Alberta has created a new wildland provincial park that will protect more than 150,000 additional acres of boreal forest, wetlands and wildlife habitat in the province’s northeast.The Gipsy-Gordon Wildland Provincial Park, located southeast of Fort McMurray near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, replaces the former Gipsy Lake Wildland Park and expands the protected area to 186,739 hectares. The new designation aims to safeguard critical ecosystems while allowing for traditional Indigenous uses and regulated recreational activities.“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..The park includes key habitat for several species at risk, including the yellow-banded bumble bee and olive-sided flycatcher. In total, it supports ranges for 28 provincially or federally designated species at risk.The newly designated wildland park prohibits industrial and commercial development, including oil sands and mining, except where existing agreements remain in place. Forestry is also restricted to activities related to wildfire, insect, or disease management under the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan.“This expanded wildland park will protect our environment, grow our economy and strengthen our community for generations to come,” said Brian Jean, MLA for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche and Minister of Energy and Minerals.Wildland provincial parks in Alberta are managed to conserve the province’s natural heritage while allowing backcountry recreation such as hiking, hunting, fishing and motorized use on designated trails. Gipsy-Gordon is the 34th such park in the province.
