Bulletins

Parks Canada has started a prescribed fire in the Lake Audy area of Riding Mountain National Park. Prescribed fire will be used to limit the spread of aspen and shrubs, remove white spruce encroaching into grassland areas, and rejuvenate aging forest stands. These low intensity burns will reduce hazardous fuel buildup, support grassland expansion, and improve long term ecosystem resilience (See Map 1).

Riding Mountain National Park will remain open to visitors during the prescribed fire. Some areas will be closed for short periods to ensure visitor and staff safety

There could be closures in place for the following areas:

• Bison Enclosure and Facilities
• Lake Audy Road (from 61A to the district station)
• Lake Audy Dam Road
• Strathclair Trail (closed at both entrances), Central Trail – North Bison Enclosure to Gunn Lake, Long Lake Trail, Grasshopper Trail, Link Trail, Grasshopper Valley Trail
• Whitewater, Long Lake, Kinnis Creek, Vermillion, Minnedosa River backcountry sites

The safety of people, infrastructure and neighbouring lands is Parks Canada’s top priority.

Smoke and flames may be visible from a long distance, and smoke may drift to areas adjacent to the park. Neighbouring residents and property owners may experience some smoky conditions due to smoke travelling outside of the prescribed fire area.

Prescribed fire provides a safe and targeted way to reintroduce fire as a natural ecological process in ecosystems that historically depended on it to shape and maintain healthy landscapes. The prescribed fire in the Lake Audy area aims to improve the forage for bison, elk, deer, and other grazing wildlife, to maintain and restore prairie grasslands, and reduce the risk of a high-intensity wildfire happening in Riding Mountain National Park.

For up-to-date information about area or facility closures and other updates on the prescribed fire, please visit Riding Mountain National Park’s website  and Facebook page at facebook.com/RidingNP.

More information about Parks Canada’s National Fire Management Program can be found at:

https://parks.canada.ca/nature/science/conservation/feu-fire