Glacier National Park

“The Selkirks are located in the heart of the Columbia Mountains, surrounded by the Purcells to the east, the Monashees to the west and the Cariboos to the north. The rock here is some of the oldest on the planet, formed as much as 800 million years ago.�

Glacier National Park Canada's second national park, established in 1886.

by Chris Vetrano

Glacier National Park Glacier National Park is located in southeastern British Columbia. It is Canada's second national park, and was established in 1886. The park protects 1,349 km2 of mountains, glaciers, alpine lakes, and deep valleys. (Parks Canada, nd) “Glacier National Park contains three distinct life zones created by elevation. The three life zones can be thought of as "Rainforest, Snowforest and No Forest". (Parks Canada, nd) One unique attribute of GNP is the temperate forest. “British Columbia has the world's only temperate inland rainforest, all of which is found in the Columbia Mountains. The interior wet belt owes its wetness to weather systems that come from the Pacific Ocean and rise over the Columbia Mountains.” (Parks Canada, nd) Although “More than half of the park lies in the alpine tundra zone - above the limit of tree growth - with the rest of the park encompassing subalpine forests and meadows.”

One of the natural features of Glacier National Park (GNP) is the mountain ranges.

“The Columbia’s are massive steep-walled mountains with deep, narrow valleys. Water and ice continue to carve the ancient metamorphic rocks.” (Parks Canada, nd) There are also an intricate network of caves, which are still being carved out by underground waterways. (PC, nd) This unusual landscape has equally unusual formations or specialized habitats which include avalanche paths and wetlands. (Parks Canada, nd) The climate in GNP is quite cold being at N 51° 14.7734' “Moist Pacific air releases a large amount of precipitation over the Columbias. Up to 23 m of snow has been recorded. Heavy snowfalls, combined with steep terrain, render the park an active avalanche zone.

January sees the greatest amounts of snow (150-200 mm) while July is both the warmest and driest month.” (Parks Canada, nd) Being a mountainous region puts limits on where plants can grow and the type of plants that will inhabit the area. Growing seasons are also limited, in respect to temperatures conducive to vegetative growth. “At about 2000m elevation on average, the growing season becomes so short that trees can no longer survive. Fully 50% of the area of Glacier National Park is found above treeline. Much of this area is rock. About 12% of the park is permanent ice and snow. Tundra vegetation includes heather and sedge meadows, but in many places only lichen survives, encrusting the rock.” (Parks Canada, nd) Although climate and elevation at GNP are harsh, in terms of plant survival, there is still a diverse group of plant material in the park. Many of the species have specialized mechanisms to deal with low temperatures and high elevation and have evolved over millions of years to adapt. “At the lowest elevations in the park, the region's high annual precipitation falls mostly as rain. This is the interior rainforest: dense vegetation and large trees remind many visitors of the coastal Pacific Northwest. Western red cedar, western hemlock, and western white pine tower over shrubs such as devil's club, Pacific yew, and mountain box. A rich variety of ferns and mosses carpets the forest floor.” (Parks Canada, nd)

Glacier National Park “At about 2000m elevation on average, the growing season becomes so short that trees can no longer survive. Fully 50% of the area of Glacier National Park is found above treeline. Much of this area is rock. About 12% of the park is permanent ice and snow. Tundra vegetation includes heather and sedge meadows, but in many places only lichen survives, encrusting the rock.”

(Parks Canada, nd) Plants also serve as food for the animals that inhabit the area. Grizzly bears are among those animals and have come to count on certain plants for survival.

“The Beaver Valley contains many fens and wetlands along the Beaver River. Avalanche paths sweep from ridgetop to valley bottom. These areas green up early in spring and are important early season feeding areas for grizzly bears.” (Parks Canada, nd) One species of tree that is at risk is Pinus albicaulis, Whitebark Pine, in 1906 a fungus was introduced called Cronartium ribicola. A species of rust fungi in the family Cronartiaceae that causes white pine blister rust. “As the range of whitebark pine shrinks, it is important to create the best conditions for many new whitebark pines to grow.

The more that grow, the more likely that some with rust resistance will survive and thrive. These would produce new pines with higher rates of rust resistance.” (Parks Canada, nd) One of the plants I choose to study is the Spotted Saxifrage Saxifraga bronchialis L.. This plant has a moss-like matted cushion, upright flower stems. Flowers 3–5 at stem top, white with yellow, orange, purple, or maroon spots on outer half of petals. It grows in rocky openings on cliffs, scree, crevices, in subalpine and alpine areas.

(Montana Plant Life, nd)

Glacier National Park References About.com (n.d.). Glacier National Park. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://usparks.about.com/library/miniplanner/canada/blglaciercanadanp.htm Montana Plant Life (n.d.). Spotted Saxifrage - Saxifraga bronchialis. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://montana.plant-life.org/species/saxi_bronc.htm Parks Canada (n.d.). Glacier National Park : Fast Facts. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/glacier/edu/edu1.aspx Parks Canada (n.d.). Glacier National Park : Whitebark Woes. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/glacier/natcul/natcul6/pin_a_ecorce_blanchewhitebark_pine.aspx