Grasslands National Park Webcam – Wild Bison of Canada

The Grasslands National Park Webcam is a live camera in the West Block of Grasslands National Park, on the open mixed grass prairie of southern Saskatchewan. Parks Canada and explore.org placed it in remote backcountry that plains bison cows use for calving in spring, so the frame is mostly grass, sky and a long horizon with the herd moving through it. A fence line runs across the middle distance and low eroded ridges close off the skyline. There is no town in view and no traffic. What changes here is the light: shadows from broken cloud sweep across the grass, and the colour shifts from spring green to the bleached gold of late summer.

About Grasslands National Park

Grasslands National Park was established in 1981 and covers 907 square kilometers (350 square miles) of southern Saskatchewan, hard against the Montana border. It comes in two separate pieces. The West Block, where this camera sits, is centered on the Frenchman River valley and is reached through the village of Val Marie, a community of 120 people at 795 meters (2,608 feet) above sea level. The East Block lies about an hour south of Assiniboia and takes in the Killdeer Badlands and the Wood Mountain Hills. Together they protect what is left of Canada’s mixed grass prairie, an ecosystem broken by the plough almost everywhere else.

Bison were absent from this ground for roughly 120 years. In December 2005 Parks Canada moved 71 plains bison here from Elk Island National Park in Alberta, 30 male calves, 30 female calves and 11 yearlings, and held them through the winter before releasing them onto the open prairie on 24 May 2006. The park now manages a herd of 400 to 500 animals. They graze without supplemental feed, which is why the grass in frame is cropped unevenly rather than cut flat.

The bison are not the only species brought back here. The park and the country around it hold Canada’s only black-tailed prairie dog colonies, and black-footed ferrets were released into those towns after a 70-year absence from the wild in Canada. On 2 October 2009 the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada designated Grasslands a dark-sky preserve, so the same ground sits under a sky with almost no artificial glow.

Weather and Climate in Grasslands National Park

This is a semi-arid corner of the country, inside Palliser’s Triangle, and the numbers run to extremes in both directions. January at Val Marie averages a daily high of -4.3 C (24.3 F) and a low of -17.1 C (1.2 F), and the coldest reading on record is -49.4 C (-56.9 F), set on 20 January 1954. July averages 26.7 C (80.1 F) by day and 10.3 C (50.5 F) overnight, with a record high of 41.1 C (106.0 F) from 4 July 1937. Only about 352.5 millimeters (13.88 inches) of precipitation falls in a year, and snowfall averages 77.3 centimeters (30.4 inches).

Spring greens the grass and puts calves on the ground, and it is the most changeable period, with squalls crossing the frame. Summer bleaches the prairie to gold and builds tall cloud over the ridges by afternoon, which is what puts moving shadow on the grass. Fall brings clearer air and a low sun that picks out every fold in the ground. Winter can strip the view to white and brown, and blowing snow often cuts visibility to a few hundred meters, though the same wind scours ridges bare so the herd can still reach grass.

Things to Do Near Grasslands National Park

The Ecotour Scenic Drive is the main way into the West Block from Val Marie, an unpaved loop that runs past prairie dog towns and the watering hole where the park’s second live camera is mounted. The best short hike is 70 Mile Butte, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) southeast of Val Marie. The butte is the highest point in the park and stands roughly 100 meters (328 feet) above the plain, with a view down the Frenchman River valley from the top. The North West Mounted Police named it while patrolling this country between 1874 and 1912, because it sat 70 miles east of the Wood Mountain Post and 70 miles west of the Eastend Post.

Val Marie works as the base for everything in the West Block. Stargazing is a real reason to stay the night, given the dark-sky designation. With a second day, the East Block near Assiniboia is a different kind of country: the Killdeer Badlands are eroded into ravines and bare slopes rather than the rolling grass in front of this camera, and the Wood Mountain Hills rise behind them.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Three more live cameras worth a look, one of them in the same province.

• Regina Webcam
• Okaukuejo Webcam
• Hwange National Park Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Grasslands National Park located?

In southern Saskatchewan, Canada, along the Montana border. The West Block, where this camera sits, is reached from the village of Val Marie, and the East Block lies about an hour south of Assiniboia.

What can you see on the Grasslands National Park Webcam?

Open mixed grass prairie, with a fence line across the middle distance and low eroded ridges on the horizon. The camera sits in backcountry that bison cows use for calving, so the herd passes through the frame, though there is no guarantee of animals at any given moment. Pronghorn and coyotes cross the same ground.

What is the weather like in Grasslands National Park?

Semi-arid and extreme. July averages 26.7 C (80.1 F) by day, January averages -17.1 C (1.2 F) overnight, and the records run from -49.4 C (-56.9 F) to 41.1 C (106.0 F). Annual precipitation is only about 352.5 millimeters (13.88 inches).

How many bison live in Grasslands National Park?

Parks Canada manages a herd of 400 to 500 plains bison in the West Block. They range freely and are not fed, so they move with the grass rather than staying near any one spot.

When were bison reintroduced to Grasslands National Park?

Seventy-one plains bison arrived from Elk Island National Park in December 2005 and were released onto the open prairie on 24 May 2006, ending an absence of about 120 years.

What is the best time to watch the Grasslands National Park Webcam?

Daylight hours at the park. Late spring is when calves are on the ground, and early morning and late afternoon are when the herd tends to be moving rather than bedded down.

What other animals live in Grasslands National Park?

Pronghorn, swift fox, coyote, burrowing owl, ferruginous hawk, greater sage-grouse, prairie rattlesnake and greater short-horned lizard. The park also holds Canada’s only black-tailed prairie dog colonies, and black-footed ferrets were returned to those colonies after a 70-year absence.

Is Grasslands National Park a dark-sky preserve?

Yes. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada gave it that designation on 2 October 2009, which makes the park one of the darkest places in Canada for stargazing.

Source: explore.org