Land Designation
Wildlife Management Area
Landscape Description
Kaskatamagan Sipi Wildlife Management Area is within the Hudson Bay Lowlands Natural Region and stretches over approximately 133,820 hectares of area dominated by peat-covered till deposits with relic marine beaches. These protected lands are free from logging, mining, hydroelectric development, oil and gas development, and any other activities that could significantly and adversely affect habitat.
Outstanding Features
Kaskatamagan Sipi Wildlife Management Area lies within the transition zone between boreal forest and Arctic tundra. It features ancient beach ridges with thick layers of glacial till that rise above the surrounding landscape.
The area is dominated by vegetation typical of the Taiga boreal forest that includes stunted black spruce, with varying amounts of dwarf birch, tamarack, willow, Labrador tea, sedges, mosses, and lichens.
Kaskatamagan Sipi Wildlife Management Area supports a diverse and noteworthy mammal population. This site provides winter range for coastal caribou that spend the summers along the Hudson Bay coast. Other mammals typical of the area include moose, black bear, lynx, wolves, snowshoe hare, wolverines and muskrats. Kaskatamagan Sipi Wildlife Management Area is within the breeding ranges of many migratory birds including bald eagles, osprey, Canada geese, and sandhill cranes. It also falls in the northern-most range of the northern leopard frog’s territory in Manitoba.
The site is within the traditional territory of Shamattawa First Nation, who hunt and trap in the area, and will continue to exercise their Aboriginal and treaty rights within the wildlife management area.
Kaskatamagan Sipi Wildlife Management Area will help protect representative or unique natural landscapes in an undisturbed state, and provide recreational opportunities that depend on a pristine environment. The site is categorized as a World Conservation Union (IUCN) protected area management category Ib, that is, a protected area managed mainly for wilderness protection. |
