One of Canadian National Park is the Elk Island National Park. It is located about 45 kilometers east of Edmonton in the province of Alberta.
The park has a large population of aspen forests in the entire area.The area is made even more attractive by the embedded lakes. A stay in this park is really very relaxing. You can discover a lot here. Usually you can see the large and numerous beaver structures of the beavers living there on the roadsides. The animals themselves are very shy and difficult to spot.
In addition to the large population of beavers, many deer, elk and bison also live here. The park got its name from the moose, which translated in German means island of the moose.
However, the beavers have also given a name. So the Beaver Hill, in German beaver hill, was named after the nimble and hard-working animals.
History of the park
The region was originally inhabited by the Sarcee and Cree tribes. The first European settlers came to the area in 1881 and immediately built the first settlements. Most of them came from Germany, England and the Ukraine. In 1906 the park was declared a protected area. In 1913 it became a Dominion Park and finally the area was declared a national park in 1930. The original area from 1906 has been expanded more and more over time. So it is a lot bigger today than it was in the beginning.
Leisure activities in Elk Island National Park
The park is very popular with tourists and residents as a destination for excursions. The interesting hiking routes should not be left unused. The area really has many impressive corners to offer. Hiking, wildlife viewing and, in winter, cross-country skiing are some of the common activities. Who wants to schedule a longer stay here, allows the campsites up camp. Several historical buildings have been preserved in the park. The Ukrainian Pioneer Home, a house of the Ukrainian settlers, can be visited like some others.
Animals of Elk Island National Park
The park was the first in Canada Wapiti reserve at all. The reason for the creation of the park was a herd of 20 local elk, whose protection one wanted to guarantee. Today the facility extends over an area of 195 square kilometers. With over 3,000 moose living here, Elk Island National Park has a large population of large game and proves that it rightly bears its name. In addition to the many large game animals, over 44 different species of mammals live here. Coyotes, muskrats and mink also live here. Even some porcupines feel at home in the area.
230 species of birds have been sighted here. Many sea birds such as ducks, seagulls, terns and loons live here. In addition, owls have also nested here.
The forest and prairie bisons are particularly famous and popular. These are represented here with 450 animals, making it the largest herd of prairie bones in all of Canada. The wood bison are also well represented here with 350 animals. So that these two animal species cannot mate and mix with each other, the herds are kept strictly separate from each other. So one would like to keep the species separately in their original forms.
