Birch River Wildland Provincial Park
Birch River Wildland Provincial Park | |
---|---|
Standort | Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada |
Nearest city | Fort McKay |
Coordinates | 57°49′00″N 113°28′00″W / 57.81667°N 113.46667°W |
Area | 331,832 ha (1,281.21 sq mi)[2] |
Established | 14 May 2018[2] |
Governing body | Alberta Parks[3] |
Birch River Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in northern Alberta, Canada. It was established on 14 May 2018[2] and covers 331,832 hectares (1,281.2 sq mi).[2][3]The park is contained in the Lower Athabasca Region Land Use Framework finalized in 2012.[4] The park is named for the Birch River that flows through it.
Standort
[edit]The park is in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, northeastern Alberta. The park borders Wood Buffalo National Park to the north, Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park to the east, and has a short southern border with Birch Mountains Wildland Provincial Park. The shape is a rough triangle. The longest side bordering Wood Buffalo is 93 km (58 mi) east to west. The height north to south is 76 km (47 mi). The only access is via aircraft at the airstrip near the Edra fire lookout tower.[5]
Ecology
[edit]The park protects an example of the Kazan Uplands subregion of the Canadian Shield region as well as the Northern Mixedwood and Peace–Athabasca Delta subregions of the Boreal Forest region in the Natural Regions Framework for Alberta.[3] In the National Ecological Framework for Canada used by Environment and Climate Change Canada, the park is in the Birch Upland and North Birch Upland ecodistricts of the Mid-Boreal Uplands ecoregion of the Central Boreal Plains ecoprovince of the Boreal Plains ecozone. As well, the lower section of the park is in the Loon Lake Plain ecodistrict, Wabasca Lowland ecoregion, Central Boreal Plains ecoprovince, Boreal Plains ecozone.[6][7] Under the OneEarth classification (previously World Wildlife Fund), the park is in the Mid-Canada Boreal Plains Forests ecoregion of the Mid-Canada Boreal Plains & Foothill Forests bioregion.[8][9]
Geography
[edit]The park covers a ridge of the Birch Mountains running from the southwest to the northeast. In the northwest, the park drops down to the Birch and Peace River valleys and the Peace–Athabasca Delta. Elevations range from a high of 844 m (2,769 ft) in the mountains to a low of 265 m (869 ft) where the Birch River leaves the park.[10]
Climate
[edit]The Köppen climate classification of the park is Continental, Subarctic (Dfc) characterized by long, cold winters, and short, warm to cool summers.[11] Using the data from a weather stations within the park, Edra Auto at the fire lookout tower, for 1991 to 2020, the average daily temperatures exceeds 10 °C (50 °F) only for June, July, and August while average daily temperatures are less than 0 °C (32 °F) for November through March. At Edra Auto, the long-run average precipitation from 1991 to 2020 for the wettest month, July, is 114 mm (4.5 in) per month; conversely, the station receive less than 30 mm (1.2 in) per month from October through April.[12]
Wildlife
[edit]The park is home to 68 species of concern including three that are listed under the Canadian Species at Risk Act such as the peregrine falcon, wood bison, and boreal woodland caribou. The park contains 13 per cent of the core habitat for the Red Earth caribou range.[13][14]
Activities
[edit]Human activity is significantly limited within the park. The park is remote, and access is only available via aircraft with prior authorization. Backcountry hiking and random backcountry camping are permitted; there are no developed campsites. Hunting and fishing are allowed with special permits.[3]
See also
[edit]- List of provincial parks in Alberta
- List of Canadian provincial parks
- List of national parks of Canada
References
[edit]- ^ UNEP-WCMC (2018). "Protected Area Profile for Birch River Wildland Provincial Park from the World Database on Protected Areas". ProtectedPlanet.net. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d "O.C. 141/2018". Orders in Council. Alberta King’s Printer. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Birch River Wildland Provincial Park". Alberta Parks. 3 February 2022.
- ^ Lower Athabasca Regional Plan 2012 – 2022 (PDF). Alberta Parks. August 2012. ISBN 978-1-4601-0537-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2012.
- ^ Namur Lake 84H (PDF) (Map). 1:250,000. Alberta Environment and Parks. 2018.
- ^ Terrestrial Ecozones, Ecoregions, and Ecodistricts: Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, Canada (Map). 1:2 million. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Environment Canada. 1995.
- ^ Ecological Land Classification, 2017 (PDF). Statistics Canada. 1 March 2018. pp. 4–5, 27. ISBN 978-0-660-24501-0. Catalogue no. 12-607-X.
- ^ Noss, Reed. "Mid-Canada Boreal Plains Forests". OneEarth.org.
- ^ "Mid-Continental Canadian forests". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ "Alberta Topographic Map" (Map). Topographic-Map.com.
- ^ Atlas of Canada: Climatic Regions (PDF) (Map). Government of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ "Climate Normals for Alberta: Edra Auto". Government of Alberta. 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ "Birch River Wildland Provincial Park". Nature Conservancy of Canada. 2020.
- ^ Alberta Caribou Ranges (PDF) (Map). 1:3 million. Government of Alberta. 2017.
External links
[edit]- World’s Largest Contiguous Boreal Land on YouTube
- Wildland Provincial Parks on YouTube
- World’s Largest Boreal Protected Forest (PDF) (Map). Alberta Parks. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- New Park Provides Needed Safeguards for One of Canada's 10 Longest Wild Rivers, World Wildlife Fund, 17 May 2018
- "World's Largest Boreal Protected Forest". Alberta Parks. 14 November 2018.
- Campbell, Carolyn (June 2018). "New Northeast Wildland Provincial Parks". Wild Lands Advocate. 26 (2). Alberta Wilderness Association.
- Hayward, Abi (15 May 2018). "Alberta creates new provincial park, adding to world's largest stretch of protected boreal forest". Canadian Geographic.
- Thurton, David (15 May 2018). "Alberta now has world's largest expanse of protected boreal forest". CBC News.