New $10.7 million research and monitoring Field Station opens in Wood Buffalo National Park

FORT CHIPEWYAN, AB, June 30, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, Acting Chief Teri Villebrun of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, President Ruby Ladouceur of Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, Chief Melody Lepine of Mikisew Cree First Nation, Lori Cyprien, Chair of the Board of Directors for Nipîy Tu Research & Knowledge Centre, along with Jewel Cunningham, Parks Canada's Senior Vice-President of Operations, celebrated the completion of the Wood Buffalo National Park Field Station in the Peace-Athabasca Delta.

Field Station cabins connected by boardwalk, providing comfortable and accessible year-round accommodations for scientists, knowledge holders, youth and Elders visiting the facilities. Credit: Parks Canada (CNW Group/Parks Canada (HQ))

The Government of Canada is committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with Indigenous communities and to protecting Canada's natural and cultural heritage through the development of research and monitoring programs that combine Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to assess and track the health of key ecosystems.

Located 10 km from Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, in the Peace-Athabasca Delta, the field station was designed in collaboration with Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, and Mikisew Cree First Nation.

The Field Station will support community-based monitoring initiatives, such as Muskrat and Fish Camps, land-based programs where community members, researchers and Knowledge Holders observe environmental conditions through traditional practices, which braid Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science to strengthen monitoring and stewardship in the delta. It will also serve as a gathering place to foster connections among researchers, youth, Elders, and the broader community.

The opening of the Wood Buffalo National Park Field Station represents a key milestone in implementing the Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site Action Plan, responding directly to commitments to strengthen coordinated research, monitoring, and community-based stewardship in the Peace-Athabasca Delta.

Through its $3.8 billion A Force of Nature strategy announced March 31, 2026, the Government of Canada is investing $90 million over five years to support ecosystem restoration and the recovery of wood bison populations along the Alberta-Northwest Territories border. This investment, delivered in partnership with Indigenous communities and regional governments, will also advance the ongoing implementation of the Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site strategy.

Quotes

"This is what sovereignty looks like. Indigenous Nations investing in themselves to protect our environment, culture and food chain. It's up to us to stand against the forces of unchecked development. This is what that looks like."
Acting Chief Teri Villebrun, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation

"Mikisew Cree First Nation is proud to join Parks Canada in celebrating the opening of the Field Station on our traditional lands along the Quatre Fourche River. This space will bring together Elders, knowledge holders, youth, land users, and scientists to share knowledge, strengthen connections, and deepen our understanding of the Peace-Athabasca Delta. A UNESCO World Heritage Site faced with significant threats to the declining Outstanding Universal Value; we welcome all efforts towards its conservation.

Through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual respect, we aim to better understand and address the challenges facing this globally significant ecosystem while protecting the ecological and cultural integrity of our sacred lands for future generations.

This initiative also supports ongoing community efforts with our neighbours the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, reflecting a shared commitment to stewardship and our collaboration in ensuring our Delta is protected for years to come"
Chief Melody Lepine, Mikisew Cree First Nation

"The delta is not just where we live--it is who we are. These waters and islands have carried our ancestors for generations; their footprints may no longer be visible on the land, but their memory remains in every channel and shoreline. This Field Station ensures that the people most connected to these waters are now leading the work to understand and protect them. That is stewardship as our Elders taught it, and collaboration as it should be: the three Nations and Parks Canada, standing together on the land, building something that will serve our children long after the ribbon is cut."
President Ruby Ladouceur, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation

"Through the recently announced funding under the Force of Nature strategy, the federal government is reaffirming its strong commitment to the Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site Action Plan, including efforts to support the recovery of wood bison populations. Investments in community-based monitoring, research and essential infrastructure--such as the new Field Station--are helping to ensure that Indigenous knowledge and Western Science continue to work together. These investments support community leadership, strengthen shared stewardship, and help safeguard this globally significant ecosystem for generations to come."
The Honourable Julie Dabrusin
Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

"The Peace-Athabasca Delta is one of Canada's most extraordinary ecosystems and a deeply meaningful place to the Indigenous communities who have been its stewards for generations. Our government is working in partnership with the people who know this place best to ensure its health for years to come. The opening of the Wood Buffalo National Park Field Station marks an important milestone, creating new opportunities for on-the-land learning and sharing for Indigenous Knowledge holders, researchers, community members, youth and Elders."
The Honourable Rebecca Alty
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories

Quick Facts

• Wood Buffalo National Park is located on Treaty 8 Territory, the traditional lands of the Cree, Dené and Métis peoples.
• The Field Station includes a field data preparation facility for sample processing and preliminary data analysis, allowing Indigenous Knowledge holders and researchers to work directly in the delta. A large hall and kitchen support group engagement sessions, educational activities, and multi-day culture camps, accommodating up to 80 daytime visitors. Outdoor facilities, including a fire pit and indoor communal spaces, support group discussions and educational programming. The site also has cabins and tent camping accommodations that can accommodate up to 50 people. 
• Wood Buffalo National Park is Canada's largest national park. Its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site comes in part from the important role it plays in protecting the largest free-roaming wood bison herd, the last natural nesting spot for endangered whooping cranes, and one of the world's largest freshwater deltas. 
• Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation played a central role in the planning and development of the Field Station. Along with the total 11 Indigenous partners, they continue to support the Action Plan through monitoring programs, contribution agreements, and ongoing efforts towards cooperative management.

Related Document

Backgrounder – Wood Buffalo National Park Field Station

Related Links

• Wood Buffalo National Park
• Wood Buffalo National Park Action Plan
• Parks Canada mobile application
• Parks Canada website
• Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
• Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation
• Mikisew Cree First Nation
• Prime Minister Carney launches new nature strategy to protect Canada's natural environment

SOURCE Parks Canada (HQ)

Contacts: Keean Nembhard, Press Secretary, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, 343-292-6096, [email protected]; Media Relations, Parks Canada, 855-862-1812, [email protected]; Luke McCarroll, Public Relations and Communications Officer, Wood Buffalo National Park, 867-872-0443, [email protected]