4 Must-see National Wildlife Areas!
Alex MacDonald, Conservation Manager
Across Canada there are 54 legally protected parcels of land known as National Wildlife Areas. They range in size from under 1 hectare to over 263,000 hectares and span from coast, to coast, to coast. These sites belong to all Canadians and collectively, alongside our Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, make up 12.4 million hectares of lands and seas managed by Environment Canada. But with so many sites, have you visited one of these amazing areas? It’s true that some are inaccessible, but even the 81% of us that live in urban areas are not far from some of these sites. And they’re one of Canada’s best kept nature secrets!
To give you a taste of what adventure awaits, here are four great NWAs located in different parts of Canada, exposing visitors to different ecosystems and biodiversity.
And keep an eye on our NatureHood events page (https://naturecanada.ca/tag/naturehood-events/) to find out how Nature Canada is working with Environment Canada, under the National Conservation Plan, to connect Canadians to nature at these amazing sites over the next year!
Alaksen National Wildlife Area:
Located on British Columbia’s Fraser River Delta, this NWA falls within a globally significant IBA and is a crucial migration stop-over and overwintering site for more than 1.4 million migratory birds each year. Flocks of Snow Geese exceed 25,000 birds at the beginning of October, and tens of thousands of shorebirds and dabbling ducks also seasonally frequent this exquisite site less than an hour from downtown Vancouver!
Vaseux-Bighorn National Wildlife Area:
At 812 hectares, the Vaseux-Bighorn NWA is home to a vast expanse of arid grassland, mountain and marsh habitats, suitable for the flagship species of the area, the California Bighorn Sheep. Home to at least 30 species at risk and situated in Canada’s ‘pocket desert’ in the Okanagan Valley, this NWA allows people to view the large mammals, rare birds and an amazing array of plants and animals found nowhere else in the country.
Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area:
Located in Saskatchewan, Last Mountain Lake NWA was the first protected bird sanctuary in North America and is only 2 years younger than Banff National Park. Home to Saskatchewan’s only migration monitoring station, over 280 different bird species pass through this important prairie wetland during migration, with 100 species breeding at the site as well. Visitors have full access to the NWA, including floating boardwalks, wildlife viewing towers and interpretive hiking trails, as well as opportunities for canoeing and kayaking around the lake.
Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area:
Found on the tip of the Long Point Peninsula, Prince Edward Point boasts records of more than 300 species of birds given its placement as a migration ‘bottleneck’ on Lake Ontario’s north shore. Over 31 at-risk species, including many birds, are found in this area where day-use visitors can birdwatch or see bird-banding (spring and fall only), watch for monarch butterflies, or just enjoy the rugged beauty of this windswept point.
