Natural Region 3
WILDLIFE:
The Interior Dry Plateau is home to a host of creatures that slither, scuttle, hop, run, glide and hover in the driest, deepest desert-like valleys: the pygmy horned lizard, western blue-tailed skink, tailed frog, Great Basin Spadefoot Toad, alligator lizard, rubber boa, yellowed-bellied racer, canyon wren, white-throated swift, white-headed woodpecker, black-chinned hummingbird (Canada's smallest bird), and California bighorn sheep. Scorpions and rattlesnakes are also encountered. And, of course, Lake Okanogan is the haunt of the mythological Ogopogo, Canada's most famous lake monster.
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These species, uncommon in Canada outside of Natural Region 3, share the region with more familiar creatures such as grizzly bears, mountain goats, wolverines, mountain caribou, badgers, white-tailed jackrabbits and cougars.
The almost-deserts of the driest valley bottoms - and their associated species- are among the rarest and most threatened habitats in Canada. Cattle ranching, sheep grazing and cultivation have already destroyed much of this arid habitat and reduced the populations of species already limited in number. |
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Cougar |
STATUS OF NATIONAL PARKS:
No national parks have been established in this region. The extent of development including land uses that are incompatible with national parks - urban growth, logging, sports hunting, ranching - is making this one of the most challenging unrepresented regions within which to establish a national park.
Natural Region 3 |
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Parks Canada worked from 1991 - 1995 within the land use planning process of British Columbia in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region, seeking to promote the creation of a new national park in the Churn Creek area. A proposal covering an area of about 2,000 square kilometres was put forward for consideration. |
The national park proposal lacked widespread local support and so was not supported by the province, but two portions of the proposed national park area are to be protected through provincial programs. Further discussions with the provincial government are required before deciding on the next step towards representing this natural region in the national park system.
The following table summarizes the status of system planning for each step toward establishing a new national park in this natural region.
Steps in the Park Establishment Process
Representative Natural Areas Identified:
Potential Park Area Selected:
Park Feasibility Assessed:
Park Agreement Signed:
Scheduled under the National Parks Act: |
Status
done
done
partially
0
0 | |
National Parks System Plan, 3 rd Edition