Helliwell Provincial Park

The primary role of Helliwell Park is to protect representative examples of marine ecosystems and endangered terrestrial ecosystem elements, including old-growth Douglas fir forests, Garry oak woodlands and maritime meadows. The park contains sea bluffs and a rich intertidal zone. Helliwell Park is also an Important Bird Area that serves to identify and conserve a global network of bird habitat areas. It supports significant concentrations of birds that congregate in large numbers such as pelagic cormorants, surf or white winged scoters, glaucous winged gulls, long-tailed ducks, buffleheads, Barrow’s and common goldeneye and common mergansers. The park is nationally significant for the habitat of one of the last known populations of the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. A number of other endangered plants and animals can be found in the park, which is also home to the rare Six-gill shark.Many sea birds and marine mammals can be seen from the trail along the bluff in the park.