor enthusiasts had continued using. With a national park being proposed at Long Beach, to which the federal government felt was too small by itself to be a national park, they were amenable to adding this trail. Sympathetic with the logging interests, the provincial government resisted but it was included in the 1970 agreement with its specific boundaries to be determined. Over the next several years, the provincial government, forestry companies, and park advocates negotiated and finalized the boundaries, with conservationists advocating for boundaries to include the entire watersheds and federal government advocating for a visual buffer between the trail and logging areas. While the Nitinat Triangle, northwest of Nitinat Lake, was added in 1973, the final boundaries were not agreed upon until 1988. In the meantime, there was a lack of trail maintenance since BC Parks viewed it as a national park though the land had yet to be transferred to the federal government, though Parks Canada did invest in repairs and improvements in 1973 and the early 1980s, including bridges and cable cars over creeks and various campsite facilities.[ The southern trailhead is located across Gordon River from Port Renfrew with first two campsites 5 and 13 km in. The northern trailhead is located across the Pachena River from Bamfield. From there, the ]Pachena Point Light
Pachena Point Lighthouse is located on Vancouver Island, south of Bamfield, British Columbia, in Pacific Rim National Park. The octagonal wooden tower is maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard who employ lighthouse keepers at the station.
Keepe ...
is in and the first two campsites are at the 12 km and 14 km markers along the trail. The northern end of the trail, outside of Bamfield, also features a separate trail to Cape Beale with a campsite at Keeha Beach. Overall, the trail is typically done in 6 or 7 days with stretches along rocky beaches, rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
, and rough, muddy terrain.
The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, along with the Gwaii Haanas and Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is a national park located on and around the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada. In the National Parks System Plan, this park provides representation of the Strait of Georgia Lowlands natural region, the ...
, are the three national parks with direct access to the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
. Located on the west side of the Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...
, the park is situated on the Estevan Lowlands, a thin strip of coastal land located between the ocean and the West Vancouver Island Fiordlands and Vancouver Island Ranges
The Vancouver Island Ranges, formerly called the Vancouver Island Mountains, are a series of mountain ranges extending along the length of Vancouver Island which has an area of . The Vancouver Island Ranges comprise the central and largest part ...
of the Insular Mountains
The Insular Mountains are a range of mountains in the Pacific Coast Ranges on the Coast of British Columbia, Canada, comprising the Vancouver Island Ranges and Queen Charlotte Mountains. The Insular Mountains are rugged, particularly on Vancou ...
. While the almost all of Vancouver Island is part of the Wrangellia Terrane
The Wrangellia Terrane (named for the Wrangell Mountains, Alaska) is a crustal fragment (terrane) extending from the south-central part of Alaska and along the Coast of British Columbia in Canada. Some geologists contend that Wrangellia extends ...
, most of the Long Beach Unit is part of the Pacific Rim Terrane, separated from Wrangellia Terrane by the West Coast Fault.
Climate
Like the climates of nearby Tofino and Ucluelet, the park's climate is the result of its unobstructed southwestern exposure to the ocean and its inland mountains to the northeast. The prevailing jet stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering air currents in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds (flowing west to east) ...
brings low pressure systems off the ocean from the Gulf of Alaska in the winter. Its cool, moist air mass experience orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...
as it immediately rises through the mountains and deposits large quantities of precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
. Hucuktlis Lake
Hucuktlis Lake (pronounced "who chook-tlis"), formerly Henderson Lake, is a lake on Vancouver Island that drains south into head of Uchucklesaht Inlet on the north side of lower Alberni Inlet.
Etymology
Hucuktlis means "place way inside", which r ...
, inland from Broken Group in Barclay Sound, is the one of the wettest places on Earth
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water fo ...
. The park area averages over of precipitation per year. Affected by the Kuroshio Current
The , also known as the Black or or the is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...
, the sea water temperatures range from in January to in August. In the summer the jet stream bring high pressure systems, with warmer air masses that retains moisture, in from the mid-Pacific resulting in drier, sunny summers. The air temperatures generally range from .
Ecology
Inland ecology
The terrestrial portion of the park lies within what the province terms the Coastal Western Hemlock Biogeoclimatic Zone (very wet hypermaritime subzone), based on the climax vegetation. The wet, temperate and cool climate results in temperate rainforest
Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain.
Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American ...
conditions. The area's exposure to strong winds in the winter, sunny summers and low elevations make the large and sturdy western hemlock
''Tsuga heterophylla'', the western hemlock or western hemlock-spruce, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma ...
, Sitka spruce
''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-lar ...
and western red-cedar
''Thuja plicata'' is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to western North America. Its common name is western redcedar (western red cedar in the UK), and it is also called Pacific redcedar, giant arborvitae, ...
the dominant tree species. There understory is dominated by moss (like Sphagnum
''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...
), lichen and ferns (like deer fern and sword ferns). The forest is home to black bears, Vancouver Island cougar, Roosevelt elk
The Roosevelt elk (''Cervus canadensis roosevelti)'', also known commonly as the Olympic elk and Roosevelt's wapiti, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk (''Cervus canadensis'') in North America by body mass (although by antl ...
, and marten
A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...
, as well as numerous invertebrates like the banana slug
Banana slugs are North American terrestrial slugs comprising the genus ''Ariolimax''. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Ariolimax Mörch, 1859. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p= ...
and warty jumping-slug and birds like the marbled murrelet and the olive-sided flycatcher
The olive-sided flycatcher (''Contopus cooperi'') is a small to medium sized passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the Tyrant flycatcher family. It is a migratory species that travels from South to North America to breed during the summer. It ...
. Vancouver Island wolves are even present on the islands of the Broken Group. Six species of salmon are present in the park's watercourses, but are predominantly coho
The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientific species name is ...
and sockeye. Cutthroat trout
The cutthroat trout is a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. As a member of the genus '' Oncorhynchus'', it is one of the Pacific t ...
, red-legged frog Red-legged frog is a common name for several species of frog:
* California red-legged frog, ''Rana draytonii'', a frog endemic to California, United States
* La Selle red-legged frog, ''Eleutherodactylus furcyensis'', a frog found in the Dominican ...
, western toad
The western toad (''Anaxyrus boreas'') is a large toad species, between long, native to western North America. ''A. boreas'' is frequently encountered during the wet season on roads, or near water at other times. It can jump a considerable distan ...
, mink
Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera '' Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": ...
and river otter live in the lakes and wetland areas.
The park also protects Cheewhat Giant, a western red cedar
''Thuja plicata'' is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to western North America. Its common name is western redcedar (western red cedar in the UK), and it is also called Pacific redcedar, giant arborvitae ...
tree that is the largest known tree in Canada and one of the largest trees in the world.
Coastal ecology
The shoreline's sand dune habitat consists of pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
and yellow sand-verbena, dune grass, seaside centipede lichen, black oystercatcher
The black oystercatcher (''Haematopus bachmani'') is a conspicuous black bird found on the shoreline of western North America. It ranges from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to the coast of the Baja California peninsula.
The black oystercatcher ...
s, and glaucous-winged gulls. The intertidal zone provides habitat for eelgrass, Aggregating anemone
The aggregating anemone (''Anthopleura elegantissima''), or clonal anemone, is the most abundant species of sea anemone found on rocky, tide swept shores along the Pacific coast of North America. This cnidarian hosts endosymbiotic algae called z ...
, echinoderm
An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the ...
s (like the western sand dollar and ochre sea star), sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the a ...
s (like the northern abalone), and crabs. Native bivalvia
Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bival ...
like butter clam, littleneck clam, California mussel and Olympia oyster compete with the invasive Manila clam, varnish clam, and Pacific oyster
The Pacific oyster, Japanese oyster, or Miyagi oyster (''Magallana gigas''), is an oyster native to the Pacific coast of Asia. It has become an introduced species in North America, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand.
Etymology
The genus ''Mag ...
.
The park also includes a subtidal area where there exists several kelp forest
Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Ea ...
s, habitat for Steller sea lion
The Steller sea lion (''Eumetopias jubatus''), also known as the Steller's sea lion and northern sea lion, is a near-threatened species of sea lion in the northern Pacific. It is the sole member of the genus ''Eumetopias'' and the largest of ...
s, seals
Seals may refer to:
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...
and porpoise
Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals a ...
s, and parts of migratory routes for killer whale
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pat ...
s, humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...
s, grey whales, basking shark
The basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, and one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Adults typically reach in leng ...
s, and pacific herring.
See also
* National Parks of Canada
* List of National Parks of Canada
*List of British Columbia Provincial Parks
The British Columbia Parks and Protected Areas System is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by BC Parks, an agency of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. These protected areas are e ...
References
External links
*
*
Long Beach trails information
{{Authority control
National parks in British Columbia
Pacific temperate rainforests
Parks in British Columbia
Barkley Sound region