Whooping Crane Summer Range, Alberta/Northwest Territories - Ramsar Site

Overview (Principal Characteristics):

The Whooping Crane Summer Range is a natural area comprising a complex of marshes, shallow ponds, streams, lakes and bogs located near the northern limit of the Boreal Forest Region and west of the Canadian Shield.

Reason for Ramsar Designation:

A vast wetland complex, this area is the last natural nesting area in the world for the endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana).

Date of Ramsar Designation:

24 May 1982

Jurisdiction:

Federal - Parks Canada Agency and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

Land Tenure:

• Site: Most of this Ramsar site lies within Wood Buffalo National Park which is owned by the Government of Canada. About 14% of the Whooping Crane summer range area lying outside of the park is on federal Crown land in the Northwest Territories.

• Surrounding Area: Federal Crown land.

Conservation Measures Taken:

Most of the Whooping Crane summer range lies within Wood Buffalo National Park and in an area of Zone 1 Special Preservation, protected under the National Parks Act and administered by Parks Canada. Wood Buffalo National Park is a World Heritage site. The range includes the International Biological Program (IBP) sites 12 and 13, and the Whooping Crane nesting area.

Conservation Measures Proposed:

None currently.

Current Land Use/Activities in:

• Site: Most of the area is under the management of Parks Canada which is currently evaluating and planning future management requirements. The nesting area evolved with fire, therefore no natural forest fires in the area are extinguished unless they are in danger of leaving the boundaries of Wood Buffalo National Park or threaten structural facilities. Hunting and trapping of fur bearers by aboriginal inhabitants is permitted, however these activities are restricted during the Whooping Crane breeding season. Ground access and aerial traffic under 600 metres is prohibited in the Whooping Crane nesting area, except by researchers. Environment Canada carries out aerial Whooping Crane breeding pair and production surveys annually.

• Surrounding Area: Limited forestry operations exist outside the National Park area.

Threats to Integrity of:

• Site: An extra-heavy voltage powerline running parallel to Highway 5 is a constant danger to low flying birds. Electrical power transmission lines from the dam site to the Hay River area pose a serious hazard to migratory birds including Whooping Crane. It is likely that traffic along Highway 5 north and west of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories will increase, particularly if there is large-scale industrial development near Fort Smith. Highway 5 is the only road access from the west to the Whooping Crane summer range. It bisects the Whooping Crane nesting area and runs within five kilometres of a known nesting site. During dry summers, food availability and increasing vulnerability to terrestrial predators is a threat to the Whooping Crane population.

• Surrounding Area: A feasibility study to examine positive and negative effects of a proposed hydro-electric dam across the Slave River near Fort Smith has been conducted. It is possible that a dam on the Slave River could change or disrupt water levels and/or drainage patterns in the Whooping Crane summer range. The regional moisture deficit together with up to 40 thunderstorms per season creates an extreme forest-fire weather zone in the area. Seasonal drought in some years also greatly affects water levels in the nesting ponds.

Status of Management Plan:

The management of Whooping Cranes follows guidelines in the Canada/United States Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of the Whooping Crane 2001 and the National Recovery Plan for the Whooping Crane 1994.

Management Authority:

Superintendent
Wood Buffalo National Park
Box 750
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories
X0E 0P0