Fun Facts About Wood Buffalo National Park in Fort McMurray

Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest park in Canada, covering an area of ​​11,070,000 acres. To put it in perspective, Wood Buffalo National Park covers more territory than the entire country of Switzerland. It is found in northeastern Alberta and in the southern part of the Northwest Territories. It is treasured by the residents of Fort McMurray. In the summer, many families leave their furnished Fort McMurray suites and head to the park to see the incredible natural scenery and diverse wildlife. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it the second largest protected area in the world. The park is very unique, here are some fun facts you didn’t know about Wood Buffalo National Park.

Wood Buffalo National Park is home to the endangered fried crane. They are the tallest bird in North America, with a height of 1.5 meters and a wingspan of 2.3 meters. Their life expectancy is estimated between 22 and 24 years, in the wild. The whopping crane was declared an endangered species beginning in 1967 due to unregulated hunting and habitat loss. They are only one of two species of cranes in North America. The species is protected in Wood Buffalo National Park, which is the only place where the fried crane can be found. When hatched, whopping cranes are cinnamon brown, but as they mature they turn white with a red crown and long, pointed bill.

In 1982, Wood Buffalo National Park received recognition from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for protecting the Peace Athabasca-Delta and the nesting area of ​​the giant crane. Both sites were designated as Ramsar sites under the Ramsar convention which focuses on identifying and protecting critical habitat for migratory birds.

Wood Buffalo National Park has an extraordinarily diverse landscape; its landscape consists of: boreal forest, salty plains and gypsum karstic formations. The boreal forest portion is the most accessible and popular part of the park. Some of the trees you’ll find in the boreal forest include: fir, pine, poplar, and cottonwood.

The park is home to hard-to-see species such as black bears, wolves, moose, foxes, beavers, and sandhill cranes. You could visit the park every day and still not see these elusive animals.

Wood Buffalo National Park has the world’s largest beaver dam that went unnoticed for many years until a researcher noticed it when looking at satellite images. Park staff were shocked when they received a call one day from the BBC who found out about the beaver dam through the researcher’s website.

The beaver dam is located in a remote and quiet area between the highlands of Birch Mountain and the Peace Athabasca delta. It is an ideal place for beavers, as the boreal forest provides them with the wood they need to build dams, and runoff from the Highlands provides them with plenty of water.