User:Milli.cw/Minnekhada Regional Park

Minnekhada Regional Park is a natural park situated in northeast Coquitlam, British Columbia, alongside Pitt-Addington Marsh and the Pitt River. It is over 200 hectares in size, and features trails, rock knolls, abundant trees, birds and other wildlife. At the centre of the park is the main marsh area, divided into upper and lower sections, divided by a dike and small footbridge.

There are two main entrances to the park with parking facilities. The Quarry Road entrance serves as the primary trail access point for hikers and bird watchers. The Oliver Road entrance provides access to Minnekhada Lodge, as well as access to some of the trails. There is a secondary entrance in the northwest corner of the park, further north of the Quarry Road entrance, but there is no parking at this location.

There are three primary trails through the park that follow an eastern trajectory towards the Pitt-Addington Marsh boundary:


 * Quarry Trail
 * Mid-Marsh Trail
 * Lodge/Fern Trails

There are five lookout points in the park. Of these, Low Knoll with its full view of the lower marsh, and High Knoll with its 600 ft (180 m). Elevation and view of the Pitt River and Pitt Meadows beyond, are among the most popular. A full perimeter trail hike through Quarry Trail, Fern Trail, and Lodge Trail covers a distance of 5.2 km (this does not include excursions to lookout points such as High Knoll and Low Knoll).

Minnekhada Regional Park is a designated Wildlife Watch site.

The name 'Minnekhada' comes from the Sioux language which means 'rattling water' (mini meaning water and kahda meaning to rattle).

Beyond the beautiful trails, lookouts, forests and marshes, Minnekhada Regional Park has had a long history with its many owners, and was owned as a private property until the late 1970’s. Its long history includes its over 200 hectares, which was home to farmhouses, stables, fields, marshes, and forests that cover the grounds, built by many of the owners. Among a ton of other infrastructures that housed animals, horses, and also grew crops. The extensive history of the park includes buildings and cabins; Minnekhada farm and hunting lodge are among the few that are still standing. These two buildings were the earliest buildings to be put up on the lands of the park.

Minnekhada Lodge
Minnekhada Lodge was built as a country retreat for hunting in 1934 by Lieutenant Governor Eric Hamber. It was donated to the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) by the provincial government in 1984.

The land known as Minnekhada Regional park has changed owners many times. Eric Hamber owned the land in 1930 and he was the first big owner that built more on the land than the others. Hamber had many of his friends over to hunt during the year, especially during hunting seasons, and Hamber had built the hunting lodge as a place for his guests to sleep during their stays, and as a place for a retreat to get away. Today, the hunting lodge is open to the public on the first Sunday of most months, during the hours of 1 pm to 4 pm.

The lodge cost approximately $50,000 to build. Once the lodge was built, Minnekhada was a place for entertainment instead of just farmland. High profile guests would come to unwine and dine at the lodge. Cedar and Oliver Drive were black-topped so that roads were better suited to accommodate the upper class visitors. It was rumoured that Queen Elizabeth and George VI visited the lodge in 1939.

Minnekhada Farm
The Minnekhada Farm was added to the park in 1995. The GVRD is currently restoring its fields and buildings as a heritage estate farm and equestrian centre. There is currently no access to Minnekhada Farm.

The farm itself has a long history, starting from the many different uses, as it was the site of several agricultural businesses with items such as beef cattle to sheep and dairy to vegetables. Beside the history of what was grown on the farm, it was then sold to many other buyers; the 415 hectare property, was chartered to the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission, by The Ministry of Lands, Parks, and Housing. In this charter, 290 hectares was given to farmers for a 20 year period, under an agricultural lease. Nowadays, 46 of the total 200 hectares of Minnekhada Regional Park is the farm itself. When the Minnekhada farm first became a farm it was the beginning of integrating modern farming practices and machinery.

Harry L. Jenkins
Amongst its many owners, for one, Harry L. Jenkins, it was the property he visited a lot during the summers. During the early 1910’s, the farm was purchased by Harry Leroy Jenkins, who then put the farm’s ownership in the title of Anna S. Jenkins Estate Incorporated limited. The company that the Jenkins established had the Minnekhada dairy farm included and Jenkins was credited to be the original person who had named the property and farm ‘Minnekhada’.

Eric Hamber
The first person to put the land to mass use was Eric Hamber. Hamber’s use of Minnekhada, was that the farm should’ve stayed as a horse breeding operation, hay and oats farm, but to his surprise, his wife, Aldyen, convinced him to turn the farm into a real and functioning farm, completed with livestock and vegetables to grow. Furthermore, this change caused a new growth in buildings, with new stables and barns being built. In the terms of hunting, Minnekhada was utilized for its land, in hunting and horse riding ways by Hamber and his acquaintances. The marsh was the main target for hunting, as the mass abundance of buckwheat was suitable to luring ducks to the area.

Clarence Wallace
When Hamber became unable to care for the land, care for the animals, and hunt, he sold the property to Colonel Clarence Wallace, whom he was friends with. Eric Hamber and Clarence Wallace, both had an impact on BC’s economic timeline, as they both had large companies in timber and shipping. Wallace was the owner of Burrard DryDocks, and Hamber, the president of BC mills, timber, and trading.

Wallace had owned other land before owning Minnekhada, he owned Addington Marsh, which was later bought from him by The National Second Century Fund, now the Addington Marsh is currently under the management of the Fish and Wildlife Branch, in an effort of a sanctuary.

Wallace had similar ideas on what to use Minnekhada for, his idea was for hunting and using the lodge as a weekend getaway. In the late 1970’s, some of the forest by the lodge, that had been underdeveloped, was logged. The logging occurred as a way to administer vegetation and wildlife studies prior to the park’s development would have occurred. Prior to the time of the logging, the park’s forests were shaded with [https://www.treehugger.com/the-climax-forest-process-1341716#:~:text=They%20use%20and%20name%20a,some%20but%20not%20by%20all. climax forests], that then after, all the regeneration had happened naturally with trees like the Red Alder settling their spots in the forest right away. It has not been known how much or what the trees were used for and logged, that had happened under Wallace’s watch.

After Wallace bought the land from Hamber, and gave him the opportunity to visit whenever he pleases; the Minnekhada park went to many hands, and settled down on Dave Barrett’s NDP government. With that, all 415 hectares of the property, the government chose what to do with it, as now the regional park is just above 200 hectares itself. It was then later returned to the Crown and left alone. In the mid 1990’s, the farm was obtained by the GVRD (Greater Vancouver Regional District) from the Crown, and become an addition to Minnekhada regional park. As the parks committee had delegated that at least 125 hectares of the land should be arranged by the Greater Vancouver Regional District, with the idea that it would stay in the state of a regional nature park; that indeed had happened. The government used some of it as recreation, as they developed housing units that were announced by Burke Mountain. Furthermore, the 120 hectares of non-farm use land, that had the hunting lodge, marsh and upland knolls on it, were up to the discussion of the advisory committee, which was settled with the land commission.

Extracted Resources
The land that is now Minnekhada Regional park, has had many great uses to it. From hunting to farming, to horse racing for a brief period, by Hamber himself. Hamber used the land a lot for hunting, as well as Wallace, during these hunting weekends, hundreds of ducks were shot. When the ducks weren’t lured in by the buckwheat in the off season, the bottom part of the marsh was pumped out, and the cattle pastures went in its place. This would have happened many times over the years, and would have caused mass stress to the animals, but it is not talked about what had happened to the animals that were affected by the draining of the marsh and their populations over the years.

On the hunting terms of Wallace, he hunted deer, though his wife didn’t agree with his hunting. As he also had logged the land by the lodge, it wasn’t said how much was logged and what they did with the materials. As the lands underwent many changes, as new infrastructure was always going up, such as new barns and stables. The grounds also underwent a lot with its soil, as new crops went in; as oats, vegetables and hay were growing and supporting the animals like sheep, cattle, and dairy cows.

Habitat and Ecosystems
Within its 200 hectares, the park brings together several types of habitats that support multiple species. Three main ecosystems can be distinguished: the marsh/wetland, the temperate rainforest, and the farm/grassland. That diversity is explained by the variation in different factors affecting the terrain. One is the topography, which varies between sea level and 170 meters in height. The wetness of the soil also influences the ecosystem and the types of vegetation. From dry to wet soils, the Minnekhada Regional Park report in 1983 made a distinction between 3 moisture regimes: sub hydric to hydric, submesic to hygric, and very xeric to sub xeric regime. A subhydric regime is defined as a wet soil for a significant part of the growing season and a hydric regime has a wet soil for most of the growing season. A submesic regime is a relatively dry regime, where the water is available for a short period. Finally, a xeric to subxeric regime are regimes where the water is removed rapidly which means that they are drier

The marsh is located in the center of the park and is divided by a dyke, and into two sections: the upper marsh and the lower marsh. Throughout the years, the increase and decrease of the marshes' water has been at varying levels. Prior to the construction of the Pitt River dyke, the marsh was a floodplain, with high levels of water, and rich in nutrients. During the 1900’s, the water level varied a lot and the nutrients that were flowing from the river were lost. This largely influenced the vegetation of the marsh, and thus, the species found.

Out of the whole park, 22% of it is part of the Minnekhada Farm. As the site is affected by a restoration project, data has been collected to characterize the site. The water retention varies, and flooding occurs during periods of rainfall. The site is mainly open space with some bearing trees and few large rocks were found in the area.

Vegetation
Within the three main ecosystems of the park, the Minnekhada Regional Park report characterizes nine ecosystem associations for the vegetation of the park. An ecosystem associations in this report is defined as "an area of land capable of producing similar climax plant communities" The climax of each ecosystem association gives them their name: the first plant name is a herb, following the second as a shrub or a tree, and lastly, the main tree species. In general, there were two main tree species are found. The nine ecosystems associations are designated as:

1.       Lichen, Salal, Douglas Fir

2.       Salal, Hemlock, Douglas Fir

3.       Orgeon grape, Cedar, Douglas Fir

4.       Licorice Fern, Salal, Douglas Fir, Cedar

5.       Sword Fern, Douglas Fir, cedar

6.       Sword Fern, Foamflower, Cedar

7.       Salmonberry, Sword Fern, Cedar

8.       Skunk Cabbage, Cedar

9.       Hylocomium, Cedar

The two main tree species that are found in the park are the Western Dry Cedar and the Douglas Fir. The Western Dry Cedar is mostly occurring in the wetlands area of the park. The dry areas are dominated by the Douglas Fir. Each of these ecosystem associations are characterized by its vegetation, moisture regime, soil type/parent material, landform, and points of interest.

The vegetation of the marsh varies in function of the water level: the Northern section is much more moist then the southern section that has generally much lower water levels. The marsh is dominated by hardhack and sweet gale.

Vegetation of the lodge is largely represented by three species: Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris Arundinacea) which is about 64%, Hardhack (Spiraea Douglasii) which has about 22%, and Cutleaf Blackberry (Rubus Laciniatus) which has about 13%.

The park is also home to several species of moss, lichen, and mushrooms. With its wet condition, the Minnekhada Regional Park is the perfect habitat for common species of moss, such as Stairsptep Moss, Lanky Moss, Badge Moss, Oregon Beaked Moss, and Douglas’ Neckera Moss. For the lichen populations, the most common species found in the park is the Maritime Reindeer Lichen. Lastly, there is a mass amount of fungi that can be seen around the park.

Birds
Several bird species are also annual or seasonal inhabitants of the park. In 1993, the Burke Mountain Naturalists collected a list of 151 species of birds observed in the park. The park has a great diversity of these 151 species that include: hawks, owls, grouse, waterfowl, herons, woodpeckers, and songbirds. Waterfowls have been studied in such detail in the Minnekhada Regional Park report, and sixteen different species were also distinguished. Among these sixteen, swans and Ring-necked Duck were included.

Mammals
American black bears and deer are active each year around the park. Muskrats, Raccoons, Squirrels, American Beaver, River Otter, and American Opossum also inhabit the area.

Two maternity of Townsend’s big-eared bats are located at the Minnekhada farm. This species of bat is classified as threatened in British Columbia. Those bats are very vulnerable to disturbance; mainly by people. This species is found to be declining in many areas around the globe, including Mexico and the United States. In British Columbia, only a few maternity have been recorded and two in Minnekhada Park so far. These Bats can be recognized by their large ears, which can be measured to reach half of their body length.

Amphibians and Reptiles
There has been seen that multiple reptiles and amphibians inhabit the park. Snakes, Salamanders, and Frogs were observed. Two species are of great interest are the Western Painted Turtle and the Western Toad.

The Western Painted Turtles are the only native freshwater turtles still in British Columbia. The population's decline is mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Another factor is competition with the non-native Red-Eared Slider. To assess the status of this endangered species and the long-term recovery plan, the Ministry of Environment initiated the Coastal Painted Turtle Project in 2008. They discovered that the majority of the site has five or less turtles remaining. This project permits the release of more than 400 turtles into the Regional Park. There are many efforts made during nesting season, to help the young survive early life. They are also making efforts to rehabilitate a stable habitat for this species.

The Western toad is common in most B.C. but is listed as a yellow species, due to future threats, as their habitat is becoming rarer, but the population is secure and stable so far. In other areas around the globe, their population is declining like in the United States and close to becoming candidates for the endangered species listing. One of the biggest threats to the toads is habitat destruction. This species can be found in the Minnekhada Park and, as a species of risk, surveys and monitoring have been conducted. The Minnekhada Park Association is conducting a monitoring program, and the goal of this program is to study the migrations pattern of the toads over time. Between 2010 and 2015, multiple observations of adult toads and toadlets have been conducted. People and pets like dogs are two big threats to the toad's population in Minnekhada Regional Park. To protect their population, information was given to the visitors and bridges over the creek were built.

Indigenous Involvement
Long before the land now known as Minnekhada Regional Park was known as such, the Kwikwetlem and Katzie First Nations respectively occupied the lands in and around the park. Both nations have resided within the Coquitlam Lake and Pitt River watersheds for thousands of years. The nations’ relocated from high to low points to follow the plant and animal cycles through the seasons. Materials for tools, shelters, and clothing, as well as food and medicine were all obtained from the natural world. Significant archaeological sites such as those at Coquitlam Lake are among the oldest in the lower mainland, and point explicitly to the rich history of these nations’ occupation of these lands. To learn more about the Kwikwetlem and Katzie Nations, their respective websites have been hyperlinked. The name Minnekhada is not derived from either of these nations. As mentioned earlier in the article, Harry Jenkins who purchased the farm in 1912, was a wealthy lumberman from Minnesota, was believed to have named the farm. Unfortunately, there is not much information on the Nations’ involvement with the park. Neither of the nations who originally inhabited this land were involved in the process turning it into a regional park. Through the forced imposition of colonial policy, both nations were overlooked in the parks’ development process.

There is not much to say that they are involved in the current day management of the park as well. None of the board of directors of the Minnekhada Parks Association (MPA) are of Kwikwetlem or Katzie descent. However, in July of 2023, in a Regional Parks Committee meeting, a financial agreement was made between the Greater Vancouver Regional district and the MPA, ensuring $45,000 of funding to be paid in a three year aggregate amount to the MPA. Among the list of priorities for the MPA were to educate and improve awareness of the cultural history of the park, as well as to foster public ideas and input. This could be an important step in reconciling with the Kwikwetlem, and Katzie nations who originally inhabited the parks’ land.

Recreational Use
Minnekhada is still known for its lodge as many people choose to have weddings there. Minnekhada is also a popular destination for filming, because of its beautiful nature and rich historic background. It is a highly popular hiking and walking destination for people who come from all around the metro Vancouver area. Addington Point Marsh is attached to Minnekhada, and today it is a nature reserve and is managed by the Provincial Department of Fish and wildlife. It is crucial that the GVRD preserves Minnekhada while allowing visitors from all over the lower mainland to experience the regional park.

Wildfire
In October 2022, Minnekhada Regional Park was heavily impacted by wildfires. The fire grew out of control and went from 2 hectares to 11 hectares over the span of a day, and then it later grew to 14 hectares (34 acres). One of the reasons why this fire was so difficult to contain was due to Minnekhada's steep terrain which was difficult for the firefighters to safely navigate the property without having flaming branches and debris dropped on them. Because of this steepness, the fire which began on the high knoll then caused blazing branches to dropped onto the forest below, causing lower areas to catch on fire as well. This fire blazed while BC was experiencing extremely high temperatures and dry conditions for October. This fire was described as a warning that even the smallest heat source can cause a fire and lead to devastation. The tri-cities areas witnessed and inhaled smoke from the day the fire erupted to the remaining days after. This fire was a "wake-up call" to those living near Minnekhada Regional Park and in forested areas around the lower mainland. British Columbia has seen record high temperatures and dry conditions leading to record high numbers and severity of wildfires, which suggests that Minnekhada Regional Park and other parks in the lower mainland must be prepared to deal with more wildfires to keep up with the changing climate.