Gipsy Lake Wildland Provincial Park is a

wildland Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...

in Wood Buffalo,

northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the cent ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The park was established on 20 December 2000 and has an area of . In the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan, Gipsy Lake is planned to be significantly extended into the new

Gipsy-Gordon Wildland Provincial Park Gipsy-Gordon Wildland Park is a wildland provincial park in northern Alberta, Canada that is in size. It is located in the northeast portion of the province within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, encompassing lands south of the Clearw ...

with an area of . Although the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan has been adopted, the new Gipsy-Gordon park has not been created.

Location

The park consists of three separated parcels of land surrounding Gipsy, Birch,

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

and Shortt lakes. It is located south of

Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...

on Highway 63, then southeast on Highway 881. The park is remote; access during winter months only is east on Winter Road 956 for approximately . The remaining trail into the park is via

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

. Summer access is via aircraft only.

Ecology

The park is in the Central Mixedwood subregion of the

Boreal Forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...

natural region of Alberta. The park preserves a lake and wetland complex. Birch Lake contains a diverse

wetland habitat A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

. Birch and Gipsy lakes contain nesting sites for the

American white pelican The American white pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos'') is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America and South America, in winte ...

. Gordon Lake is one of the most important

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

breeding,

moulting In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

, and staging areas in the region.

Double-crested cormorants The double-crested cormorant (''Nannopterum auritum'') is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. It is found near rivers and lakes, and in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alas ...

nest on an island in Birch Lake.

Activities

The park has no developed facilities so only wildlife viewing and random backcountry camping are available. Off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles are permitted on existing trails during frozen conditions only. Aircraft access and landing in the park requires authorization. Hunting is allowed with proper permits. Fishing and boating on the lakes are permitted. The Gypsy Lake Lodge is a fly-in fishing lodge located within the park.

References

External links

* {{Alberta parks Parks in Alberta Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Location

Ecology

Activities

See also

References

External links