We were heading south on Hwy. 6 just 8.5 km from Twin Butte when we noticed this small pullout and all the signs. When we started reading the signs we discovered that this was part of the Waterton Biosphere Reserve.
Waterton Biosphere Reserve is one of only 16 biosphere reserves in Canada. It encompasses some of the most spectacular and diverse landscapes in the Canadian Rockies and prairie grasslands.
These signs and markers, apprising the passerby that they are within the boundaries of the Waterton Biosphere Reserve, are to be found at a pullout and small rest area on the south west side of Highway 6, 35 kilometers south of Pincher Creek and 10.5 kilometers north of the Waterton National Park gates. At the pullout, as well as the signage, are trash cans and a picnic table, not to mention a tremendous view of Canada's southern Rocky Mountains.
One of 16 biosphere reserves in Canada, Waterton was Canada’s second biosphere reserve, and the first to include a national park at its core. At 52,597 hectares, it encompasses an area of about 526 square kilometres. Including transition zones, it encompasses close to 900 square kilometres. These transition zones are not defined precisely at present. They are deemed to extend 20 kilometres east and north trom Waterton Park. Waterton National Park, which comprises the majority, if not all of, the core area, is itself 480.6 square kilometres in size, or 48,060 hectares.
Habitats in the Biosphere include prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, alpine tundra, high meadows, arctic-alpine communities above the tree line, upper subalpine forests, lower subalpine forests, deciduous forest, coniferous forests, cliffs, lakes, freshwater wetlands and disturbed, heavily grazed land.
The Waterton Biosphere Reserve
The Waterton Biosphere Reserve was designated in 1979 by UNESCO as a place where people work together to balance conservation with sustainable use of the land. The Reserve includes Waterton Lakes National Park as a protected core area. An adjacent buffer zone primarily consists of ranchlands within the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Waterton Park Front Project, which surrounds this viewpoint. Beyond is an area of cooperation that supports many people in a variety of economic activities. The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association supports the community as they work together as good stewards of this land, a legacy for future generations.
Want to know more? Visit www.watertonbiosphere.com
Where the Mountains Meet the Prairie
Wind, Water & Wilderness
It's an unusual day if you're standing here on Pine Ridge and not feeling the wind in your face. Winter chinooks can howl over 100 km/hour and move the temperature from -15°C to + 15°C in thirty minutes! From here, rolling fescue ranchlands, nearly unchanged since bison roamed here, sweep up the lower slopes of the mountains in Waterton Lakes National Park. Beyond are the peaks of Glacier National Park, Montana. This is a dynamic international ecosystem - wild and diverse. Human boundaries have no meaning to the wind, waters, wildflowers and wildlife of this landscape. Your enjoyment of this place represents only an instant in the millions of years it has been in the making.
Cooperation & Conservation
This is a place where people, provinces and countries meet. Aboriginal people have lived here for more than 11,000 years. Today, many people live or visit here, and ranching, forestry, recreation and the energy industry are significant activities. Maintaining varied uses of the land, while conserving the ecosystem, is a challenge. Fortunately, a tradition of stewardship supports this landscape. The neighbouring national parks joined in 1932 to form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, dedicated to peace and cooperation. The concept inspired close working relationships. Successful collaborations between individuals and groups such as land trusts, watershed groups, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Crown Managers Partnership, Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association and Waterton Natural History Association continue to sustain this landscape.
From Signs at the Pullout
General Description
Waterton Biosphere Reserve and National Park is situated in the extreme south-west of the Province of Alberta and encompasses a section of the east slopes of the Rocky Mountains extending from the Continental Divide to the edge of the Canadian Great Plains to the east. The Glacier Biosphere Reserve and National Park in Montana, USA is located to the south of the area.
The steep environmental gradients from the Continental Divide to the prairies have created an unusual rich mosaic of habitats with their associated flora and fauna. The biosphere reserve covers prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, subalpine forests, alpine tundra and meadows, cliffs, lakes and freshwater wetlands as well as disturbed, heavily grazed land in the prairies.
Waterton has a permanent population of 279 people and a seasonal population of about 2,250 during the summer peak season (1996). Major source of income is tourism which mainly takes place in the buffer zone. Agriculture, especially livestock raising and sustainable forest use within the ‘Blood Indian Reserve’, is of importance mainly in the transition zone.
The biosphere reserve organizes or helps co-sponsor public seminars or forums on matters that attract local community interest or concerns and also arranges outings for students.
Major ecosystem type
Mixed mountain and highland systems; lakes and freshwater wetlands
Major habitats & land cover types
Prairie grasslands including Danthonia spp., Festuca scabrella and Koeleria macrantha; aspen grove forests with Populus tremuloides, Amelanchier alnifolia and Heracleum lanatum; alpine tundra/high meadows characterized by Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), limber pine (P. flexilis) and whitebark pine (P. albicaulis); arctic-alpine communities above the tree line dominated by Dryas octopetala and Polemonium viscosum; upper subalpine forests with Larix lyallii, Luzula hitchcockii, Picea engelmannii and Abies lasiocarpa; lower subalpine forests dominated by Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa); deciduous forest, coniferous forests dominated by Douglas fir and limber pine; cliffs, lakes and frewhwater wetlands; disturbed, heavily grazed land with Populus tremuloides, Urtica dioica, Bromus inermis and Phleum pratense.
Location
49°00' to 49°12'N - 113°39' to 114°10'W
Area (hectares)
Total 52,597
Core area(s) 46,285
Buffer zone(s) 6,312
Transition area(s) when given Extending 20 km to the east
and north of the National Park.
No defined area
Altitude (metres above sea level)
+1,274 to +2,918
Year designated
1979
Administrative authorities
Waterton Lakes National Park - Waterton Biosphere Association
From the Waterton Biosphere Reserve