Download Waterton Quick Facts

THE NA
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WATERTON LAKES
NATIONAL PARK OF CANADA
QUICK FACTS
T In 1895, a 140 sq. km (54 sq. miles) area was
protected by the federal government as a Dominion
Forest Park. Its status, boundary and name have
varied over the years, and it is now known as Waterton
Lakes National Park of Canada.
Waterton is located in the southwest corner of
Alberta. It is bordered...
< on the west by the province of British Columbia
T Waterton was Canada’s 4th national park, the
<
<
smallest in the Canadian Rockies. Its size has varied
considerably over the years but its area is now 525 sq.
km (203 sq. miles).
<
(Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park and
Flathead Provincial Forest);
on the south by Glacier National Park, Montana;
on the north and east by the Bow-Crow Forest,
and private lands in the Municipal Districts of
Cardston and Pincher Creek;
and partially surrounds a large timber reserve
belonging to the Kainaiwa (Blood Tribe.)
T The first major step toward preservation of Waterton
was taken by a Pincher Creek rancher, F.W. Godsal,
who sent a proposal to Ottawa in 1893 recommending
that the Waterton Lakes area be set aside as a
national park.
T The park’s name derives from the Waterton Lakes.
This chain of lakes, named by Lieutenant Blakiston (a
member of the Palliser Expedition), honours a British
naturalist, Squire Charles Waterton (1782-1865).
T The park is part of the Crown of the Continent
ecosystem; a place with unusually diverse physical,
biological and cultural resources. This ecosystem is
one of the narrowest places in the Rocky Mountain
chain. This means Waterton and its surrounding
region sits on a key pinch point of a crucial north-south
Rocky Mountain wildlife corridor.
T Several different ecological regions meet in Waterton,
with prairie plants of the Great Plains, Rocky
Mountain plants from northern areas, and coastal
plants from the Pacific Northwest all overlapping. The
park contains 45 different habitat types, including
grasslands, shrublands, wetlands, lakes, spruce-fir,
pine and aspen forests, and alpine areas. This means
Waterton has an unusually rich and varied number of
plants for its size, with more than 970 vascular plant
species, 182 bryophytes and 218 lichen species.
Many of these are rare or threatened. More than half
of Alberta’s plant species are found here.
T The park’s variety of vegetation communities provides
homes for many animals, including more than 60
species of mammals, over 250 species of birds, 24
species of fish, and 10 reptiles and amphibians. Large
predators include wolf, coyote, cougar, grizzly bear,
and black bear. The grasslands are important winter
range for ungulates such as elk, mule deer, and whitetailed deer. In the fall, the marsh and lake areas of the
park are used extensively by migrating ducks,
swans, and geese. Some animals found here are
considered rare or unusual eg. trumpeter swans,
Vaux’s swifts, and vagrant shrews.
T The park has two National Historic Sites located
within its boundaries. These are the Prince of Wales
Hotel NHS (designated in 1995) and the First Oil Well
In Western Canada NHS (western Canada’s first
producing oil well) (designated in 1968).
T The townsite sits at 1280 m (4200 ft) above sea level
and the park’s highest peak, Mt. Blakiston, is 2940 m
(9645 ft) above sea level or approximately 1,490 m
(4900 ft) tall.
T The park is open year round although most facilities
are closed in winter. Annual visitation is over
400,000. The year round residential population of
about 100 people increases in the summer to about
2,000.
As part of a Canada-wide system of national parks, Waterton Lakes National Park represents the
southern Rocky Mountains Natural Region - where some of the most ancient mountains in the Rockies
abruptly meet the prairie. It is a landscape shaped by wind, fire, and flooding; with a rich variety of plants
and wildlife.
INTERNA
TIONAL DESIGNA
TIONS
INTERNATIONAL
DESIGNATIONS
- make Waterton globally important
i Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (1932):
In response to the efforts of the Alberta and Montana Rotary Clubs, the Peace Park was originally created as a
symbol of peace and goodwill between the United States and Canada. It has now evolved to represent cooperation
in a world of shared resources. Both parks strive to protect the ecosystem through shared management, not only
between themselves, but also with their other neighbours.
i Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park World Heritage Site (1995):
The Peace Park became a World Heritage site for three reasons. It is an “outstanding example representing
significant ongoing ecological and biological processes” - specifically because of its distinctive climate and
landforms, the abrupt meeting of mountain and prairie, and its triple divide (waters flowing into three oceans). It is
also an area of exceptional natural beauty and scenic values, and its designation as an International Peace Park
is culturally important.
i Waterton Biosphere Reserve (1979):
Waterton was Canada’s second biosphere reserve, and the first Canadian national park to take part in this UNESCO
program. These reserves are created to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between humans and the
natural environment. Major goals are to support information exchange, research, education, training and improved
land management; largely through cooperation and shared projects with local private landowners and other
government agencies.
UNIQUE NA
TURAL FEA
TURES OF W
ATER
T ON
NATURAL
FEATURES
WA
TERT
- ‘Where the Mountains Meet the Prairie’
Some of the oldest, exposed sedimentary rock in the Rockies - The Lewis thrust fault has exposed 1,500
million-year-old rock, which has been dramatically pushed out over the younger rock formations underlying the
prairie.
Argillite - The vivid colours of green and red layers of this sedimentary rock are a result of oxidized and unoxidized
iron in the rock. Both rock types are derived from muds laid down on the bottom of an ancient sea.
Climate - Waterton receives Alberta’s highest average annual precipitation levels (1,072 mm) It is also one of
Alberta’s windiest places. Winter winds over 100 km/hr are common. Waterton has many chinooks, which
contribute to it being one of Alberta’s warmest areas in winter. Chinook winds can cause winter temperatures to
rise dramatically within hours.
Foothills fescue prairie - This grassland region stretches along the plains and foothills from southern Alberta into
Montana. Waterton Lakes is the only Canadian national park that preserves foothills fescue grasslands.
Rare Vegetation - Forty-five vegetation types have been identified in Waterton, including two notable grassland
types and two types of aspen forest. Sixteen vegetation types are considered significant because they are rare or
fragile and threatened.
Rare Plants - Amongst Waterton’s more than 970 species of vascular plants, 179 species are rare in Alberta.
Twenty-two of these plants are not found anywhere else in Alberta.
Moonwort Hot Spot - Waterton has globally significant genetic diversity, best symbolized by its amazing variety
of small ferns called moonworts. Waterton has 8 different moonworts. The Waterton moonwort
(Botrychium x watertonense) is only found here and is considered the rarest plant in the park.
Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) - Tall beargrass flowers and their tufts of grassy leaves are
Waterton’s showiest plant. Waterton Lakes is the only Canadian national park that protects this lily. It
is the unofficial emblem of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
Plains-dwelling Grizzly Bears - The Waterton-Glacier area is one of the last places in North
America where grizzlies commonly range into the edges of its former grassland range.