Publications

Small patch communities of Caribou Mountains Wildland Provincial Park

Description

In July 2003 areas within Caribou Mountains Wildland Provincial Park (CMWPP) were surveyed to document small patch ecological communities. Small patch ecological communities add considerably to... More ≫

Description

In July 2003 areas within Caribou Mountains Wildland Provincial Park (CMWPP) were surveyed to document small patch ecological communities. Small patch ecological communities add considerably to the diversity of a site, harbouring flora and potentially fauna dependent on these specialized habitats. They are, however, often overlooked in vegetation studies because they are neither extensive nor common enough to be considered representative. The focus of this study was to look within the matrix of the representative ecological communities to find and document the small patch communities that may be significant in a provincial context.

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Survey of rare vascular plants in La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial Park

Description

La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial park is one of 81 recently designated protected areas, established in March 1998. It is located in the northeast corner of Alberta, north of Lake Athabasca,... More ≫

Description

La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial park is one of 81 recently designated protected areas, established in March 1998. It is located in the northeast corner of Alberta, north of Lake Athabasca, about 300 km north of Ft. McMurray. The two main objectives of this reconnaissance survey were to: document the location, habitat and population size information for tracked vascular plant taxa occurring within the study area; and develop a preliminary list of vascular plant species for LBCWPP.

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Survey of rare vascular plants in Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park

Description

Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park is one of 81 recently designated protected areas, established in March 1998. It is a remote site located in the northeast corner of Alberta, north of... More ≫

Description

Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park is one of 81 recently designated protected areas, established in March 1998. It is a remote site located in the northeast corner of Alberta, north of Lake Athabasca, about 315 km north of Fort McMurray. This park includes portions of the north shore of Lake Athabasca and a series of islands, two of which are amongst the largest islands in the lake. FGWPP falls within the Kazan Upland and Athabasca Plain subregions of the Canadian Shield Natural Region of Alberta.The two main objectives of this reconnaissance survey were to a) document location, habitat and population size information for tracked vascular plant taxa occurring within the study site, and b) to update the list of vascular plant species for FGWPP.

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Small patch communities of Colin-Cornwall Lakes Wildland Provincial Park

Description

In July 2002 Colin-Cornwall Lakes Wildland Provincial Park (CC) was surveyed to document small patch plant communities. Small patch plant communities add considerably to the diversity of a site,... More ≫

Description

In July 2002 Colin-Cornwall Lakes Wildland Provincial Park (CC) was surveyed to document small patch plant communities. Small patch plant communities add considerably to the diversity of a site, harbouring flora and potentially fauna dependent on these specialized habitats. They are, however, often overlooked in vegetation studies because they are neither extensive nor common enough to be considered representative. The focus of this study was to look within the matrix of the representative plant communities to find and document the small patch communities that may be significant in a provincial context.

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Small patch communities of Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park

Description

In July 2001, Fidler – Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park (FGW) was surveyed to document small patch plant communities. Small patch plant communities add considerably to the diversity of a site,... More ≫

Description

In July 2001, Fidler – Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park (FGW) was surveyed to document small patch plant communities. Small patch plant communities add considerably to the diversity of a site, harbouring flora and potentially fauna dependent on these specialized habitats. They are however often overlooked in vegetation studies because they are neither extensive nor common enough to be considered representative. The focus of this study was to look within the matrix of the representative plant communities to find and document the small patch communities that may be significant in a provincial context.

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Vegetation communities of Marguerite Crag and Tail Wildland Provincial Park

Description

This park straddles the Central Mixedwood and Athabasca Plain Natural Subregions transitional area. The terrain in the park is defined by the crag and tail topography created through the actions... More ≫

Description

This park straddles the Central Mixedwood and Athabasca Plain Natural Subregions transitional area. The terrain in the park is defined by the crag and tail topography created through the actions of glacial ice and meltwater. Crags refer to the knobs or areas of exposed bedrock located on the up-ice side of the landform, while the tails are the trailing elongate bodies on the lee side of the landform and generally consist of erodible bedrock (American Geological Institute 1984 in Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre 1998). The bedrock patches in this area are generally quite small; however they are very distinct, and do provide defining character for the park landscape This park is located in a relatively remote region of the province and little documented information is currently available for this area. Much of the information currently used to describe this area has been extrapolated from more intensively studied areas near Lake Athabasca to the north and the Athabasca Sand...

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Vegetation communities of Richardson River Dunes Wildland Provincial Park

Description

Richardson River Dunes Wildland Provincial Park is situated in townships 104 and 105, ranges 6 to 9, west of the 4th meridian. The Athabasca River forms the western park boundary and the eastern... More ≫

Description

Richardson River Dunes Wildland Provincial Park is situated in townships 104 and 105, ranges 6 to 9, west of the 4th meridian. The Athabasca River forms the western park boundary and the eastern boundary is relatively close to the Richardson River. This park is located predominantly within in the Central Mixedwood Natural Subregion with the southern edge dipping into the Athabasca Plain Natural Subregion and the extreme northwestern corner of the park along the Athabasca River transitional to the Peace River Lowlands Natural Subregion. The terrain in this park consists primarily of stabilized sand dunes oriented in a northwest- southeast direction. Currently no active dunes exist in this area; however, some blowout areas are present. The predominant vegetation pattern represented on this landscape consists of pine woodlands on the upper slopes of the dunes with wetlands situated between the dunes, in the dune hollows. Fire is an important factor in the vegetation communities...

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Vegetation communities of Maybelle River Wildland Provincial Park

Description

Maybelle River Wildland Provincial Park, a newly established park located in northeastern Alberta, encompasses some 15,309 hec. The Athabasca Sand Dunes Ecological Reserve is located within the... More ≫

Description

Maybelle River Wildland Provincial Park, a newly established park located in northeastern Alberta, encompasses some 15,309 hec. The Athabasca Sand Dunes Ecological Reserve is located within the park boundary. The landscape within the park reflects the activity of windblown sand, in the past and present, and fire. This vegetation study was one component of a multi-disciplinary project, which was conducted to develop a preliminary inventory of the natural components of the area. The objective of this vegetation study was to characterize the modal or more commonly occurring vegetation communities and the particular site conditions with which they are associated. The area of the Athabasca Sand Dunes Ecological Reserve has been studied quite extensively in the past (Raup and Argus 1982; Landals 1978); however, relatively little research has been conducted in the surrounding park area.

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Sundance Provincial Park vegetation survey

Description

The purpose of this vegetation survey was to identify and describe all associated plant community types found within the Sundance Provincial Park and associated special management zone. As part of... More ≫

Description

The purpose of this vegetation survey was to identify and describe all associated plant community types found within the Sundance Provincial Park and associated special management zone. As part of this process other features of unique, sensitive or disturbed nature were noted. These included, but were not limited to, new disturbance features (cutlines, well site roads, quad trails, and hiking/horse trails) significant wildlife habitat areas or migration corridors (including mineral licks and hibernacula), or areas of high biodiversity (old growth forests and highly diverse plant communities). The information collected as part of this vegetation survey not only provides a detailed assessment of the vegetation communities that occur in the region, but also identifies areas of high use, sensitive areas that may be in need of additional protection, or other significant features that may be of ecological, biological or cultural interest. This is a well-used provincial park with a number...

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Small patch communities of La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial Park

Description

In July 2001 La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial Park (LBCWPP) was surveyed to document small patch plant communities. Small patch plant communities add considerably to the diversity of a site,... More ≫

Description

In July 2001 La Butte Creek Wildland Provincial Park (LBCWPP) was surveyed to document small patch plant communities. Small patch plant communities add considerably to the diversity of a site, harbouring flora and potentially fauna dependent on these specialized habitats. They are however often overlooked in vegetation studies because they are not extensive or common enough to be considered representative. The focus of this study was to look within the matrix of the representative plant communities (surveyed and documented by the Ecological Land Classification team) to find and document the small patch communities that may be significant in a provincial context. This work was also significant as there were no previous studies documenting vegetation of this remote area. LBCWPP is located in the northeast corner of Alberta, a remote site accessible in summer only by air or water. The character of the site changes significantly from west to east, as it straddles two natural subregions,...

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