{"id":35,"date":"2011-11-13T22:26:27","date_gmt":"2011-11-13T22:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seas.shuswappassion.ca\/?page_id=35"},"modified":"2019-02-21T23:58:31","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T23:58:31","slug":"provincial-parks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/seas.shuswappassion.ca\/provincial-parks","title":{"rendered":"Provincial Parks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Anstey Arm\/Hunakwa Lake Park<\/a>
\nUpper Seymour River Park<\/a>
\nPukeashun<\/a>
\nEnderby Cliffs<\/a>
\nMount Griffin Ecological Reserve Addition<\/a>
\nKingfisher Creek Ecological Reserve Addition<\/a>
\nEagle River<\/a>
\nEnglish Lake<\/a>
\nMara Meadows Ecological Reserve Addition<\/a>
\nPillar<\/a>
\nShuswap River Islands<\/a>
\nShuswap Lake Marine Park Additions, including Bughouse Bay Site<\/a>
\nUpper Perry River<\/a>
\nUpper Violet Creek<\/a>
\nWhite Lake Park Additions<\/a>
\nYard Creek Provincial Park Additions<\/a>
\nOther New Parks<\/a>
\nMomich Lake Park<\/a>
\nUpper Adams River<\/a>
\nAdams Lake Provincial Park<\/a>
\nSpillman Beach<\/a>
\nPopular Point<\/a>
\nOregano Creek<\/a><\/p>\n

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In 1991, Shuswap Environmental Action Society published edition two of the Shuswap Eco-Watch that featured a satellite image of the Shuswap in full colour. Inside, was a proposed “Sustainable Stewardship Plan” that called for the creation of 14 new parks. Over the next ten years, SEAS members campaigned for the creation of new parks in the 708,500-hectare Salmon Arm forest district where only .4 percent was in parkland and ecological reserves. The SEAS campaign included five years of letter writing; the production of educational newspapers, columns, and a video; tours, field trips and airplane flights; slide shows, and numerous studies. SEAS appreciates the financial support it received from the World Wildlife Fund and the contributions of local artists and supporters that made many of these campaign projects possible.<\/p>\n

This campaign work was followed by five years of participation in the Shuswap\/Okanagan LRMP process (see Land Use Planning). Finally, in January 2001, the B.C. Government announced approval of the Okanagan Shuswap Land-Use Plan<\/a> that created 49 new parks in the region, including 11 new parks and 6 park additions totalling 26,293 hectares in the Salmon Arm forest district. Although the parks have been created, much work remains and SEAS will continue to remain involved in upcoming development of the park management plans.<\/p>\n

SEAS also participated in the Kamloops LRMP<\/a> that was completed in 1995. It was the first LRMP in the province. Two Goal ! provincial parks were created in the Adams Lake watershed, a sub-drainage of the Shuswap watershed, totaling 6,810 hectares (see below).<\/p>\n

True wilderness is free both from human management and damaging human activities, a place where nature rules. But due to over a century of logging, mining, settlement and agriculture, such places were difficult to find in the Shuswap in low or mid-elevation areas. The 17 new protected areas include seven of the larger Goal I areas and ten of the smaller Goal II areas. Note that some of the Goal II areas have not yet been legislated as Class A Parks to to issues such as maintaining access. To learn more about BC Parks, go to their webpage: www.env.gov.bc.ca\/bcparks<\/a><\/p>\n

Because of the Liberal government’s cost cutting measures, funding for BC Parks was cut and some parks were closed. All park interpretation programs were closed, however in some parks, interpretation is provided by non-profit groups. There is now concern that new regulations will cause increased commercialization in parks. While Shuswap’s new parks are so far protected from development, there is little likelihood that the current government will ever fund any infrastructure improvements such as trails or campgrounds. Park planning has been completed for Upper Seymour, Enderby Cliffs and Greenbush Lake, Anstey-Hunakwa and Pukeashun. Planning documents are available on the BC Parks website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[This report was written in approximately 2006 and updated February, 2019.]<\/p>\n

NEW GOAL I PARKS<\/h2>\n

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Anstey Arm\/Hunakwa Lake Park – 7,492 hectares<\/a><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>A landsat satellite photo helped SEAS identify the Hunakwa Lake area, which had remained relatively free from logging. On the satellite photo, a patchwork of clearcuts surrounds the unbroken band of green forest above Hunakwa Lake and the Anstey Arm of Shuswap Lake. The Anstey Arm\/Hunakwa Lake Park includes old growth forests, natural Shuswap Lake foreshore, wetlands and key wildlife habitat. A nature lover’s paradise, Hunakwa Lake is the only remaining low elevation, unroaded, mid-sized lake in the province’s southern interior (and quite likely in this part of North America). This new park connects the Anstey Arm with the Seymour Arm of the Shuswap Lake and includes Wright Lake, where naturalists identified a great diversity of ferns, flowers, shrubs and trees. Hikers can reach the trails to Wright Lake and Hunakwa Lake via the Beach Bay Access Road. Boaters can gain access to trails into the area from Wright Creek on Seymour Arm or from the north end of Anstey Arm.<\/p>\n

See: Anstey\/Hunakwa Map<\/a><\/p>\n

Experience Anstey Arm\/Hunakwa Lake Park<\/a><\/p>\n

July 2000 Kamloops Daily News Feature article on Hunakwa Lake<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2191Top<\/a><\/p>\n

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Upper Seymour River Park – 10,580 hectares<\/a><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>A tip from a bulldozer operator about building a road through a stand of giant trees alerted SEAS to the conservation values of the Upper Seymour River Valley. SEAS then persuaded government staff to visit the area, which helped result in interim protection. Subsequently, SEAS field trips to the Seymour River headwaters found exceptionally large cedar trees up to 12 feet in diameter. Forest ecologists have since estimated this undisturbed “antique” rainforest to be thousands of years old as evidenced by the many layers of distinct lichen species and the very wet climate (see Antique Oroboreal Rainforest<\/a>). As well, this forest provides rare early winter habitat for the endangered Mountain Caribou. When the area was threatened by logging, SEAS garnered public support and then met with the Ministry of Forests Regional Manager who later made a compromise decision that allowed only the first of three cutblocks to be logged. Finally, after years of land use planning deliberations, the headwaters of the Seymour River was made a park, protecting one of B.C.’s few remaining, globally unique, interior rainforests.<\/p>\n

Upper Seymour River Park Map<\/a><\/p>\n

Antique Oroboreal Rainforest<\/a><\/p>\n

Upper Seymour River Park photo gallery<\/a><\/p>\n

Journey into the Upper Seymour video<\/a><\/p>\n

Journey into the Upper Seymour – article and photos<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2191Top<\/a><\/p>\n

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Pukeashun – 1,571 hectares<\/h3>\n

The Pukeashun Mountain area was first identified on a satellite photo and then its pristine nature was confirmed by airplane surveillance. The area is approximately 15 kilometres east of Albas on Shuswap Lake. This new park includes Grizzly Lake and thus protects a small part of the headwaters of Scotch Creek. Although this park is small, it protects a biologically significant linkage between wetlands, an old growth spruce forest and undisturbed alpine flower meadows. This area is key habitat for bull trout, Grizzly bear, and Mountain caribou.<\/p>\n

See Pukeashun Map<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2191Top<\/a><\/p>\n

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Enderby Cliffs – 2,364 hectares<\/h3>\n

This popular hiking area and lookout point above the community of Enderby is also the major scenic viewshed for travellers entering the Shuswap area from the Okanagan valley. This new park protects some rare forest types, a small lake and a linkage between dry and moist forest zones.<\/p>\n

See Enderby Cliffs Map<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2191Top<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Mount Griffin Ecological Reserve Addition–1,566 hectares<\/h3>\n

Located about 25 kilometres south of Three-Valley Gap, the original 1,376 hectare Ecological Reserve was an odd shape, narrow in the middle and pointed at the top (see Ecological Reserves below). It was established in 1972 to protect an elevational sequence of habitats from valley bottom wetlands to alpine meadows in an area with a wet interior climate. The addition adds significant wetlands, two lakes and old growth forested areas to the centre and top, thus increasing its value to conservation.<\/p>\n

See Mt. Griffin Ecological Reserve Addition Map<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2191Top<\/a><\/p>\n

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Kingfisher Creek Ecological Reserve Addition–414 hectares<\/h3>\n

The 1,441-hectare Kingfisher Creek Ecological Reserve was established in 1972 to protect representative subalpine parkland in an area transitional between dry and wet interior climates. Located in the headwaters of Kingfisher Creek that drains into Shuswap River near Mable Lake, this reserve is adjacent to the Hunter Range alpine and thus receives some summer grazing by cattle. The addition improves the ecological viability of the reserve by adding more stands of old growth forest.<\/p>\n

See Kingfisher Creek Ecological Reserve Addition Map<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2191Top<\/a><\/p>\n

NEW GOAL II PARKS<\/h2>\n

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Eagle River–508 hectares<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>This park protects a portion of the riparian zone along the Eagle River east of Malakwa.<\/p>\n

\u2191Top<\/a><\/p>\n

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English Lake–446 hectares<\/h3>\n\r\n