Progress Update

This progress report was prepared in August 2011, 2 years into the 10-year Plan for Parks. Significant progress has been made.  

• Since 2010, the Alberta parks system has grown by approximately 990 hectares.
• Expansions included Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park, Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park, Fish Lake Provincial Recreation Area and Simonette River Provincial Recreation Area.
• Lois Hole Centennial, Fish Creek and Glenbow Ranch provincial parks are among the largest urban parks in Canada.
• 300 campsites were added to provincial campgrounds in 2010-2011.

• Online campsite reservations are available at 51provincial campgrounds.
  • More than 144,000 accounts and nearly 185,000 reservation transactions have been made.
  • Online reservations were expanded to include Little Bow Provincial Park in 2011.

• New park trails across Alberta allow people of all ages and abilities to enjoy recreation and physical activities to help them lead healthier, more active lives.
  • 70 kilometres of backcountry trails cleared in Willmore Wilderness Park in 2010-11 in cooperation with the Willmore Wilderness Foundation.
  • 30 kilometres of new trails were built in 2009-10.
  • Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park combined GPS technology with its grooming machines for a real-time trail report - the first of its kind in North America.

• Albertans take an active role in Alberta parks through public consultations.
  • There were 11 consultations involving 15 different sites in 2010-11.
  • Consultations included proposed facility redevelopment, park expansions, trails and park management plans.
  • More than 500 Albertans subscribe to ParkNews for automatic notifications of new consultations.

• Alberta scientists play a larger role in parks research through the Parks Division Science Strategy, which supports evidence-based decision-making related to park management.
  • Parks Division has research partnerships with post-secondary institutions including Augustana Campus/University of Alberta, Lakeland College and the University of Calgary.
  • The number of research and collection permits issued in parks doubled from 64 in 2009 to 124 in 2010.

• Everyone belongs outside! We're working on an inclusion strategy to remove physical barriers in new and existing facilities in provincial parks. The strategy will also include introducing new Canadians to provincial parks and bridging language barriers.
  • Two Adaptive Challenges were hosted in provincial parks in 2011 in partnership with the new Push to Open Nature Society.

• Alberta students can take virtual field trips to provincial parks through educational videoconference programs.

• YouTube videos showcase new park programs and experiences. Twitter and Facebook are used to share public safety updates, avalanche warnings and trail conditions for some parks.

• Volunteer programs expanded with 2,500 Albertans volunteering more than 100,000 hours to assist with parks programs.

Media Inquiries

Erin Larson
Public Affairs Officer
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation
780-415-0918
erin.larson@gov.ab.ca