Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park
Tatshenshini-Alsek Park | |
---|---|
Whitehorse, Yukon | |
Coordinates | 59°52′03″N 138°00′49″W / 59.86750°N 138.01361°W |
Area | 9,580 km2 (3,700 sq mi) |
Established | 1993 |
Governing body | BC Parks |
Website | bcparks |
Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek | |
Criteria | Natural: (vii), (viii), (ix), (x) |
Reference | 72ter |
Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
Extensions | 1992, 1994 |
Tatshenshini-Alsek Park or Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Wilderness Park is a
The park is located in the very northwestern corner of British Columbia, bordering the American state of
History
Over the centuries, numerous indigenous peoples lived in this area, including the historic
In the mid-19th century, the sudden breakup of a natural dam on the Alsek River caused a severe flood. The dam had been formed by the advance of a glacier across the entire Alsek River channel; the obstructed river formed a large temporary lake upstream of the blockage. A wall of water 7 m (23 ft) high and 15 m (49 ft) wide swept an entire Tutchone village into the sea at Dry Bay, killing all the inhabitants.
Tatshenshini-Alsek was one of the last areas of British Columbia to be mapped and explored. In the 1960s the first geological exploration for minerals took place in the area. Significant copper deposits were found in the vicinity of Windy Craggy Mountain, in the middle of the Tatshenshini region. In the mid-1970s two companies began rafting the Tatshenshini (aka "the Tat", a term also used to refer to the region) and Alsek rivers for the first time. In the mid-1980s a proposal surfaced to develop Windy Craggy peak into a huge open-pit mine.
In 1991 Tatshenshini International was established, linking together the top 50 conservation organisations in North America. An extremely intensive campaign followed in Canada and in the United States, particularly the
In combination with the adjoining national parks, this completed protection of the world's largest international park complex. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (
In 1999, a party of sheep hunters found artifacts and remains of a young male at the foot of a glacier in the park; he was later called
Wildlife
The Alsek and Tatshenshini rivers flow through the park in glacier-carved U-shaped valleys. These valleys through the coastal mountains allow cool, moist ocean air into the cold interior. The quick change from ocean to interior environment, frequent floods, landslides and avalanches, a varied geology and great elevation changes have together created an exceptionally diverse range of habitat conditions.
Tatshenshini-Alsek Park supports a large grizzly bear population. A green area that cuts through a barrier of mountain and ice connects coastal and interior grizzly bear populations and provides a perfect habitat. The park is the only Canadian home of the glacier bear. This extremely rare blue-grey colour phase of the black bear is found only within the park and just over the border into the United States.
As well as bears, Tatshenshini-Alsek Park also supports
Along the coastline, sea lions and humpback whales can be seen.
The Alsek Ranges are located there, and
Climate
The weather station, Blanchard River, is at the British Columbia border with Yukon, along Haines Highway. It has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc), bordering on tundra climate (Köppen ET).
Climate data for Blanchard River, Yukon (1981-2010): 836 m (2,743 ft) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
7.5 (45.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
16.0 (60.8) |
24.0 (75.2) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.0 (84.2) |
29.0 (84.2) |
21.5 (70.7) |
22.0 (71.6) |
8.0 (46.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
29.0 (84.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −9.0 (15.8) |
−5.2 (22.6) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
3.3 (37.9) |
10.3 (50.5) |
15.8 (60.4) |
16.8 (62.2) |
15.9 (60.6) |
10.1 (50.2) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
4.0 (39.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −14.6 (5.7) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
4.2 (39.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
10.9 (51.6) |
9.9 (49.8) |
5.4 (41.7) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−1.6 (29.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −19.9 (−3.8) |
−16.8 (1.8) |
−14.2 (6.4) |
−8.1 (17.4) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
2.3 (36.1) |
4.8 (40.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−14.3 (6.3) |
−16.1 (3.0) |
−7.1 (19.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | −46.0 (−50.8) |
−40.0 (−40.0) |
−37.0 (−34.6) |
−30.0 (−22.0) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−26.5 (−15.7) |
−39.0 (−38.2) |
−41.0 (−41.8) |
−46.0 (−50.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 45.2 (1.78) |
39.0 (1.54) |
27.6 (1.09) |
19.3 (0.76) |
18.1 (0.71) |
38.4 (1.51) |
50.9 (2.00) |
47.4 (1.87) |
69.2 (2.72) |
60.7 (2.39) |
63.5 (2.50) |
73.5 (2.89) |
552.8 (21.76) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 45.0 (17.7) |
38.6 (15.2) |
27.3 (10.7) |
16.2 (6.4) |
2.4 (0.9) |
0.5 (0.2) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.6 (1.0) |
26.3 (10.4) |
57.8 (22.8) |
69.9 (27.5) |
286.6 (112.8) |
Source: Environment Canada[4]
|
Pleasant Camp, British Columbia is on the southeastern edge of Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park, near the Alaskan border. Pleasant Camp has a dry-summer subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsc).
Climate data for Pleasant Camp, British Columbia (1981-2010): 274 m (899 ft) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.5 (56.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
32.8 (91.0) |
34.0 (93.2) |
24.5 (76.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.5 (43.7) |
34.0 (93.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.0 (23.0) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
1.8 (35.2) |
7.4 (45.3) |
13.6 (56.5) |
18.3 (64.9) |
19.9 (67.8) |
18.3 (64.9) |
12.6 (54.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
7.1 (44.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −7.9 (17.8) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
2.7 (36.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.5 (58.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
8.7 (47.7) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
3.0 (37.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.8 (12.6) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
8.3 (46.9) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.1 (32.2) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | −32.0 (−25.6) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
−27.0 (−16.6) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
0.5 (32.9) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−19.0 (−2.2) |
−31.0 (−23.8) |
−32.2 (−26.0) |
−32.2 (−26.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 200.4 (7.89) |
139.1 (5.48) |
106.2 (4.18) |
69.7 (2.74) |
51.9 (2.04) |
37.4 (1.47) |
35.8 (1.41) |
72.4 (2.85) |
148.8 (5.86) |
188.1 (7.41) |
160.0 (6.30) |
217.3 (8.56) |
1,426.9 (56.18) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 165.4 (65.1) |
111.4 (43.9) |
82.6 (32.5) |
20.8 (8.2) |
2.6 (1.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.8 (0.3) |
35.0 (13.8) |
128.0 (50.4) |
177.4 (69.8) |
723.8 (285.0) |
Source: Environment Canada[5]
|
See also
- Alaska Boundary Dispute
References
- ^ "Tatshenshini-Alsek Park". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
- ^ "Scientists find 17 living relatives of 'iceman' discovered in B.C. glacier". CBC News. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ^ Judith Lavoie, Canwest News Service, "Iceman's DNA Linked To Coastal Aboriginals (Canada)", Leader Post, 26 April 2008, accessed 5 October 2014
- ^ "Blanchard River, Yukon". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (in English and French). Environment Canada. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "Pleasant Camp, BC". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (in English and French). Environment Canada. Retrieved September 2, 2023.