E-mail A Friend Tell a friend about the information found on this page by sending them an e-mail.   Your Name: Your E-mail:   Type an e-mail address, then click add: Add a Personal Message: (Optional)

Explorer

Past stories Living off-the-grid New Brunswick's Saint John River Ontario's Bruce Trail Canadian Ski Marathon Elk Island National Park Rallying for rallysport Montreal - Circus city Beluga Bytes Dawson - a musical adventure Bald Eagle Confederation Trail Boning up on the badlands Ukkusiksalik National Park Geocaching Discover Cypress Hills Saint Joseph's Oratory A walk through Stanley Park Sudbury's science centre Acadia continues Toronto's underground world

Elk Island National Park's ability to breed and protect giant herds of wood and plains bison is due in large part to the fencing that surrounds the entire park. The park remains the only fully-enclosed national park in Canada, and this distinction has allowed it to be a North American leader in efforts to repopulate bison herds.

The concept began when the park was first established in 1906 to protect a herd of elk. A group of hunters from Fort Saskatchewan volunteered $5,000 of their own money to lobby the government to create a preserve because elk populations were dwindling due to over-hunting. The government set aside 41 square kilometres in 1906, which allowed for 48 plains bison to be brought to the park a year later. As the park expanded so too did the fencing and it has allowed a park that is near urban areas and farms and bisected by the Trans-Canada highway to thrive as a preserve for a variety of species.

The fencing covers 194 square kilometres with wooden posts fenced with steel mesh. The highway also helps by acting as the barrier between the plains bison and wood bison populations.