Happy 100th Birthday to Parks Canada

Date: May 19, 2011

Parks Canada turned 100 years old today and received the Gift To The Earth Award from the World Wildlife Fund. The award is the international organization's highest for for conservation work of outstanding global merit.

Currently, Parks Canada manages 42 national parks, 167 historical sites, four national marine conservation areas and even the grave sites of former prime ministers. Large expansion has taken place in the last couple of decades, particularly from the addition of the 19,000-square-kilometre Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island in Canada's north.

Parks Canada has grown dramatically since it's beginnings as the Dominion Parks Branch in 1911. "When we started, we only had 10 or 12 national parks, but now we are truly a national park system spread right across Canada" says Alan Latourelle, CEO of Parks Canada.

The organization was originally established to capture tourism dollars and showcase the natural beauty of areas like Banff to travellers. However, a shift in the 1960's towards protecting Canada's national parks system changed the mandate of Parks Canada. In 2000, legislation was introduced that made protecting the ecological integrity of Canada's parks their main priority.

Below is a list of the National Parks located in British Columbia:

Glacier National Park of Canada - British Columbia's lush interior rainforest and permanent glaciers

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada - An exceptional coastal island landscape in the southern Strait of Georgia

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site - Haïda culture and coastal rainforest on Queen Charlotte Islands.

Kootenay National Park of Canada - UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring the famous Radium Hot Springs.

Mount Revelstoke National Park of Canada - Rainforest of 1,000-year-old cedars and spectacular mountains.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada - Pacific Coast Mountains make up this marine and forest environment.

Yoho National Park of Canada - UNESCO World Heritage Site in Rockies.


Share |