Introduction

Dinosaur Provincial Park (50°49'N, 111°36'W) is a World Heritage Site located in Alberta, Canada.

Geographical Location

Approximately 50 kilometers (km) north-east of Brooks in south-east Alberta. 50°49'N, 111°36'W

Date and History of Establishment

The Park was created as Steveville Dinosaur Provincial Park on 27 June 1955 under the Alberta Provincial Parks Act and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979. The boundary was modified in 1993 to accommodate natural gas deposits under the park.

Area

The badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park. (Source: University of Victoria)

The park spans 7,493 hectares (ha) (formerly 6,622 ha).

Land Tenure

Crown, Province of Alberta.

Originally the park included both Crown and private land. The Provincial Parks Act of 1974 limited the application of park status to Crown-owned or leased land and the 2,959 ha of private land at Dinosaur Park no longer fell within the power of the Act.

Altitude

Ranges from 621 meters (m) to 727 m.

Physical Features

The site is an outstanding example of fluvial erosion patterns in semi-arid steppes; slow-moving rivers that emptied into the shallow Bearpaw Sea 75 million years ago left deposits which have ultimately developed into the clay shale and sandstone observed today. About 15,000 years ago this area was flat and covered by an ice sheet some 600 m thick. During this ice age, glacial meltwater carved steep-sided channels; ice crystals, wind and flowing water continued to shape these extensive 'badlands' which today display a variety of representative features including hoodoos, mesas, buttes, knife-edge divides, piping features, pseudokarst terrain, miniature pediments, ephemeral streams and bentonitic clays. Differential weathering by water erosion continues to expose a variety of bedrock. About 6% of the area is occupied by significant and, for the most part, undisturbed riparian habitat, shaped by the meandering channel of the Red Deer River and characterized by point bars, wide terraces, fans and cutbanks.

Climate

Mean annual temperature is 3.8ºC and mean annual precipitation is 406 millimeters (mm) (recorded at an altitude of 730 m).

Vegetation

Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. (Source: University of Toronto)

The river terraces support lush and diverse vegetation in various successional stages, ranging from pioneer willow stands to structurally complex plains, cottonwood forest, tall shrub thickets, ephemeral wetlands and dense sagebrush flats. Plains cottonwood riparian communities are among the most threatened habitats in semi-arid regions. The 'badlands' provide habitat for a number of ecologically specialized plant species and are characterized by open vegetation dominated by plants of the genus Artemisia and the family Chenopodiaceae. Remnant and recently created grasslands occur on buttes and large pediments. Threatened]species, or those at the limit of their biogeographical ranges, include Stephanomeria runcinata, Orobanche ludoviciana, Atriplex powellii (E), A. suckleyi, Oryzopsis micrantha, Lupinus pusillus, Plantago elongata, Muhlenbergia racemosa, Erigonium cernuum and Antennaria dimorpha.

Fauna

Geological strata of the Judith River formation, deposited 75 million years ago, have yielded many of the dinosaur remains for which the park is renowned. Some 38 species of over 34 genera of 12 families of dinosaurs have been found in the Park, including specimens from every known group of dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period. The families Hadrasauridae, Ornithomimidae, Tyrannosauridae, Nodosauridae, Pachycephalosauridae and Ceratopsidae are best represented. Other fossil remains include fish, turtles, marsupials and amphibians.

The mild winter micro-climate, coupled with an abundant ood supply, provides critical winter range for native ungulates such as pronghorn Antilocapra americana, mule deer Odocoileus hemionus and white-tailed deer O. virginianus. The relative richness and abundance of breeding avifauna is noteworthy. Over 150 species of bird have been recorded. The area supports a number of species locally threatened or at their biogeographical limits, including golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos, prairie falcon Falco mexicanus, ferruginous hawk Buteo regalis, loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus, merlin Falco columbarius, Brewers sparrow Spizella breweri and grasshopper sparrow Ammodramus savannarum. Plains spadefoot toad Scaphiopus bombifrons also occurs.

Cultural Heritage

Several archaeological sites representative of the native 'Plains Indian Culture' have been found, including a 'Vision Quest' site, a stone effigy and Tipi rings.

Local Human Population

Brook, a community of 10,000 inhabitants, lies about 50 km south of the provincial park.

Visitors and Visitor Facilities

Campsites, picnic areas, hiking trails and a visitor education program with on-site interpretation facilities are provided.

Scientific Research and Facilities

Dinosaur Fossils located at the Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology. (Source: Brooklyn College)

Long-term palaeotological research and monitoring programs are in progress, particularly on the fossil beds, which are the most extensive in Canada. A drainage basin has been set aside in the natural preserve for on-going geomorphic process research. The park was surveyed and subsequently included in the International Biological Programme. All scientific studies and research are rigidly controlled through a parks research and collection permit system. A field station of the Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeonotology has been constructed in the park and opened in May 1987. This field station supports the palaeotological research activities undertaken in the park and provides a public educational/interpretive facility.

Conservation Value

The park is of great international palaeotological significance and includes representations of dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Period. Between 1979 and 1991, a total of 23,347 fossil specimens were collected, including 300 dinosaur skeletons from at least 35 distinct species. In addition, the Red Deer River supports riparian habitats which includes structurally complex plains cottonwood forest, whilst the badland terrain, which is subject to erosion, continually exposes bedrock.

Conservation Management

An administration office is located at the field station of the Royal Tyrell Museum. All palaeotological, prehistoric/historic resources are protected both on private and crown lands under the provisions of the Alberta Historical Resources Act 1978. There is no zoning system, except for the establishment of a Natural Preserve in 1970 which allows visitor access to be controlled and thus helps preserve the major palaeotological and geomorphological features. A resource management plan was completed in April 1990. A general management plan is being prepared to formally direct and provide for future use, development, management, interpretation and education, and will be completed in 1996.

Management Constraints

Five gas wells were drilled in the park, prior to it being inscribed on the World Heritage List. Three are now abandoned, the other two will be phased out and reclaimed over time. However, a program of gas-well development occurs on lands surrounding the park, and includes an unspecified number of gas wells and ancillary pipelines on upland areas north and south of the Red Deer River. Gas wells are allowed with a 150 m setback from the top of the badlands slopes. Gas well projects take place only under stringent conditions to minimize impacts. There are no grazing leases inside the park, and there are no plans to extinguish those outside the park.

Staff

As of 1995, full time staff comprises two rangers, one visitor services officer, one maintenance service worker and one support staff. Three rangers, six interpreters and four maintenance service workers are employed during the summer season.

Budget

Can $419,573 (1995), not including capital funding.

IUCN Management Category

• II (National Park)
• Natural World Heritage Site - Criteria i, iii

Further Reading

• Alberta Recreation and Parks (Parks Division) (1980). Dinosaur Provincial Park Leaflet.
• Alberta Recreation and Parks (1986). Dinosaur Provincial Park Core Area Master Development Plan. Prepared by Reid Crowther and Partners Ltd. Unpublished.
• Anon (1979). World Heritage nomination submitted to UNESCO.
• Anon (1991). A proposal to expand the boundary of Dinosaur World Heritage Site. Submitted to the World Heritage Committee by Canada and the Province of Alberta.
• Dinosaur Provincial Park Fact Sheet. (1989). Prepared by Alberta Provincial Parks Service for the WCMC Protected Areas Data Unit. World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK. Unpublished. 4pp.