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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1930 |
| Jurisdiction | Alberta |
| Headquarters | 9820 - 106 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2J6 53°32′10″N113°30′13″W / 53.5361°N 113.5035°W |
| Parent department | Alberta Forestry Parks and Tourism |
| Website | albertaparks.ca |
| Map | |
 Map of provincial parks and protected areas in Alberta | |
Alberta Parks is an agency of the Government of Alberta which is responsible for managing Alberta's provincial parks and protected areas.[ citation needed ]
Alberta's system of provincial parks began with the striking of a committee on parks by then Premier J. E. Brownlee in 1929. This led to the passage of the Provincial Parks and Protected Areas Act in 1930 and the formation of the Provincial Board of Management to oversee the system. The first provincial parks were Aspen Beach Provincial Park, established in 1932, followed by Gooseberry Lake, Park Lake, Sylvan Lake and Saskatoon Island later that same year. However further development of the system was halted during the Great Depression and during the Second World War.
Major changes began in 1950 with the passage of a new Parks Act, the transferring of responsibilities for parks to the Department of Lands and Forests, and the creation of a new three-person Parks Board. A major budget increase in 1952-53 saw the hiring of the first full-time parks staff. The parks system expanded rapidly with 46 new parks established between 1951 and 1971, focused mostly on recreational campgrounds near lakes. As well in 1959 the Provincial Parks Branch was established, headed by a Provincial Parks Commissioner, who reported to the parks board. Also in 1950 the Parks Branch began to establish provincial historic sites. [1]
In addition to new provincial parks proper, other park-like areas were established by other government departments: the Department of Highways and Transport had network of roadside campgrounds for the new wave of automotive tourists and the Alberta Forest Service had a network of recreation areas in forested regions to divert backcountry camping into fewer site, so they could be well monitored and regulated, and environmental impacts localized to just a few places. After the late 1950s the focus of Alberta's parks policy began to shift from recreation to wilderness preservation. Willmore Wilderness Park was created in 1959 outside of the parks system under separate legislation to preserve it as a hunting and trapping ground and protect it from industrial development. The Parks Act was amended in 1964 to allow for the creation of wilderness areas and natural areas as well as parks, and this was reinforced by the Wilderness Areas Act of 1971.
A major report on parks was tabled in the legislature in 1973 by the Honourable Allan Warrack, Minister of Lands and Forests, which concluded that the park system was inadequate, more park lands were needed, existing parks were badly in need of upgrading, there were serious resource development conflicts in some parks, and Albertans in metropolitan centres (in particular seniors and disadvantaged Albertans) lacked opportunities to visit parks. A major budget expansion followed and many new parks were created at this time. In 1975 when the Department of Lands and Forests was dissolved, responsibly for parks, was transferred to the new Department of Recreation, Parks, and Wildlife. [1] In addition the Environment Department began creating campground and picnic areas on lakes and reservoirs to limit erosion and other environmental impacts of recreation. Finally, in the early 1990s all of Alberta's parks and protected areas were consolidated under the management of Alberta Parks.
As of 2014 [update] the parks system included:
| Acres | Hectares | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Wilderness Areas | 249,550 | 101,000 |
| 15 | Ecological Reserves | 66,330 | 26,800 |
| 32 | Wildland Provincial Parks | 4,278,340 | 1,731,400 |
| Willmore Wilderness Park | 1,135,870 | 459,700 | |
| 75 | Provincial Parks | 546,050 | 221,000 |
| 208 | Provincial Recreation Areas | 217,180 | 87,900 |
| 2 | Heritage Rangelands | 29,680 | 12,000 |
| 139 | Natural Areas | 321,090 | 129,900 |
| for a total of 475 sites covering | 6,844,090 | 2,769,700 | |
In addition 10 sites representing 3,584 acres (1,450 ha) are controlled by Alberta Parks but are not (yet) designated as part of a park or protected area. [3]
The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At 6.1 million acres, it is the largest park in the contiguous United States.
National parks of Canada are vast natural spaces throughout the country that are protected by Parks Canada, a government agency. Parks Canada manages the National Parks and Reserves in order to educate visitors, keep them safe, and ensure public enjoyment in ways that do not compromise the area for future generations. Protections include the management of Canadian wildlife and habitat within the ecosystems of the park. Within Parks Canada's governance is a wide range of protected areas, encompassing National Historic Sites, National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCA), and national park reserves. Canada established its first national park in Banff in 1885, and has since expanded its national park system to include 37 national parks and 10 national park reserves.
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over 921,000 acres of federally managed land within a 1,700,000 acres proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.
The California State Parks system is the public park system of California. The system is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, a department of the California Natural Resources Agency. The California State Parks system is the largest state park system in the United States.
Ontario Parks is a branch of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in Ontario, Canada, that protects significant natural and cultural resources in a system of parks and protected areas that is sustainable and provides opportunities for inspiration, enjoyment and education. The Ontario Parks system covers over 78,000 square kilometres (30,000 sq mi), which is about 10 per cent of the province's surface area or the equivalent of an area approximately equal to Nova Scotia. It falls under the responsibility and mandate of the province's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. It was formerly under the mandate of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Lassen National Forest is a United States national forest of 1,700 square miles (4,300 km2) in northeastern California. It is named after pioneer Peter Lassen, who mined, ranched and promoted the area to emigrant parties in the 1850s.
The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness areas are managed by four federal land management agencies: the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Hamber Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located 130 kilometres (80.7 mi) north of Golden. Straddling the Great Divide on the provincial boundary with Alberta, the park is surrounded on three sides by Jasper National Park and protects the headwaters of the Wood River at Fortress Lake.
BC Parks is an agency of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy that manages all of the, as of 2020, 1,035 provincial parks and other conservation and historical properties of various title designations within the province's Parks oversaw of the British Columbia Parks and Protected Areas System. The Lieutenant Governor-in-Council created the agency on March 1, 1911, through the Strathcona Park Act. The agency is charged with a dual role of preserving the ecological and historical integrity of the places entrusted to its management, while also making them available and accessible for public use and enjoyment.
The National Wildlife Refuge System in the United States has a long and distinguished history.
The Wilderness Society is an American non-profit land conservation organization that is dedicated to protecting natural areas and federal public lands in the United States. They advocate for the designation of federal wilderness areas and other protective designations, such as for national monuments. They support balanced uses of public lands, and advocate for federal politicians to enact various land conservation and balanced land use proposals. The Wilderness Society also engages in a number of ancillary activities, including education and outreach, and hosts one of the most valuable collections of Ansel Adams photographs at their headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan founded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission. Since 2023, the Director is Scott Bowen. The DNR has about 1,400 permanent employees, and over 1,600 seasonal employees.
The Caribou Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area created by the Wilderness Act of 1964 and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. It is located 60 miles (97 km) east of Redding in the state of California, United States. The Caribou Wilderness comprises 20,546 acres (83.15 km2) and is adjacent to the east side of Lassen Volcanic National Park. Although the park is surrounded by Lassen National Forest, it is managed separately by the National Park Service, whereas the U.S. Forest Service manages the wilderness.
Since 1872 the United States National Park System has grown from a single, public reservation called Yellowstone National Park to include 430 natural, historical, recreational, and cultural areas throughout the United States, its territories, and island possessions. These areas include National Parks, National Monuments, National Memorials, National Military Parks, National Historic Sites, National Parkways, National Recreation Areas, National Seashores, National Scenic Riverways, and National Scenic Trails.
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 is a land management law passed in the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009. The bill designates millions of acres in the US as protected and establishes a National Landscape Conservation System. It includes funding for programs, studies and other activities by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and in some cases bars further geothermal leasing, oil and gas leasing, and new mining patents on certain stretches of protected land.
The Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve is a tract of land owned by the government of the Canadian province of Alberta along the eastern slopes and foothills of the Albertan section of the Canadian Rockies. It is a long strip of land just east of the more famous Canadian Rocky Mountain parks, which is managed for forest and water conservation, public recreation, and industrial goals, rather than aesthetic and preservation goals, as in the Rocky Mountain parks.
The Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas of Alberta is the Alberta provincial ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta responsible for environmental issues and policy as well as some, but not all, parks and protected areas in Alberta.
Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park is a proposed provincial park that would be situated near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada. It would be part of the Alberta Provincial Parks system and governed by Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation under Alberta Environment and Parks. After the 2019 Alberta election, the new United Conservative government announced the plan would not go ahead.
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