Wet areas map for Beauvais Lake Provincial Park

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Wet areas map for Beauvais Lake Provincial Park:
a cost-effective approach to facilitate stewardship
Barry White, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Edmonton, Alberta
Joyce Gould, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Edmonton, Alberta
Jae Ogilvie, Paul A. Arp, Forest Watershed Research Center, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Alberta’s parks and protected areas are valued as natural landscapes that help protect the environmental diversity of
our province and inspire society to enjoy and rediscover our connection with the natural world. Parks and protected
areas throughout Alberta are managed as a legacy for future generations through leadership, stewardship and research
to protect biodiversity and provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. Alberta has recently completed the
production of “wet areas maps” for Beauvais Lake Provincial Park located in south western Alberta which will help
facilitate stewardship of this montane landscape. This modeling approach has been adopted by land stewards in
eastern Canada and north-eastern United States where it has been particularly helpful in enhancing the sustainability
and stewardship of forested landscapes. Efforts are underway to produce wet areas maps for other protected areas in
Alberta including the Willmore in 2009. Alberta’s mapping process will incorporate newly acquired LiDAR data to
produce maps of superior quality. Maps are expected to significantly enhance the stewardship of many of Alberta’s
valued landscapes.
This poster presents a LiDAR-based view of Beauvais Provincial Park in Southwestern Alberta.
Top-right:
Bare-ground hill-shaded LiDAR digital elevation model (DEM) for the area, including roads, pipeline, and cartographic
depth-to-water index (0 to 1 m, pink to red, respectively) signaling areas likely subject to water flow and flooding
during wet weather; DEM-derived flow channels and the lake serve as zero-depth reference locations.
Bottom:
Composite of full-features LiDAR surface image with roads and DEM-derived flow channels and wet areas , overlain by
Google-Earth surface image showing trails, bare areas and vegetative surface cover (green)
Beauvais Lake Provincial Park
Acknowledgments: Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFMN)
Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA)
Forest Watershed Research Center (FWRC)