Peace–Athabasca Delta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peace–Athabasca Delta |
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Peace–Athabasca Delta with Lake Claire, west end of Lake Athabasca and mouths of Peace River (north) and Athabasca River (south)
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| Location | Alberta, Canada |
| Area | 321,200 ha (794,000 acres) |
| Type | natural |
| Designated | 1983 (7th session) |
| Part of | Wood Buffalo National Park |
| Reference no. | 256 |
| Region | List of World Heritage Sites in Canada |
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| Designated: | 24 May 1982 |
| Reference #: | 241 |
The Peace–Athabasca Delta is a huge natural area in northeast Alberta, Canada. It is the biggest freshwater inland river delta in North America. A delta is a landform that forms at the mouth of a river, where the river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, or reservoir. This delta is partly inside Wood Buffalo National Park, which is Canada's largest national park. It also reaches into the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, near Fort Chipewyan.
The delta covers about 321,200 hectares (793,700 acres). It formed where the Peace and Athabasca rivers meet the Slave River and Lake Athabasca. This special area is known as a wetland of international importance. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Alberta government even calls it one of the province's unique natural areas.
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History of the Peace–Athabasca Delta
The land around the Peace–Athabasca Delta has been used by people for a very long time. The first Indigenous people lived here after the glaciers melted. Today, the descendants of the Cree and Chipewyan First Nations still hunt, fish, and trap in the area. This way of life has continued for thousands of years.
Archaeologists have found signs that people lived near Peace Point for 7,000 to 8,000 years. These were hunter-gatherer groups who lived in the boreal forest and plains.
Protecting Wildlife in the Delta
In 1922, Wood Buffalo National Park was created. Its main goal was to protect the remaining wood bison. These bison had almost disappeared in the late 1800s. Now, the park is home to the world's largest group of wild wood bison, with over 5,000 animals. The delta is also one of only two places where whooping cranes nest. These are very rare birds.
Changes to the Delta's Water Levels
In the late 1960s, the W. A. C. Bennett Dam was built on the Peace River in British Columbia. This dam helps create electricity. After the dam was built and its reservoir filled, the Peace–Athabasca Delta had a long dry period. From 1968 to 1971, some water areas turned into dry land.
In 1974, a big flood happened in the region. But after the floodwaters went down, the delta became dry again for a long time.
International Recognition for the Delta
On May 24, 1982, the Peace–Athabasca Delta was named a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention. This is an international agreement to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they support many plants and animals, especially water birds. They also have economic, cultural, scientific, and fun values.
The Ramsar Convention recognized the delta for several reasons:
- It is the largest boreal delta in the world.
- It is mostly untouched by human development.
- It is a very important place for water birds to nest and rest during migration.
- Up to 400,000 birds use the delta in spring. More than a million birds use it in the autumn.
- It has the largest natural grass and sedge meadows in North America. These meadows are home to about 10,000 wood and plains bison.
In 1983, the Peace–Athabasca Delta was also named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was because it is one of the world's largest freshwater deltas. It was also recognized for its many different kinds of plants and animals, and its large population of wild bison.
Studying the Delta's Future
In the 1990s, scientists studied the delta's water and environment. They wanted to know how climate change might affect the delta's plants, animals, and overall health.
In 2006, the dam managers released water into the delta at a specific time. This helped create a large ice-jam flood. This flood brought much-needed water to areas that had been dry since the 1980s.
In 2009, a group called the Peace–Athabasca Delta Environmental Monitoring Program (PADEMP) was formed. It includes governments and ten First Nations groups. They work together to study the delta. They use both traditional Indigenous knowledge and modern science to understand what is happening in the delta. They want to make sure this special place is protected for the future.
Conservation Efforts in the Delta
The Peace–Athabasca Delta is a vital home for many animals. Its marshes, lakes, and mud flats are important places for water birds to nest. They also provide a resting spot during their long migrations.
Why the Delta is Important for Birds
The delta's special location and environment support many kinds of waterbirds. It is one of the most important places in North America for migrating waterbirds to rest, eat, and breed.
All four major North American bird migration routes, or Flyways, cross the Peace–Athabasca Delta. It is especially important for the Mississippi Flyway and Central Flyway. In the spring, up to 400,000 migrating birds can be found here. In the fall, this number can reach one million. These birds include ducks, geese, swans, and the endangered whooping crane. The delta is the natural nesting place for whooping cranes.
The delta's grass and sedge meadows also provide a home for thousands of wood and plains bison.
How the Bennett Dam Affects the Delta
The W. A. C. Bennett Dam was built on the Peace River in the late 1960s. It is used to generate hydropower. The dam's effects on the delta have been a topic of discussion. At first, water levels dropped. To help, three rock-fill barriers were built in some channels. These barriers helped bring water levels back to normal during the open-water season. One barrier was later removed because muskrat trappers had problems with it.
Spring ice-jam floods are very important for the delta. These floods help refill the high-up ponds and wetlands that are not always connected to the main rivers and lakes. Some people believe the dam has reduced these floods. However, recent studies show that major floods were already less frequent before the dam was built. For example, there were no big ice-jam floods between 1975 and 1995. But there were also long periods without major floods in the 1700s and 1800s.
Studies have looked at the climate and environment of the delta to understand the dam's impact. They found that recent decades are not the driest or wettest the delta has been in the last 300 years. The early 1900s were very wet. While the delta is drier now than it was then, it is not clear that the dam is fully responsible. The delta's water levels still change naturally due to climate.
Waterways of the Delta
The Birch River flows into Lake Claire. This is the largest lake entirely within Alberta and a key part of the delta. Other lakes in the delta include Baril Lake, Mamawi Lake, Hilda Lake, Otter Lake, French Lake, and Richardson Lake.
Revillon Coupé, Rivière des Rochers, and Chenal des Quatre Fourches are the main channels that connect Lake Athabasca to where the Peace River flows into the Slave River. When the Peace River floods, water can flow backward through these channels into Lake Athabasca.
Many other rivers and creeks also drain the wetlands through the Peace–Athabasca Delta. These include Swift Current Creek, Carolyn Creek, Steepbank River, McIvor River, Buckton Creek, Frog Creek, and Embarras River.
