The community driven initiative to create a provincial park and provincial recreation area was an effort to bring better management to the area, enhance outdoor recreation opportunities as well as to enhance and protect ecological values.

Throughout this initiative, the Parks Council members are committed to the following objectives:

• Ensure effective land design and management of this Eagle Point – Blue Rapids Park System for recreation and environmental protection in the public interest;
• Enhance the range, quality and safety of recreation opportunities by accommodating existing and new recreational leaseholders;
• Promote co-existence with existing industrial activity, such as oil and gas, and sand and gravel extraction;
• Maximize synergies and minimize conflicts among different types of stakeholders and user groups;
• Help to protect the North Saskatchewan River water shed and ensure long-term protection of remaining wilderness and natural spaces;
• Advance new and sustainable tourism and economic development opportunities, and;
• Design and implement a diverse and long-term funding strategy in order to meet the overall goals for the protected areas.

The area now designated Eagle Point Provincial Park and Blue Rapids Provincial Recreation Area (together known as the Eagle Point—Blue Rapids Park System) are significant outdoor recreation destinations for the residents of central Alberta, providing a diversity of motorized and non-motorized outdoor recreation opportunities.

The Parks Council, with support from the Government of Alberta, has developed a draft Management Plan for the Eagle Point - Blue Rapids Park System. The development of the draft Management Plan for this Park System reflects extensive stakeholder input gathered over the past two years by the Parks Council. The content of the draft Management Plan has been created collaboratively through extensive consultation with target audiences, organizations, and members of the public. Once approved by the Government of Alberta, the draft Management Plan will be used to guide the preservation and recreation in the Park System for the next ten years.

In conjunction with the celebration of its third Annual Parks Day, the Parks Council is proud to release its draft Management Plan for public consultation. The Parks Council hopes to gather feedback on its comprehensive draft Management Plan prior to submitting the final Management Plan to the Government of Alberta for approval. For information on the draft Management Plan and its associated public consultation materials, please click here.