Alberta just got a new wildland provincial park and it is MASSIVE
Alberta just got a new wildland provincial park, but if you plan to explore it, be prepared for it to take some serious time.
The new Gipsy-Gordon Wildland Provincial Park in northeastern Alberta contains trees, lakes, and wetlands that are critical habitats for many species of birds, fish, and other animals.
The Alberta Government says the area is home to a variety of large and small wildlife, and it also supports businesses and industries that are vital to the province’s growing economy and is used by local Indigenous communities, trappers, and others.
The new park will help protect over 150,000 more acres of Alberta wilderness and is located southeast of Fort McMurray near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.
Alberta Government
The Gipsy-Gordon Wildland Provincial Park will help protect important habitats for threatened species and species of concern, like the yellow-banded bumble bee, and for species at risk like the olive-sided flycatcher as well.
The park holds ranges for 28 provincially or federally designated species at risk, including 18 bird species, one fish species, one amphibian species, five invertebrates, and five mammals, according to the Province.
The total size of the new park is a whopping 186,739 hectares. It replaces the previous Gipsy Lake Wildland Provincial Park, which was about 35,000 hectares and is included within the new Gipsy Gordon Wildland Provincial Park.
“This park will help protect our forests, preserve important habitat for wildlife and provide recreation opportunities for Albertans, all while supporting the exercise of Treaty rights by Indigenous Peoples,” said Rebecca Schulz, minister of environment and protected areas, in a news release.
Wildland provincial parks are created to conserve Alberta’s natural heritage while offering opportunities for backcountry recreation on relatively undisturbed lands. There are 34 wildland provincial parks located throughout the province.