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July 4th, 2005, 05:07 AM
B.C. national park tops survey
Last updated Jun 30 2005 03:00 PM PDT
CBC News
Gwaii Haanas National Park on the Queen Charlotte Islands is the best national park in North America, according to a survey published in the latest issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.
The survey of 55 national parks included big names like Banff, Jasper and Pacific Rim in Canada – and Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon in the U..S.
A panel of experts looked at how the parks and historic sites were managed, and also looked at the areas adjacent to the parks.
The survey gave Gwaii Haanas high marks for its pristine environment and for its strong relationship with the Haida Nation. The park is jointly managed by the Haida and the federal government.
"It's wonderful. We're really proud we scored the highest of all the national parks in the U.S. and Canada. And I'm not really surprised, despite the fact they said they were surprised," says Kate Alexander, who speaks for the park.
Alexander says restrictions are placed on visitors in order to keep the park in good shape. Only 300 people are allowed in at any one time, and some areas of the park are off-limits during certain times of the year.
"They are very small sections of the protected area. But because it's very important that nesting birds don't get disturbed during the nesting season," she says.
One other B.C. park ranked in the top five. Kootenay-Yoho National park was tied for third place.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0627_050627_bestparks.html
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/gwaiihaanas/index_e.asp
Last updated Jun 30 2005 03:00 PM PDT
CBC News
Gwaii Haanas National Park on the Queen Charlotte Islands is the best national park in North America, according to a survey published in the latest issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.
The survey of 55 national parks included big names like Banff, Jasper and Pacific Rim in Canada – and Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon in the U..S.
A panel of experts looked at how the parks and historic sites were managed, and also looked at the areas adjacent to the parks.
The survey gave Gwaii Haanas high marks for its pristine environment and for its strong relationship with the Haida Nation. The park is jointly managed by the Haida and the federal government.
"It's wonderful. We're really proud we scored the highest of all the national parks in the U.S. and Canada. And I'm not really surprised, despite the fact they said they were surprised," says Kate Alexander, who speaks for the park.
Alexander says restrictions are placed on visitors in order to keep the park in good shape. Only 300 people are allowed in at any one time, and some areas of the park are off-limits during certain times of the year.
"They are very small sections of the protected area. But because it's very important that nesting birds don't get disturbed during the nesting season," she says.
One other B.C. park ranked in the top five. Kootenay-Yoho National park was tied for third place.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0627_050627_bestparks.html
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/gwaiihaanas/index_e.asp