User:REMaccount-Mike/Pinecone Burke Provincial Park

Lead (to add to current wiki lead)
The parks boundaries were established in 1995 by the provincial government and covers 38,000 hectares. Parts of the parks boundaries are located in the Katzie First Nation, Kwikwetlem First Nation, and Stó:lō First Nations territories. The parks diverse ecosystems supports several different species on land and in its inlet. There are 6 species that have been labeled as sensitive or vulnerable that live in the park. Before the parks protected status the area was logged and mined. It also was used for recreational purposes such as hiking and rock climbing. Visitors can use the park for hiking, camping, back country skiing and snowshoeing.

History and Past Use of the Area
In the 1920’s, Europeans settling in British Columbia began to climb various mountain peaks in Burke Pinecone Provincial Park. North of Widgeon Lake, an area called Five Fingers was of interest to early hikers, and where many first ascents were recorded. Before protection of the park, forest areas were logged and mined. Old forgotten steam donkeys and mine tunnels are a remnant of past resource extraction in the park. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s there were proposals from logging companies to increase harvesting rates of trees in the park area. Conservation groups in the area like Friends of Burke Mountain and Burke Mountain Naturalists were formed by concerned citizens to oppose the logging. Friends of Burke Mountain worked towards protecting the Pinecone Burke Provincial Park area. With increased public awareness of conservation efforts for the park and the assistance of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, the park was finally protected by the provincial government in 1995.

Indigenous Perspectives and History
Pinecone Burke Provincial Park has part of its boundary on Katzie First Nation, Kwikwetlem First Nation, and Stó:lō First Nations territory. These First Nation territories have existed for approximately 10,000 years, but the provincially imposed boundaries were established on July 12, 1995. The Katzie First Nation is working to ensure that this area within the provincial park stays protected according to traditional Katzie principles. The Katzie First Nation formerly utilized this area heavily for hunting and gathering. BC Parks and the Katzie First Nation have agreed on a memorandum of understanding together, which has implications on the future of how the park is managed. Before this memorandum of understanding was established, it appears that there was no initiative taken to include the First Nations. However with this memorandum of understanding, it was established to have the Katzie First Nation’s practices recognized by potential third-parties. These third parties would help contribute further to the growth of various parks around British Columbia. The management plan for Pinecone Burke Provincial Park between the two parties was established in Fall of 2014. BC Parks claims they are working with the aforementioned First Nations who have territory overlapping with the 1995 boundaries of the park. Together, along with the Municipal Government of Coquitlam, they are working regarding the future of the park.

Protected Areas
Pinecone Burke Provincial Park’s status as a protected area was a result of the efforts by The Provincial Government of British Columbia and the Friends of Burke Mountain, an organization of conservationists and local citizens. Th goal was to get Pinecone Burke Provincial Park included in the Lower Mainland Nature Legacy. The Lower Mainland Nature Legacy was a group of parks within the southwestern region of British Columbia which were viewed as ecologically significant, and labeled as protected parks. Other parks of the Lower Mainland Nature Legacy include; Say Nuth Khaw Yum Provincial Park and the Boundary Bay Regional Park. The initial goals were to conserve the park and it's contents, as well as the western shore of Pitt Lake (the largest freshwater tidal lake in North America ). Today, Pinecone Burke Provincial Park is managed by BC Parks. In recent years there has been limited parks operations due to its inaccessibility and unpopularity. A management plan is now in development in collaboration with BC Parks, the City of Coquitlam and the Katzie First Nation. The development plan is currently on stage 2: The Development of the Draft Management Plans. The current goals of the development plan is to develop the recreational use of the provincial park to boost nature based tourism, while minimizing economical damage and promoting conservation.

Park Boundaries
In 1995, Pinecone Burke Provincial Park was established as a protected area under the provincial government. The provincial park covers 38,000 hectares, stretching across Coquitlam and Maple Ridge. Pinecone Burke Provincial Park extends its western boundary along Burke Mountain Coquitlam, BC to its eastern boundary to west shore of Pitt Lake in Maple Ridge, BC. Finally, the northern end of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park meets with the southwestern tip of Garibaldi Provincial Park. Because of the vast size of the park and the boundaries, there are multiple points of access. This protected park is accessible by multiple different means: access points by boat, trails, and logging roads. The boundaries of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park were chosen because within the protected boundaries lies old growth forests, alpine lakes and remnant ice fields. Furthermore, the diverse geography and terrain houses a variety different of species inhabiting the provincial park.

Wildlife and Plant Life
Pinecone Burke Provincial Park has diverse ecosystems that support various animal and plant species. Mammals such as the black-tailed deer, mountain goats, and bobcats have been recorded at the park. The park also has two types of bears, Grizzly and Black Bears that inhabit the area. Pinecone Burke Provincial Park also supports several marine species that live in the parks inlet. These fish are the Pacific Salmon, Cutthroat and Steelhead Trout, and the migratory fish Dolly Varden Char. Pinecone Burke Provincial Park also has five amphibian species. Furthermore, BC’s Wildlife inventory has documented 46 different bird species. There are also many fungi and plant species that live in this coniferous forest. Inaturalist has recorded sightings of fungus such as Hair Ice, the Common Bonnet and the Turkey-Tail. Plant species such as Licorices and Western Sword Ferns, Vine Maple, Bearberry, Swamp Currant and Bog Labrador Tea. Plants like the Bog Labrador are able to grow because of Widgeon Valleys nationally recognized wetlands that are located in Pinecone Burke Provincial Park. Within the park there are diverse tree species that can be found all over British Columbia. Trees such as the western hemlock, Douglas fir, big leaf maples and red alders are some of the main tree species that grow in the park. There are currently six animal species that are labeled as sensitive or vulnerable: the Blue Heron, Tailed Frog, Shrew Mole, Vaux’s Swift, Huttons’ vireo, and the Pacific Jumping mouse.

Visitors and What They Do
Visitors to the park hike and camp in the summer and backcountry ski or snowshoe in the winter. Hikers can find their way through mapped trails on Burke Mountain and more rugged trails further north in the park. 14 peaks and numerous lakes lay within the boundary of the park. Camping is available at informal backcountry/wilderness sites as long as campers don’t damage the ecosystems. Visitors to the park can canoe to trailheads and campsites from the waters of the Widgeon Valley and Pitt Lake.