Canadian Forces Base Suffield
National Wildlife Area

CFB Suffield National Wildlife Area is 458 square kilometers in area and is located within the 2,690 km² Canadian Forces Base Suffield. CFB Suffield is one of the largest blocks of unplowed grassland remaining in Prairie Canada, roughly one half the size of Prince Edward Island. Undisturbed grasslands, sand hills, river breaks and wetlands are refuge to an army of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. CFB Suffield is home to more than 1,100 known species, 20 of which are listed as species at risk in Canada. The National Wildlife Area has long been recognized as ecologically unique and fragile by the military: ground training has not been conducted in the lands that are now the NWA since 1971.

News

A Joint Review Panel environmental assessment was conducted to assess the potential impacts of a 1,275 well infill drilling program proposed by EnCana Corporation in the Suffield NWA. The formal hearings concluded on October 31, 2008 and the Panel issued its report and recommendations at the end of January, 2009. A copy of the report is available from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. The recommendations are currently being reviewed by the Government of Canada.

Public Access and Use

Public access is prohibited by authority of the National Defence Act.

Importance to Wildlife

CFB Suffield NWA is unique, nationally significant, and offers a northern refuge for prairie wildlife. It is the only NWA specifically affording protection at a scale large enough to achieve the survival and recovery of prairie grassland species that have been identified at risk. Its establishment in 2003 recognized that native prairie grasslands were continuing to disappear at an alarming rate and that it was imperative to set aside a large block of habitat for local and regional benefit.

Management of the NWA

The Canadian Forces Base Suffield National Wildlife Area was formally established by Order In Council on June 19, 2003, pursuant to subsection 4(2) of the Canada Wildlife Act, whereby these protected lands will be operated by the Minister of National Defence as part of the Canadian Forces Base Suffield. This unprecedented arrangement represented an exciting new method of protecting nationally significant wildlife habitat on Federal Lands in Canada.

Links

• Department of National Defence - CFB Suffield NWA
• Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency - Suffield National Wildlife Area