Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Elk Island National Park

Growing up in the US I learned how massive herds of Bison used to roam out West, but then people killed them - even shooting them from trains, and in so doing they nearly killed them all. . Once numbering in the tens of millions, the population was reduced to just a few hundred wild animals in the United States by the late 1880s. A VERY sad and shameful time in the history of the US for sure, which shockingly is not only part of our history, but is something the current occupant of the white house and his administration are actively working to do again as they try to displace hundreds of bison from federal lands, citing a reinterpretation of grazing law. I hope someone stops them.

Knowing the history of the US with Bison and the current attempts to harm them, it made me so happy to read about Elk Island National Park in Canada - where they are doing the opposite - trying to protect Bison!

• Elk Island National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada, which played an important part in the conservation of the plains bison.
• Located just 45 minutes east of Edmonton, Alberta, it serves as an excellent, accessible day trip from the city and offers a unique "safari-like" experience where you can spot plains and wood bison from your vehicle.
• The park is home to over 700 bison, as well as elk, moose, and deer. Dawn and dusk are the best times to see the larger animals.
• As part of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve, the park experiences very little light pollution. It is a premier location to see the Milky Way or the Northern Lights.
• Elk Island National Park remains highly active in the winter months, offering cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and cozy fire pits along the trails.
• In the Summer You can rent kayaks or canoes, enjoy a lakeside picnic, and take in some spectacular sunsets.
• Elk Island hosts both the largest and the smallest terrestrial mammals in North America, the wood bison and pygmy shrew respectively.
• Though there was never any permanent indigenous settlement in the area, there are over 200 archaeological remains of campsites and stone tool-making sites. The land has been influenced by the Blackfoot, Sarcee and Cree indigenous groups.
• Elk Island Park was granted federal park status in 1913, and then designation as an official National Park under the National Parks Act which passed through the Canadian Parliament in 1930.
• Elk Island is home to the densest population of ungulates (hoofed mammals) in Canada. A variety of mammal species including coyote, bison, moose, mule deer, lynx, beaver, elk, white-tailed deer, and porcupine are year-round residents. Black bears and timber wolves certainly roam within this park, but they are not commonly seen by wildlife viewers.
• Over 250 bird species can be found in the park at various times of year. Most notable among these are the red-necked grebes, American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, great blue herons, red-tailed hawks, American bitterns and the trumpeter swans.

You will find more information about the things Canada is doing to protect the amazing animals in their wonderful country and about Elk Island National Park at this link.