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Wood Buffalo
 National Park, at 44,807 km2, Wood Buffalo National Park is Canada's largest national
park and one of the largest in the world. It was
established in 1922 to protect the last remaining herds of bison in northern Canada.
Today, it protects an outstanding and
representative example of
Canada's Northern Boreal Plains. Listed in 1978
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© Images Parks
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as a remote wilderness park and World Heritage Site, Wood Buffalo National Park attracts Canadian and international visitors who wish to experience and
learn about the unique cultures, landscapes and wildlife of the boreal north. |
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Park Characteristics
The Northern Boreal Plains is characterized by its flat topogra-
phy. It is poorly drained, with ele-
vations ranging from 210-300 me-
tres above sea level.
The plain is underlain by Devonian period se-
dimentary bedrock (gypsum, ha-
lites, dolomite and limestone) and covered
by glacial deposits
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of varying thicknesses. The uniform relief, porosity and solubility of the bedrock have produced a drainage type that is primarily vertical and percolating rather than horizontal across the surface of the land. Water percolating through the soil and bedrock causes saturation of the plains surface. This has created karst landforms in areas of gypsum bedrock.
Other phenomena include salt flats, underground streams, sinkholes and saline streams.
The boreal plains are a mosaic of muskeg, meandering streams, shallow lakes and bogs, and boreal forest. The forest is comprised of white and black spruce, jackpine, balsam fir, aspen and poplar. Fire is a natural force in the boreal plains. The most outstanding topographic features are the major rivers — Athabasca, Peace and Slave — and the biologically productive Peace-Athabasca Delta. |
Wildlife In The Park
Wood Buffalo National
Park is home to many species of wildlife typical of the northern boreal fo-
rest. Bears,
wolves, moose, lynx, marten, wolverines, foxes, beavers and snowshoe hares are but a few of
the wild mammal species found. Common bird species include sandhill cranes, hawks,
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| | eagles and owls. Despite their abundant presence, the wild animals of the park are elusive. Tracks and scats can be seen along hiking trails and roads, but actual sightings are often random and due to chance.
The park is perhaps best known for its free-roaming wild bison herd, the largest self-regulating bison herd in the world. The bison wander freely through the forests and plains of the park. Although they can sometimes be viewed along the park roads, like the other wild animals they are often elusive and sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Another interesting species is the red-sided garter snake. The most northerly known hibernaculum of this species is located at the Salt River Day-use Area in the park. Every spring, towards the end of April, the snakes make an above-ground appearance for mating prior to migrating to their summer feeding grounds.
The park protects the last remaining wild nesting area of the endangered whooping crane, as well as some nesting sites of the threatened peregrine falcon. Due to their remoteness and fragile nature, there is no public access to these sites. |
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Bird Watching
Birdwatchers may be interested in the Peace-Athabasca Delta,
one of the largest inland freshwater deltas in the world. Migratory birds from all four North
American flyways pass through the delta in the spring and fall. The delta may be accessed by
water from the isolated commu-
nity of Fort Chipewyan.
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| | The park protects the last remaining wild nesting area of the endangered whooping crane, as well as some nesting sites of the threatened peregrine falcon. Due to their remoteness and fragile nature, there is no public access to these sites. |
The Wettlands
In 1982,
the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognized that
Wood Buffalo protected two wetland areas of international significance —
the Peace-Athabasca Delta and the whooping crane nesting area. These areas
were designa-
ted as Ramsar sites — a desig-
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| nation by the Ramsar Convention which focuses on
identification and protection of critical habitat for migratory birds.
The Peace-Athabas-
ca Delta was named a Ramsar site because it is one of the largest inland freshwater deltas in the world and a major nesting and staging area for migratory waterfowl in North America. Migratory waterfowl from all four North American flyways pass through the delta in the spring and fall.
The last remaining nesting area for the endangered whooping crane is the other designated Ramsar site, located in the remote north-central corner of the park. It is a fragile complex of marshes, shallow ponds and lakes, streams and bogs. |
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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES CANADA 
Nahanni National Park
