North Buck Lake is about 35 km west of Lac la Biche. On its west side there are three pieces of crown land with Protected Area designation: North Buck Lake NA (PNT), North Buck Lake PP (PNT) and Caslan NA (PNT).
Map of the Area
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Biophysical Observations (via iNaturalist)
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Observations & Projects for this Natural Area
- Observations for Caslan (PNT) Natural Area.
- Observations for North Buck Lake (PNT-NA) Natural Area.
- Observations for North Buck Lake (PNT-PP) (note, may incorrectly be listed as Caslan).
- No iNaturalist Projects.
Other Information
North Buck Lake is surrounded by Crown Land whose designations vary. Given that Alberta’s Protected Area definitions can be confusing, a detailed breakdown is worthwhile.
Starting at the southeast North Buck Lake Provincial Recreational Area (PRA) juts into North Buck Lake. While SAPAA typically excludes PRAs, given its proximity to the NAs and shared names, it is being mentioned here.
PP, NA, PNT – Not Sure. Across a small bay from the PRA is Caslan PNT. Directly north of Caslan is property with a Crown Land Reservation. The metadata provided by the province on its GIS information lists this site’s type as ‘PP’ (Provincial Park). Its status, however, is a PNT. As it turns out, this is neither a NA nor a PP but is earmarked for future recreational use. When queried, the Government of Alberta had this explanation (with edits):
North Buck Lake PP-PNT (FID 69) is not a natural area, it is identified for future recreation development. This area does have CLR 840165 on it. This means the province has placed a crown land reservation on the lands in an effort to indicate the priority land use is for future recreation development potential, over industrial or commercial [1].
(See List of Protected Areas for definitions of what is a PP, PNT, or Crown Reservation.) Gregoire Lake (PNT) Natural Area has a similarly complicated designation.
North of Buck Lake. To differentiate this Buck Lake from its southern, similarly named lake, “North” was added in the 1950s [2]. There are no major inflows to the lake, only four intermittent streams that flow into the northwest and central basins. The outlet stream flows from the southern tip of the lake to the Amisk River [3].
Caslan Name Origin Is… not known. The Alberta and Great Waterways Railway Company (A&GWR) established a station here in 1914. Unfortunately, the origin of the name was not recorded at that time. As for the A&GWR, it ran north of Edmonton to what is now Fort McMurray. It was absorbed by the Northern Alberta Railway in 1929 which in turn was absorbed by the Canadian National Railway in 1980 [2].
Site Statistics
| Site Name | Caslan (PNT) |
| Site Type | Natural Area |
| Subtype | Protective Notation (PNT) |
| Natural Region(s) | Central Mixedwood |
| O.C. No. (Land Ref. Manual) | N/A |
| PASite ID (Map Ref #) | 394 |
| Site # (Parks Website) | N/A |
| Total Area | 518.48 ha. (1281.21 ac.) |
| Steward-Status | |
| Recreation Activities | |
| IUCN | |
| Operated By | |
| Notes and Comments |
| Site Name | North Buck Lake (PNT) |
| Site Type | Provincial Park |
| Subtype | Protective Notation (PNT) |
| Natural Region(s) | Central Mixedwood |
| O.C. No. (Land Ref. Manual) | N/A |
| PASite ID (Map Ref #) | 5550 |
| Site # (Parks Website) | N/A |
| Total Area | 1451.70 ha. (3587.21 ac.) |
| Steward-Status | |
| Recreation Activities | |
| IUCN | |
| Operated By | |
| Notes and Comments |
| Site Name | North Buck Lake (PNT) |
| Site Type | Natural Area |
| Subtype | Protective Notation (PNT) |
| Natural Region(s) | Central Mixedwood |
| O.C. No. (Land Ref. Manual) | N/A |
| PASite ID (Map Ref #) | 474 |
| Site # (Parks Website) | N/A |
| Total Area | 1451.70 ha. (3587.21 ac.) |
| Steward-Status | |
| Recreation Activities | |
| IUCN | |
| Operated By | |
| Notes and Comments |
References
The following links are provided as a courtesy but are not verified or endorsed by SAPAA. Clicking on the link will cause you to leave the SAPAA website. Primary source of information is: Government of Alberta – [LINK] (All links accessed on 2023-01-DD).
- Email exchange – Forestry Parks, and Tourism. “Re: SAPAA Asks – North Buck Lake (FID 69)” Received by F.Potter, January 23, 2023.
- Aubrey, Merrily K., ed. Concise Place Names of Alberta. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2006; p. 58, 229.
- Mitchell, Patricia, and E. E. Prepas. “Atlas of Alberta Lakes.” Edmonton, Alberta: University of Alberta Press, 1990, p. 293.
SAPAA 