Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park

Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park
Grace Harbour
Map showing the location of Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park
Map showing the location of Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park
Location of Desolation Sound Provincial Marine Park near Vancouver Island
Map showing the location of Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park
Map showing the location of Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park
Location of Desolation Sound Provincial Marine Park in British Columbia
LocationBritish Columbia, Canada
Nearest cityPowell River
Coordinates50°06′08″N 124°42′00″W / 50.10222°N 124.70000°W / 50.10222; -124.70000
Area84 km2
DesignationMarine Provincial Park
Established1973
Governing bodyBC Parks
Map

Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada located along Desolation Sound. The park is distinguished by its many picturesque sheltered coves and anchorages, frequented by yachts and pleasure craft. The scenery consists of waterfalls, rugged glaciated peaks, and steep forested slopes that fall into the ocean.

The park's many inlets, islets, coves, and bays attract many pleasure crafts each summer,[2] when it is not uncommon for a hundred boats to share a small anchorage.[3] The sound is home to a wide variety of wildlife and remains relatively free from development, although some areas, such as Theodosia Inlet, show signs of clear-cut logging.[3]

The area has a long history of use by First Nations and it supports tremendous ecological diversity. From the time when Captain George Vancouver first visited the area to modern times, Indigenous people have been pressured off their land and have lost access to most of their hunting and gathering spots due to environmental protection, tourists, and pollution.[4] Health authorities that are operated by First Nations groups are currently investigating the effects of environmental pollution in the area.[5]

Land use in the marine area is now strictly controlled by the British Columbia provincial government, and any operations in this marine area that do not conform to the laws are eradicated.[6]

  1. ^ "Desolation Sound Marine Park". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  2. ^ A Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide, Volume 2, Second Edition, Anne & Laurence Yeadon-Jones, 2006
  3. ^ a b Exploring the South Coast of British Columbia, Third Edition, Don Douglass & Reanne Hemingway-Douglass, 2009
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Clapperton-2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference First Nations Health Authority Environmental Contaminants Program was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Management Plan for Desolation Sound and Copeland Islands Marine Parks and Tux-2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).