A provincial park south of Fort McMurray is being permanently closed.
The government of Alberta announced on Tuesday they were fully or partially closing 20 parks and recreational areas across the province.
This includes Crow Lake Provincial Park along Highway 63.
It is the second biggest park to be fully closed off behind the Greene Valley Provincial Park near Peace River.
The Engstrom Lake Provincial Recreation Area, off of Highway 881 between Anzac and Janvier, will also be partially closed.
The provincial government says these closures will help save around $5 million.
Meanwhile, the GoA is also removing an additional 164 parks from their system. Indigenous groups and non-profits are getting the chance to partner with the province to oversee these sites.
“Albertans have expressed an interest in taking a more active role in the operation of some areas traditionally run by the province,” said Jason Nixon, Minister of Environment and Parks, in a release.
“In order to facilitate this, and to renew our commitment to our ‘crown jewel’ destinations, we will be offering Albertans, non-profits and First Nations the opportunity to work with our government and with parks societies on exploring these important partnerships.”
These parks cover around 0.3 per cent of the Alberta Parks land base.
