FAQs
- A visitor use management strategy (VUMS) provides guidance to improve visitor experiences and manage the impacts of recreational use on park values.
- A VUMS articulates a vision for protecting park values and sets out strategies to achieve these desired conditions, including methods for managing the different ways visitors use the park – such as the type, amount, distribution and timing of recreational activities and uses.
- Implementation of a VUMS is an adaptive process involving monitoring and adjusting management actions over time to better reach desired outcomes.
- The approved visitor use management strategy will guide day-to-day management and operation of the mux̣ʷšiƛa hot springs area of Nism̓aakqin Park. ʕaḥuusʔatḥ Nation and BC Parks will work together to identify and implement priority strategies, subject to available funding and staff resources.
- BC Parks and ʕaḥuusʔatḥ Nation will also develop a monitoring approach to determine if the management strategies are helping to achieve the vision for the mux̣ʷšiƛa hot springs area. As information is gathered and conditions change, management strategies and actions may be adjusted to better reach desired outcomes. ʕaḥuusʔatḥ Stewardship Guardians will continue to play an important role in on-site monitoring at mux̣ʷšiƛa.
- BC Parks is committed to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, honours their connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices.
- The mux̣ʷšiƛa hot springs area have been stewarded by the ʕaḥuusʔath (Ahousaht) people for millennia, and remains a spiritually important place.
- Collaborative projects such as the mux̣ʷšiƛa hot springs visitor use management strategy are one way in which BC Parks and ʕaḥuusʔath Nation can strengthen government-to-government relationships, build a foundation of common interest, and integrate our respective roles in protected areas stewardship and management.
- The visitor use management strategy presents a shared vision for the future of the mux̣ʷšiƛa hot springs area in Nism̓aakqin Park and reflects a joint commitment to protect this culturally significant geothermal hot springs, while providing visitors with high quality experiences as well as opportunities to learn about the unique cultural history of the area.
What is a visitor use management strategy?
How will the visitor use management strategy be implemented?
Why was the visitor use management strategy for Nism̓aakqin Park - mux̣ʷšiƛa hot springs developed jointly by BC Parks and MHSS?