Wood buffalo national park presentation. The largest national park in North America is Wood Buffalo. Lodges and Camps in Wood Buffalo

The world's largest inland river delta

Our planet is replete with amazing places that simply need to be protected. One of these places is Wood Buffalo Park, which occupies the northwestern part of Canada.

Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest in the entire American continent and one of the largest in the world. It stretches for 283 km with south direction to the north and 161 km from west to east.

The area of ​​the land national park is approximately 4.5 million hectares. The life of the inhabitants of Wood Buffalo is connected with two reservoirs, Athabasca and Great Slave.

The year this was founded protected area They think it's 1922. It was then that the issue of preserving the habitats of the “screaming” crane, which today exists only in this territory, became acute.

Of course, the technical and scientific processes of our civilization have destroyed the natural habitats of many animals. Therefore, there is another wild animal, the disappearance of which led to the creation of a protected zone.

At the time of the creation of the reserve, throughout its vast territory there was only one herd of forest shaggy bison, numbering several hundred heads. This area is also home to many mammals.

1983 brought even greater protection and support to the park thanks to the work of UNESCO.

Landscape and climate

Most of the area of ​​the national park belongs to various bodies of water. Wood Buffalo has an impressive natural delta created by the Athabasca and Peace Rivers.

The park is dominated by plains, but as you move west, the terrain changes. The protected area is close to the pole. This proximity gives the inhabitants and visitors of the national park the Northern Lights.

Wood Buffalo's plant world is unusual and rich. In the national park, the vegetation is collected in coniferous and mixed forests, and shrubs, herbs and flowers decorate this majestic landscape, forming a striking contrast.

The combination of the special landscape with the climate of the reserve makes it possible for many birds and animals to coexist perfectly here.

Fauna of the reserve

There was a time when the lands of North America were home to numerous bison and American bison. At first, their numbers were influenced by the everyday needs of the North American Indians. Later, the meat and skin of this apparently strong animal became of interest to the colonialists. Everything could have ended badly if the Canadian government had not intervened and banned hunting of this species.

The bison population was saved in the same way. Today, Wood Buffalo is a reserve in which about two and a half thousand bison are protected.

Wood Buffalo also protects whooping cranes and pelicans.

The reserve has become a place where any of its inhabitants are reliably protected, since hunting them is prohibited by law, for violation of which there are penalties different types administrative and criminal liability.

The material was prepared by the editors of the site yaturisto.ru

One of the largest in the world and the largest in Canada national park Wood Buffalo covers an area of ​​over 44,000 square meters. km in the provinces of Alberta and the Northwest Territories between lakes Athabasca and Great Slave. Which is not surprising: all flora and fauna in the territory of this park are under state protection.

How to get there

The road to Wood Buffalo is not easy. First, by flight to the Canadian city of Edmonton, then by charter flight or by road to the settlements from which the park is accessible: Fort Smith (Northwest Territories) or Fort Chipuyan (Alberta).

The park's main office is located in Fort Smith. The McKenzie Highway leads here (drive to Hay River, then 5 km to Fort Smith). The administration branch is located in Fort Chipuyan, accessible only by air.

Search for flights to Edmonton (closest airport to Wood Buffalo)

Weather in Wood Buffalo

The climate in this region is moderately cool, winters are usually quite cold, summers are short and warm. The whole year can be considered a favorable time to visit the park.

Nature of Wood Buffalo

Wood Buffalo has many forests, both coniferous and mixed, meadows, plains, tundra woodlands and many lakes and rivers. It is noteworthy that the park contains one of the largest deltas in the world; it was formed by the Athabasca and Peace Rivers at their confluence with Lake Athabasca.

The increase in the number of bison is facilitated by large areas of untouched meadows in the forest zones of the park. Here, nature has created and man has protected favorable conditions for such rare animals and birds as reindeer caribou, beavers, musk rats, wolves, whooping cranes and pelicans. In 1983 the Park was included in the List World Heritage UN.

Wood Buffalo National Park

Lodges and Camps in Wood Buffalo

There are 36 sites intended for camping on the camp territory. Several of them are located on Pine Lake (60 km from Fort Smith), the most extensive is Kettle Point Group Camp, it is intended for large groups tourists. A place at this campsite must be reserved in advance. If you need to organize overnight parking in the park, you must obtain permission from the Wood Buffalo administration.

You can find accommodation in the cities closest to the park: Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Simpson and Yellowknife. Here you can not only rent a hotel room, but also rent a room or a house, which is more convenient and profitable in case of long-term accommodation.

Flora and fauna of the park, notable places and routes of Wood Buffalo

Wood Buffalo is open to the public all year round, each season has its own charms. The park has many hiking trails of varying lengths and complexity, from very short walking trails to long and complex ones. Almost any trail allows you to see the indescribable beauty around you. surrounding nature. Since wild animals behave very carefully in nature, the likelihood of encountering them during a walk is very small, but from a distance you can see a lot of interesting things.

It was in Wood Buffalo Park that the world's longest beaver dam was discovered, its length is about 850 m.

Tourist routes avoid nesting sites rare birds, such as the whooping crane: the delicate nature of these birds will not benefit from meeting people. In Fort Smith, you can rent a boat or canoe and travel by water to Fort Fitzgerald, Fort McMurray, or Fort Chipuyani.

The use of motorized boats is permitted only on large rivers such as the Athabasca River, Quatre Forches River, Peace River, and Slave River.

By virtue of geographical location park here you can also enjoy such rare natural phenomenon like the northern lights. In autumn and spring, there are more chances to see magical colors filling the entire sky than at other times of the year.

The park is interesting not only for travelers, but also for serious researchers wildlife. Sometimes the most incredible discoveries and finds await naturalists here. Thus, it was in Wood Buffalo Park, in its southern part, that the world's longest beaver dam was discovered, its length is about 850 meters (usually 10-100 meters). A lot of interesting materials on the development of the region and the protection of the region’s wildlife can be seen in the collection of the Fort Smith Museum.

• Where to stay: In one of the most interesting places from a tourism point of view - the western province of Canada, Alberta. Her The largest city Calgary, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and parks, offers a lot of accommodation options - from budget two-room apartments to excellent five-room apartments. Selection of hotels in

Wood Buffalo is a national park in the provinces of Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada. Founded in 1983. It is Canada's largest national park, covering an area of ​​44,807 km2. Within the boundaries of the park there are wooded plateaus covered with scars. forest fires, a plateau eroded by glaciers, a significant freshwater delta formed by three largest rivers, salt flats and best samples karst terrain of North America. It also includes the most extensive North America pristine grass and sedge prairies creating best conditions bison habitat. The park has a long tradition of using natural livelihoods. It was settled more recently, as the glaciers receded, by nomadic groups of Mikesu-Cree First Nations, some of whom continue to hunt, snare and fish here. The climate is characterized by one of the longest and coldest winters and short, warm summer, reservoirs are ice-free only in June, July and August.

Among the 47 species of mammals found here are caribou, arctic fox, black bear, moose, beaver and muskrat, and 227 species of birds have been recorded, including falcon, bald eagle, great gray owl And polar owl. The reserve is also known for the fact that its territory is home to the largest wild herd of American bison on the continent (about 2,500 animals). The whooping crane population is approximately 140 individuals, of which 40 pairs are breeding. It is amazing beautiful bird, snow-white, 1.5 m in height, wingspan - 2.6 m. Twice a year these fabulous birds overcome full of dangers a 4,300 km journey to winter quarters in Texas. Back in 1941, there were only 15 whooping cranes left.

There are 36 sites intended for camping on the camp territory. Several of them are located on Pine Lake (60 km from Fort Smith), the most extensive is Kettle Point Group Camp, intended for large groups of tourists. A place at this campsite must be reserved in advance. If you need to organize overnight parking in the park, you must obtain permission from the Wood Buffalo administration.

Wood Buffalo is open to visitors all year round, and each season has its own charms. The park has many hiking trails of varying lengths and complexity, from very short walking trails to long and complex ones. Almost any trail allows you to see the beauty of the surrounding nature, indescribable in words. Since wild animals behave very carefully in nature, the likelihood of encountering them during a walk is very small, but from a distance you can see a lot of interesting things. The park is interesting not only for travelers, but also for serious wildlife researchers. Thus, in Wood Buffalo Park, in its southern part, the world's longest beaver dam was discovered, its length is about 850 meters (usually 10-100 meters). A lot of interesting materials on the development of the region and the protection of the region’s wildlife can be seen in the collection of the Fort Smith Museum. In Fort Smith, you can rent a boat or canoe and take the Wood Buffalo Waterway to Fort Fitzgerald, Fort McMurray, Fort Chipuyani. On large rivers such as the Athabasca River, Quatre Forces River, Peace River, Slave River, motor boats are allowed.

Wood Buffalo

Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest not only in Canada, but in all of America. The park was created in 1922, much later than famous parks Canada. It stretches in the north-west of the country, 283 kilometers from south to north and 161 kilometers from west to east. The total area of ​​the national park is about 4.5 million hectares. The territory of the park is coniferous and mixed forests, meadows, open plains, in places swampy plains and tundra woodlands, numerous rivers and lakes. There are no roads, so Wood Buffalo serves as a safe haven for the only surviving herd of bison, for the preservation of which, in fact, the park was created. When Wood Buffalo was first created, there was only one herd of shaggy forest bison remaining, numbering 1,500 head. There is only one road for independent tourist excursions through the entire territory of the park, and travel conditions are strictly specified

The most interesting thing about the Wood Buffalo forests is the wood bison that has survived only here. From the high bank of the river, the sight of herds of these huge animals grazing in the valley makes an unforgettable impression. On the wide floodplains of the Peace and Athabasca Rivers, covered with rich water meadows, these ancient bulls find beautiful forest pastures. The abundance of turf and willow in the undergrowth of the poplar undergrowth, as well as the huge area of ​​sedge meadows, provides them with food in winter. The wood bison is, apparently, the original form that inhabited the vast expanses of Eurasia and America in the pre-glacial and glacial eras, the descendants of which were the ancestors of the steppe bison of America and the bison of Europe. Wood bison in northeastern Siberia went extinct just a few thousand years ago, but they survive here in northern Canada.

Wood Buffalo National Park, created in 1922, was given the main task of preserving wood bison, of which no more than one and a half thousand remained even then.

The Canadian bison reaches a height of about two meters, a length of up to three meters and weighs up to 900 kilograms. Bison were once found throughout the Great Plains of the United States and Canada. Now the distribution range of the steppe and forest varieties of bison is actually limited to the territory of Wood Buffalo Park.

During the European colonization of America, bison roamed the plains of the United States and Canada in large herds. At that time there were about 60 million of them. Indian tribes used them for food. Later, during the wars between the colonists and the Indians, bison were exterminated in such incredible numbers that by the end of the 19th century there were negligible numbers left. And they remained only thanks to the efforts of the New York Zoological Society.

In the second half of the 1920s, more than 6 thousand prairie bison were introduced into Wood Buffalo National Park. But this did not solve the problem: tuberculosis was introduced with new individuals, and free crossing of bison from two populations threatened the existence of the forest subspecies. Therefore, it was decided to maintain a purebred herd of wood bison in a secluded, isolated part of the national park. Thus, 18 animals were settled in a special reserve on the banks of the Mackenzie River. In addition, the habitat areas of forest and steppe bison were reliably divided.

Since 1925, bison as rare view protected by law. Therefore, its numbers are steadily growing. Thus, in 1950, 13 thousand steppe, forest and hybrid bison lived in Canada. This is the largest herd on the American continent. In 1959, the first 10 licenses for shooting bison in the vicinity of the park were already issued.

Wood Buffalo Park is an ideal place for bison: flooded sedge meadows, various shrubs and poplar undergrowth provide reliable food for the animal in summer and winter.

The park is also home to other wild animals: bears, lynxes, wolves. Quite a lot of moose and beavers, porcupines and skunks. There are more than 200 species of birds. The rarest species of white whooping cranes, of which there are only a few dozen left on earth. The dense wilds of the Wood Buffalo forest swamps are the only place where these huge birds, similar to our white cranes - the Siberian Crane, live in the tundra of Yakutia, nest. Whooping cranes also winter in one single place - in the marshy sea meadows of Texas. Previously, these cranes were more numerous and widespread, but due to the reduction of places suitable for their habitat and extermination by people in the past, these wonderful birds are now in danger of extinction.

It must be said that zoologists in Canada and the USA are doing everything possible to preserve birds. Their nesting and wintering areas are protected. During the migration of cranes, their migratory flocks are protected by following them on special planes. These efforts are bearing fruit, and last years the number of birds is growing. Recently, American zoologists began joint experiments on artificial incubation of eggs and raising chicks in Patuxent scientific center(USA). The necessary knowledge and skills for this were previously accumulated by raising chicks of the common sandhill crane in North America, and the operation itself of removing and transporting the eggs is carried out with great organization within a few days. One egg is taken from each nest; It is believed that this will not harm the breeding of birds in Wood Buffalo, since, although cranes lay two eggs, in the wild, as a rule, only one chick survives from each pair. There are now about twenty white cranes living in Patuxent and about fifty more in suburban conditions.

Many other interesting rare animals live in Wood Buffalo National Park, including reindeer, black-tailed and white-tailed deer, lynx, and elk.

There is only one road for tourists through the vast territory of the park, along which excursions are allowed without the escort of park staff. There are specially designated places on this road where you can only stop. The park security has radio communications equipment, and patrol services are carried out by airplanes and helicopters.

Wood Buffalo National Park is a national park in the provinces of Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada. Founded in 1922. This is the largest national park on the American continent, with a total length of 161 km from east to west and 283 km from north to south.

Administratively, it is located in the Canadian provinces of the Northwest Territories and Alberta, geographically located between Great Slave Lake and Lake Athabasca.

A significant part of the national park is occupied by bodies of water - rivers, lakes, swamps. When visiting Wood Buffalo, you can see one of the largest and most beautiful inland deltas created by nature. It is formed by the Peace River and Athabasca River, the waters of which flow into Lake Athabasca.
The park is dominated by plains, although towards the western side, adjacent to the Caribou Mountains, the terrain begins to change. Due to its proximity to the Pole, the protected lands have another attraction for tourists. In autumn and winter, visitors to the park have a unique opportunity to observe wonderful reflections of light in the sky - the northern lights.

Wood Buffalo's flora is rich and varied. Here there are mixed and coniferous forests, shrubs, woodlands typical of the tundra, meadow grasses and flowers, as well as typical herbaceous vegetation of wild prairies.
All this combined with local climatic features– long, cold winters followed by warm ones short summer– creates favorable conditions for the habitat of numerous animals and birds.

Moose, several species of deer (white-tailed and black-tailed deer, caribou), hares, marmots, musk rats, porcupines, skunks and beavers are permanent residents of the national park.
Interesting fact: on these lands, researchers recorded a beaver dam 850 m long, which is considered a world record (usually the length of such structures does not exceed 100 m). In addition to the fauna mentioned above, the park is home to American black bears and wapiti, wolves and lynxes, as well as over 200 species of birds.
Among the birds Special attention Pelicans and white whooping cranes are attracted to the area, but the nesting sites of the latter are protected by environmentalists and are closed to tourists.

At the same time, as the name of the reserve suggests, the main inhabitants of Wood Buffalo are American bison, for the sake of preserving the population of which the park was created. These massive animals are somewhat reminiscent of the European bison, weighing about a ton (900 kg), their body reaches 2 m in height and 3 m in length.
Biologists distinguish between forest and steppe subspecies of bison; both are represented in Wood Buffalo and, largely thanks to the protection of this protected area, still live on our planet.
At the time of the creation of the national park (1922), the number of forest shaggy bison did not exceed one and a half thousand; now the herd reaches 2,500 animals and is recognized as the largest on the continent. The number of steppe bison is noticeably higher and crossed the 10 thousand mark back in the 1960s.

The unique nature of Wood Buffalo became the reason for its inclusion in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which happened in 1983 and provoked a pilgrimage of tourists to these areas. Meanwhile, getting to the national park is not so easy.
First you need to take an air flight to the city of Edmonton (Canada), after which you can travel by car or charter flight (your choice) either to the city of Fort Smith (province of the Northwest Territories), or to settlement Fort Chipuyan (Alberta), which provide access to protected lands.
Fort Smith, where Wood Buffalo Park is located, is accessible via the McKenzie Highway, while Fort Chipuyan, where the main office is located, is conveniently accessible. road does not exist, only air.

Bison - an inhabitant of the forests of Wood Buffalo National Park

When planning a tourist trip, you need to take into account that there are practically no roads in Wood Buffalo. Only one created car route for excursions in the national park, while there are a huge number of rules for traveling by car, violation of which is punishable by hefty fines. There is a lot of compensation available walking routes for every taste.
If desired, you can use short walking paths or choose complex and long hiking trails that require some experience in such hikes. The risk of close encounters with predators (lynxes, wolves) is minimal - they are naturally cautious and avoid human society.

In Canada, tourists are allowed to travel by water. big rivers. By renting a canoe or boat from Fort Smith, you can sail to Fort Chipuyan, Fort Fitzgerald, or Fort McMurray and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Wood Buffalo from a unique perspective.

Those wishing to explore natural attractions for several days have the opportunity to stay in cities neighboring the national park - Fort Smith, Yellowknife, Hay River and Fort Simpson.
Locals We will be happy to rent out a house or room; hotel rooms and camping grounds are also available. The latter are at the disposal of the Wood Buffalo administration, which issues parking permits.