Lakeland Provincial Park and Recreation Area

Lakeland Provincial Park and Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area are located east of Lac La Biche, Alberta, Canada, in Lac La Biche County.
The park contains numerous lakes, such as Kinnaird, Jackson, McGuffin, Dabbs, Shaw, and Blackett, as well as many other smaller waterbodies. The Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area contains Pinehurst Lake, Seibert, Touchwood and Ironwood Lakes.
Park planning and development.
Planning the provincial park.
Discussions of Lakeland Provincial Park were ongoing for decades before the park was designated in 1992. During the 1960s and 1970s the region was under consideration as a public recreation area. Increasing use led to the construction of small-scale facilities by the provincial Department of Highways and the Forest Service. In 1972 a park reservation was created from Lac La Biche to Cold Lake, which includes the areas now in Lakeland Provincial Park. By the late 1980s, the existing facilities were facing substantial use pressures. Reports from the provincial government described the recreational infrastructure as "minimal" and suggested improving the "limited road access." Discussing the park's potential, the then Deputy Minister of Renewable Resources stated:
The proposed Pinehurst-Seibert-Touchwood Park has by far the greatest potential for a wide variety of water based recreation activities in Alberta. The excellent beaches on the larger lakes [Pinehurst, Seibert, Touchwood, and Spencer] provide focal points for intensive use camping, boating, swimming and fishing. These lakes have carrying capacities for large numbers of people. The Jackson-Kinnaird-Blackett area has natural potential for wilderness canoeing, hiking, and sportfishing. The Sand River and its tributaries have very good potential for canoe and trail routes. The upland areas are prime wildlife habitat and provide abundant opportunities for dispersed recreation such as viewing, photography, hiking, nature study and hunting.
In 1975 a government task force was struck to provide Premier Peter Lougheed with management options pertaining to resource conflicts in the area. The Minister of Lands and Forests, Allan Warrack felt a formal recommendation to establish the park could be submitted for government consideration in 1976.
Announcing the park.
One of the most vocal proponents of the proposed park was the nearby town of Lac La Biche. The town felt significant job growth and tourist revenue would stem from the creation of the park. The public announcement, in January 1992, that the park proposal had been accepted garnered positive reaction from the community. Mayor Tom Maccagno and MLA for Athabasca-Lac La Biche Mike Cardinal jointly made the announcement at a local fish fry, which was being held to celebrate the creation of Lakeland. At the announcement, the Honourable Mike Cardinal announced the park could attract "up to one million tourists annually."
Developing the park.
The facilities at Lakeland Provincial Park were constructed in part by First Nation and Métis prison inmates. During the early 1990s the Government of Alberta was experimenting with changes to the criminal justice system that would bring more Métis and First Nation individuals into policing and legal roles, including judges and justices of the peace. Another component of this program included putting convicted First Nation and Métis inmates to work. An inmate camp was constructed at Lac La Biche, and prisoners were used to construct trails and facilities in the park.
Hydrology.
Drainage basins.
The Lakeland area straddles two drainage basins, and is thus drained by two major river systems, the Athabasca and the Beaver-Churchill. The Athabasca River drainage basin is the second largest drainage basin in Alberta. It drains 5 of the major lakes in the north-west section of the Lakeland area, including Blackett, Dabbs, Kinnaird, and McGuffin lakes, which all flow into Jackson Lake. Jackson Lake is drained by Gull Creek, which ultimately flows into the Piche River, which in turn joins the Owl River, then Lac La Biche, the La Biche River, and ultimately, into the Athabasca River and on to the Arctic Ocean.
The other major lakes, in the south-east section of the Lakeland area, are in the Sand River sub-basin. Spencer and Seibert Lakes are drained by a small unnamed creek, while Punk Creek drains Pinehurst Lake. Water from Touchwood Lake also enters Pinehurst Lake through a small creek. Water from the area flows into the Sand River from Helena Lake, into Horne Lake, then Ironwood Lake, and in turn Rich Lake. The Sand River enters the Beaver River and flows to Hudson Bay through the Churchill system. 
Lakes of Lakeland Provincial Park.
Black Duck Lake is translated from the Cree "Kuskutesip Sagahegan." It is unclear on the exact species of duck the name refers to. The lake often ices over in early October, and is thought to be too shallow to contain fish.
Blackett Lake is at the same elevation as nearby Kinnaird and Jackson Lakes, and is connected to the other bodies of water by small streams. Local First Nation groups and early settlers understood and conceptualized the three lakes as one large body of water. The Blackett name is likely taken from a group of early settlers, who may have been fleeing legal trouble stemming from the Yukon Gold Rush.
Brown Lake is one of the least accessible, and seldom visited, lakes in the park. No fish currently inhabit the lake, although local memory indicates there may have once been a self-sustaining population. Brown Lake is quite shallow, and possibly only connected to nearby lakes through groundwater. At high water levels, Brown Lake may spill into adjoining Helena Lake. Little information exists on the origin of the "Brown Lake" name, although it is suspected to not be of local origin.
Dabbs Lake is named after Pilot Officer H. E. Dabbs, who died during World War II. The Cree name for the lake is "Hamschigosik Sagahegan", translated as "Little Island Lake". The shoreline of Dabbs Lake is dominated by white spruce, and the lake is connected to Kinnaird Lake via a small creek. Dabbs Lake is divided into two basins, with a maximum depth of in the deeper, north basin.
Jackson Lake has relatively high shores, dominated by cattails, willows, black spruce, aspen poplar, and white spruce vegetation. The lake is named after a family with the surname Jackson, originally from North Dakota, that homesteaded on nearby Fork Lake in the 1930s. Likely, members of that family trapped on Jackson Lake in the winter.
Jackson Lake, as well as Kinnaird and Blackett Lakes, are at the same altitude and connected by narrow bodies of water or small streams. Collectively, the three lakes had the Cree name "Maniwansik." Similarly, commercial fishermen in the 1920s and 1930s referred to the lakes collectively as "Egg Lakes." It is believed that Jackson and Kinnaird Lakes formed the basin of a single, larger lake, until a pressure ridge was pushed up by ice over an existing sandbar.
Kinnaird Lake is one of the largest lakes within the provincial park. It was named after D. G. Kinnaird, a homesteader in the region. The name was made official in 1921, although it may have originally appeared as "Canard". Kinnaird Lake has been commercially fished since the 1920s. There is significant algae and summer plant growth in Jackson Lake, with thin shorelines and very tall grasses.
McGuffin Lake is one of the smaller lakes in the park. It is named after Squadron Leader W. C. McGuffin, of Calgary, who was killed during World War II. The Cree name for the lake was "Kamshttigowa", while local residents had previously called McGuffin Lake "Island Lake." McGuffin Lake drains into Jackson Lake via a small creek.
Shaw Lake is one of the smallest lakes within Lakeland Provincial Park. It is the only lake with a road-accessible public recreation area on its shores. Shaw Lake was likely named after J. P. Shaw, a commercial fisherman from the area active in the 1930s. The lake has the characteristics of a large slough, with marshy shores and two distinct basins. Shaw Lake appears to have once been commercially fished, although is now subject to frequent winterkill.
Snake Lake is less than a quarter section in total area, although significant number of northern pike are found in the lake. There are three competing theories on the origin of the "Snake Lake" name. The first posits that local trappers frequently saw garter snakes on the lakeshore. The second argues that the northern pike in the lake rarely exceeded three to four pounds, and their long sinuous bodies resembled those of snakes. The third theory suggests early visitors to the lake encountered very large leeches, which resembled snakes. The lake is also known as "Zig-Zag Lake."
Lakes of Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area.
Ironwood Lake is a medium-sized lake in the southeast corner of the recreation area. The name "Ironwood" is not of local origin. Prior to the official naming of Ironwood in 1951 it was referred to as "Rocky Island Lake." Cree names for the lake included "Kamistigwapskasik Sagahegan" meaning "Little Stony Island Lake" or "Chipay Sagahegan", meaning "Skeleton Lake." Nearby Helena, Horne, and Frenchman Lakes empty into Ironwood, which itself empties into Rich Lake and then into the Beaver River. Ironwood Lake is a key point for many spawning fish in the area.
The west, north, and east shores of Ironwood Lake are dominated by large hills, while the southern shore features two large estuaries. The lake water varies significantly in colour and composition throughout the year, ranging from cloudy to clear. The bottom of Ironwood lake also varies significantly, with some sections covered in muddy silt, and others in clean sand or glacial debris. Ironwood is home to perch, northern pike, walleye, burbot, and lake whitefish. There is a boat launch and campground on the south shore.
Lake statistics.
Morphometric and hydrological characteristics of waterbodies in the Park and Recreation Area
Summer water characteristic of lakes in the Park and Recreation Area 
Controversies and land use conflicts.
Lakeland Provincial Park and Recreation Area has been the subject of a number of conflicts with other regional land users.
CFB Cold Lake.
One of the largest impediments to the creation of Lakeland Provincial Park and Recreation stemmed from concerns of nearby Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake. During public consultations on the park, base officials expressed concern that complaints over the noise from low-flying jets could jeopardize the operations of CFB Cold Lake. Indeed, military officials resisted the use of the term "park." Major Jim Christie, then the Deputy Base Operations Officer, stated "We would prefer to see it called something other than a park so there is no connotation of peace and quiet that would be disrupted by aircraft activity." In response, the provincial government provided base officials the opportunity to influence where facilities and trails were situated in the park.
The provincial government made a number of other concessions towards the military base. These included:
Float planes.
In the mid-1990s, Lakeland Provincial Park was the site of a unique protest by float plane pilots in Alberta. Pilot Stan Elchuk, of Edmonton, attempted to organize a "protest landing" of float planes on Jackson and Kinnaird Lakes in June 1996 to bring attention to perceived discriminatory provincial regulations. The pilot felt the province was discriminating against float plane operators because they required special permission to land in the park, while other motorized users, in this case powerboats, were free of regulations. Early management plans for the park had banned all motors in the park, although a provincial government spokesperson did admit the rules were rarely enforced. While the protest did raise public awareness of the issue, it appears no regulations were changed after the incident.
Float planes are allowed on lakes in Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area.
Conservation.
Lakeland Provincial Park and Lakeland Provincial Recreation area protect over 200 species of birds, a large number of boreal mammals, and many fish species.
Fish.
There are a number of fish species found and documented in the Lakeland area. These include:
Distribution of fish by waterbody in Lakeland Provincial Park and Recreation Area 
Birds.
The Government of Alberta conducted a survey of birds in the park throughout 1993. The report found 153 species of birds to be present on lakes in the park. The report also noted that its list was "not exhaustive" and did not reflect a number of species that were not the focus of the investigation, namely species not residing on major waterbodies.
Activities.
Facilities can be found at "Shaw Lake".
Campground usage is free, and reservations are voluntary in this backcountry camping sites.
Hiking and canoeing can be combined in a back country canoe circuit.