Just 20 minutes east of Edmonton, Alberta, the Beaver Hills Biosphere encompasses an area of approximately 1600 square kilometres that includes portions of the counties of Strathcona, Leduc, Lamont, Beaver and Camrose.

A Special Place

The Beaver Hills, known as amiskwaciy in Cree, is a truly special place that provides a diversity of productive, critical habitat to many species of wildlife and migratory bird species, and is home to many people, past and present.

Historically, the Beaver Hills were an important stopping place for nomadic peoples making a seasonal migration between the plains and the hills. It was where Indigenous peoples would replenish after spending extended periods on the plains, and where they could hunt, fish and gather other needed resources. The First Nations and Métis heritage of the region is rich and complex.

A Vibrant Region

The Beaver Hills region is still predominantly a rural community comprised of agricultural and rural residential landowners. Several small villages lie within the Biosphere, but larger urban communities, including the cities of Edmonton and Leduc, and the towns of Tofield and Lamont, are beyond the Biosphere boundary. Sherwood Park partly straddles the Biosphere boundary.

Developed lands within the Biosphere support agricultural operations, rural residential subdivisions and some oil and gas exploration activity. In addition to the local population, this lived-in landscape supports recreational users from the Edmonton region and beyond and various governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in environmental conservation, research, tourism and recreation, agriculture and community development.

 

Did You Know

More than 13,000 people reside within the Biosphere. Seasonally, there are more than 365,000 visitors to the region.