| Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park | |
|---|---|
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  Location in British Columbia, Canada | |
 Interactive map of Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park | |
| Location | British Columbia,Canada |
| Nearest city | Terrace |
| Coordinates | 55°07′N128°52′W / 55.117°N 128.867°W /55.117; -128.867 |
| Area | 178.93 km2 (69.09 sq mi) |
| Established | April 29, 1992 (1992-04-29) |
| Governing body | BC Parks |
Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park (Nisga'a:Anhluut'ukwsim Lax̱mihl Angwinga'asankswhl Nisg̱a'a) is aprovincial park in theCrater Creek,Tseax River andNass River valleys of northwesternBritish Columbia,Canada, about 80 kilometres north ofTerrace, and near the Nisga'a Villages ofGitlakdamix andGitwinksihlkw.
The park was established by Order in Council on April 29, 1992, expanded in 1995, included in theNisga'a Treaty in 2000, and is the first park in the province to be jointly managed by the government and aFirst Nation.[2] An interpretive centre in a traditional Nisga'alonghouse informs visitors about the Nisga'a legend that accounts for the lava as well as geological causes.
The park has waterfalls, pools,cinder cones,lava tree molds,lava tubes,spatter cones, lava-dammed lakes, caves and other features created by lava flows. The park aims to protect moose, goats, marmots, bears and many other species of wildlife.
The park covers 178.93 square kilometres in area.[3]
Three small protected areas are contiguous with Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park.[4][5][6] Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Protected Area is a narrow, approximately 10.5-hectare (26-acre) corridor adjacent to Gitlaxt'aamiks established on December 13, 2011.[4][7] Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Corridor Protected Area is a narrow corridor near Gitlaxt'aamiks.[5] It covers about 1 hectare (2.5 acres) and was established on July 30, 2008.[8] Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Corridor Protected Area (No. 2) is a narrow, approximately 63.5-hectare (157-acre) strip established on June 8, 2015, along theNisga'a Highway corridor in the northwestern portion of Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park.[6][9]
The former Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Recreation Area was annexed into Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park in 1995, increasing the size of the park to 17,893 hectares (44,210 acres).[10]
It is believed to be the site of Canada's most recent volcanic eruption and lava flow, a geological disaster that killed an estimated 2,000 people.[11]
The source of the eruption was theTseax Cone. Largelava flowsdammed theNass River and destroyed two villages of theNisga'a people around the year 1700. Lava beds rise as much as 12 metres (39 feet) above the modern road. The lava flow also buried the lower drainage ofKsi Sii Aks andVetter Creek.
Nisga'a oral histories record the names of the two villages destroyed in the eruption,Wii Lax K'abit andLax Ksiluux.
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