Beaver Hills Biosphere

Harnessing the power of maps to tell more of the stories of the Beaver Hills.

Discovering a Sense of Place

April 15, 2021

UNESCO biospheres are regions in which people live and work in harmony with nature. They are places that provide local solutions to global challenges.

The Beaver Hills, in north central Alberta, was designated as a biosphere on March 19, 2016 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This is a global recognition of a collective commitment by the communities within the region to celebrate and advance knowledge, culture, nature and economy together in this important region.

The Beaver Hills is abundant in many things. The diligence, hard work and coordinated efforts of many organizations through the years to study, track and record those things has resulted in a collection of valuable data on everything from land management to hydrology, and ecology to infrastructure in the Beaver Hills. Told through this lens, these stories provide another way to view and understand the complexity of the Beaver Hills landscape and why it is so important.

An example of the biodiversity of the Beaver Hills. Photo: J D Waller — Just one example of biodiversity in the Beaver Hills. Photo: J D Waller.

Municipalities

Just 20 minutes east Edmonton, Alberta, the Beaver Hills Biosphere encompasses an area of 1,572 square kilometres that includes portions of the counties of Strathcona, Leduc, Lamont, Beaver and Camrose. The Biosphere is the result of the collaborative efforts of these municipalities and other stakeholders in planning and management that focuses on:

Conservation of biodiversity and cultural diversity
Economic development that is culturally and environmentally sustainable
Logistic support, underpinning development through research, monitoring, education and training
Mitigation and adaptations to environmental changes in the area

The Beaver Hills region is still predominantly a rural community comprised of agricultural and rural residential landowners.

Geomorphology

At the end of the last Ice Age, as the vast continental sheet cover finally began to melt, the hummocky “knob-and-kettle” terrain of the Beaver Hills/Cooking Lake moraine was formed. This distinct geomorphological region encompasses 1,572 square kilometres (607 square miles).

This vignette offers a look into how the unique “knob and kettle” terrain of the Beaver Hills was formed at the end of the Age of Ice and why that terrain, although of importance to many species, was of enough interest to beavers that it was to be called the “Capital of all the Beavers in the World.” A recognition that these hills are full of old stories, waiting to be told.

The story of why and how the Beaver Hills became known as the "Capital of all the Beavers in the World." Written & produced by Dylan Reade, the High Level Moving Picture Company Ltd.

Beaver Hills Sub-Watershed

The Beaver Hills Biosphere lies within the Beaver Hills sub-watershed. Geographically higher than the surrounding area, the Beaver Hills are home to the headwaters of this sub-watershed. It connects to the North Saskatchewan River at the north end of the sub-watershed and supports the hydrology of the ecologically significant Beaverhill Lake, a RAMSAR site and a site of regional importance in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, to the east.

The Beaver Hills are home to the headwaters of the Beaver Hill Sub-Watershed.

Water

The Beaver Hills are a natural sponge, a local watershed of central importance in our regional water cycle. The region is home to hundreds of wetlands and small ponds, meandering streams and creeks and over thirty-five lakes, large and small, all set within an elevated land mass that absorbs, retains and redirects water into the surrounding landscape. Water is the lifeblood that supports the rich biodiversity of the Beaver Hills.

Water on the Landscape

Toggle the buttons below on and off to see how important water is in the Beaver Hills.

Click directly on the map to learn about specific creeks, streams and wetlands.

Ecology

An island of boreal mixed-wood forest, the landscape of the Beaver Hills supports healthy and diverse populations of birds, plants, insects, amphibians, and large and small mammals.

The ecological network within the Beaver Hills is important to the long-term maintenance of biological diversity, physical landscape features and other natural processes that take place in the Biosphere.

Supporting Habitat

This landscape, or ecological network, contains larger areas of useful habitat (core areas) that can sustain sizeable populations of various species and support the biodiversity of the region, smaller areas or linear habitat (corridors), as well as groupings of larger patches (connected habitat) linked by corridors.

These data files are large, so please be patient as they load.

Conservation

Active conservation within the Beaver Hills dates to the end of the nineteenth century. Recognition of the unique ecological values of the Beaver Hills resulted in some of the earliest examples of conservation in Canada and Alberta by both federal and provincial agencies. Today, this also includes lands conserved by municipal governments and cumulatively, more than 434.12 square km (107,273.39 acres) of public lands are protected in the Biosphere.

Core protected areas in the Biosphere include:

Elk Island National Park (194 sq. km)
Cooking Lake-Blackfoot (97 sq. km)
Ministik Game Bird Sanctuary (73 sq. km)
Miquelon Lake Provincial Park (13 sq. km)

Land trusts, including Edmonton and Area Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Nature Conservancy of Canada, Alberta Conservation Association and Alberta Fish and Game Association have also conserved along with others, have also conserved more than 37.60 square km (9,291.16 acres) of private land within the Biosphere.

Conservation Legacy

This map features the conservation lands within the Biosphere. Use the buttons below to filter the map by category.

Special Places

Here are just a few of the special places you can visit to experience the distinctive character, biodiversity and ecology of the Beaver Hills.

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Beaver Hills Biodiversity Trail

Stroll this Strathcona County trail and experience boreal woodlands, wildlife and wetlands; some of the best the Biosphere has to offer.

Located at Range Road 211 and Township Road 530 (Baseline Road), on the east side of the Strathcona Wilderness Centre, this 2 km (total) trail features picnic areas, rest benches, lookouts and a boardwalk. The Trail is designed to inspire and educate, encouraging visitors to experience biodiversity, culture, the story of the land and the vision of the Biosphere.

Made possible with financial contributions from the Government of Alberta through a Nature-Based tourism grant, and industry sponsors Williams Energy and Enbridge, the Trail was opened in 2016. The Trail is built on land purchased by Strathcona County as part of the Legacy Land Program. It complements the nature-based programming at the Strathcona County Wilderness Centre and helps conserve habitat in the area.

Miquelon Lake Provincial Park

Situated at the south end of the Cooking Lake Moraine, the Park consists of aspen covered hills, ponds and marshes. Forest cover is predominantly trembling aspen, balsam poplar and white spruce, and more than 200 bird species visit the park annually.

A wide variety of activities are available in the park including picnicking, camping, hiking, skiing and wildlife viewing. The Park Centre offers a gift store with ice, coffee and snacks. There are also interpretive displays, family activities and some sports equipment available.

Collectively known as Miquelon Lake, the lake consists of three separate lake basins. The lake has been designated an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area and is also a provincially recognized migratory bird sanctuary.

Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area

With approximately 170 km (105 miles) of trails, this area provides a multitude of year-round, day-use, recreational opportunities for visitors.

The landscape consists of aspen-dominated hummocky moraine with numerous small kettle lakes and ponds. It is located just south of Elk Island National Park. Roughly half the area is pasture; the remainder is in a natural state.

Cooking Lake-Blackfoot is a multi-use area that supports a variety of activities on maintained hiking, mountain biking, equestrian, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dog sledding trails. Wildlife viewing and bird watching opportunities are available year-round. Active wildlife management programs in the area have created a wide range of habitats supporting numerous species. Non-recreational activities include livestock grazing, trapping and limited industrial activity, as well as Indigenous and seasonal hunting.

Elk Island National Park

Less than an hour east of Edmonton, Alberta, visitors can view wildlife, hike, cross-country ski, picnic or camp overnight, and explore by foot, canoe, bike or vehicle. There is something for everyone at the Park.

Founded in 1906 as an elk preserve to protect one of the last big elk herds in the region, it was the first wildlife refuge in Canada. This gentle wilderness of Aspen woodlands, prairie meadows and pockets of wetland is home to elk, coyotes and more than 250 bird species.

It is here that the plains bison was brought back from near extinction, and visitors today learn the behind-the-scenes story of how this icon of the Wild West was saved and continues to thrive.

Golden Ranches

Consisting of approximately 567 hectares (1400 acres), this site represents a unique collaboration between multiple organizations to conserve a significant portion of the Beaver Hills landscape that provides critical habitat and landscape connectivity for many species of wildlife in the Biosphere.

Located in Strathcona County, adjacent to Cooking Lake, Golden Ranches is one of the few contiguous pieces of privately owned land in the region. Running through the center of the Beaver Hills Biosphere, Golden Ranches maintains a conservation corridor nearing some 377 sq. km, essentially linking Elk Island National Park and the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area to the north, with Ministik Lake Game Bird Sanctuary to the south.

Gambling Lake

Conserved by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Gambling Lake is an ecologically diverse, 63-hectare (150 acre) property just north of Miquelon Lake that contains mixed boreal forests, shrublands, grasslands, lake shores and wetlands. The area’s extensive wetlands provide habitat for a diversity of waterfowl and even trumpeter swans, considered endangered in Alberta until July 2014, have been spotted on the property.

Smith Blackburn Homestead

Located in Lamont County, just east of Elk Island National Park lies the Smith Blackburn Homestead in the Cooking Lake Moraine, a mosaic of wetlands and upland forest. This 29.5-hectare (73 acre) parcel is considered important habitat for breeding, migratory waterfowl and other birds as well as other species including black bear, deer, moose and beaver.

The Smith Blackburn Homestead is part of a close network of conserved areas in this region, which provide a large area of connected habitats, wildlife corridors, and stepping stones for wildlife, in a region that is otherwise highly fragmented.

The Smith Blackburn Homestead was donated to Edmonton and Area Land Trust by someone who visited the property frequently as a young person, as the land had been homesteaded by her great grandmother and lived on continuously by her uncle until 1989.

The property opened to the public in late 2020, following the construction of three boardwalks, a pedestrian gate and a sign kiosk to facilitate visitor access and to protect sensitive wildlife habitat.

Human Footprint

For hundreds of years, people have benefited from the bounty of the biodiversity and natural features of the Beaver Hills. The ‘modern’ human footprint includes activity from forestry, agricultural, oil and gas exploration, industrial and urban development.

A Working Landscape

Today, the Biosphere is a living laboratory in which municipalities and partners work collaboratively to not only conserve, but to test new and innovative approaches to development and reclamation while maintaining a focus on ecological integrity and connectivity for wildlife in this working landscape.

The Story Continues

The Beaver Hills is a resilient landscape in which people work together to contribute to the environmental, social, economic and cultural well being of the region. Check back regularly as we'll be adding new information and updating data in this StoryMap.

Meanwhile, continue your journey with us and learn more about the Biosphere at beaverhills.ca .

Biodiversity in the Beaver Hills Biosphere