Grasslands National Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grasslands National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Bison grazing in Grasslands National Park
Grasslands National Park Location in Canada
Location	Saskatchewan, Canada
Nearest city	Val Marie 49°12'03.9"N+107°42'37.8
Area	907 km2 (350 sq mi)
Established	1981
Visitors	18,296 (in 2017-18)
Governing body	Parks Canada
Grasslands National Park

Grasslands National Park (also called Parc national des Prairies in French) is a special nature park in Canada. It's located near the village of Val Marie in Saskatchewan. This park was the second national park created in Saskatchewan. It sits right next to the border between Canada and the United States, touching the state of Montana. Over 18,000 people visit this amazing park each year!

The park officially opened in 1981. Before that, Prince Albert National Park was Saskatchewan's only national park. Grasslands National Park protects some of Canada's last prairie grasslands that haven't been changed by people. The park's weather also helps some rare and endangered plants and animals to live there. Grasslands National Park is home to Canada's last groups of black-tailed prairie dogs.

The park is also a special place called a dark-sky preserve. This means it's protected from light pollution, making it one of the darkest places in Canada, and even the world, to see the stars!

Grasslands National Park also has many fossils. It has fossils that are hard to find in other parts of Canada. Some of these fossils are from the Miocene time period.

Park History and Protection

Protecting the Grasslands

Before the 1950s, First Nations people of Canada lived in the park area. They hunted animals there. Many people later wanted to protect the grasslands and the plants and animals living in the area. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a strong desire to protect a large area of grasslands. A study in 1965 showed that this part of Saskatchewan would be the best place to start a park.

In 1975, the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan created a group to hear what the public thought. This group found that people really wanted the park to be created.

Park Creation and Growth

In 1981, the governments of Saskatchewan and Canada signed an agreement. This agreement promised that a park would be created. After this, Parks Canada bought two ranches near the Frenchman River. These ranches covered about 140 square kilometres (54 square miles).

In 1988, many groups worked together to add to the 1981 agreement. This helped make sure Grasslands National Park would be created. The plan was for the park to be about 900 square kilometres (347 square miles). Parks Canada kept buying more land from ranchers to expand the park.

The park officially became a national park on February 19, 2001. This happened because of the Canada National Parks Act.

Bringing Back Animals

In 2006, some plains bison from Elk Island National Park in Alberta were moved to Grasslands National Park. This was a very important event. Many bison in Canada had been killed in the 1800s. This was the first time plains bison had lived on the shortgrass prairies of Canada since the 1890s.

At first, 71 bison were moved to the park. Nine years later, in 2015, there were 310 bison. Now, plains bison live in other national parks in Canada too.

In 2009, Parks Canada also brought black-footed ferrets back to the park. They added 34 ferrets. People once thought the black-footed ferret was extinct. This is because the last time they were seen in Saskatchewan was in 1937. Scientists from the United States had been working for many years to bring them back to the wild. When Parks Canada added black-footed ferrets to Grasslands National Park, there were already ferrets being added to places in the United States and Mexico.

Dark-Sky Preserve Status

The park became a dark-sky preserve in 2009. This happened during the International Year of Astronomy. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada chose the park for this special status. It became Saskatchewan's second dark-sky preserve.

Park Geography

The park is split into two main parts. These are called the West Block and the East Block.

West Block Features

The west part of the park, known as the West Block, is in Division No. 4, Saskatchewan. This area includes the beautiful Frenchman River valley. It is also home to a herd of about 300 plains bison and many black-tailed prairie dog colonies.

The Frenchman Valley Campground in the West Block lets visitors use camping sites and teepees. You can also go backcountry camping in the West Block, which means camping away from developed sites.

East Block Features

The east part of the park, known as the East Block, is in Division No. 3, Saskatchewan. Visitors to the East Block can enjoy amazing views of the badlands. They can also see the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary in the rock layers. This boundary shows a major event in Earth's history.

Images for kids

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  Blackfoot teepee

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  Grasslands National Park, West Block

See also

In Spanish: Parque nacional Grasslands para niños