ALBERTA HUNTING & FISHING NEWS

Dillberry Lake and Wainwright Dunes parks partially closed until April 01/25/08

The Wainwright Dunes Ecological Reserve and the Dillberry Lake Provincial Park campground, hiking trails and back-country areas will be closed from February 1 to March 31 while staff work to limit the spread of chronic wasting disease.

The park's day use and cottage area, located south and east of the closed area, and access to Dillberry Lake for ice fishing will not be affected by this closure.

Chronic wasting disease is a nervous system disease that produces changes in brain tissue in deer and elk. Eventually, affected deer and elk cannot maintain body weight and slowly waste away; the disease is fatal. Chronic wasting disease is not the same disease as BSE, and there is no evidence that it has ever been passed to cattle or humans.

Located 75 kilometres south of Lloydminster on Hwy. 17 (at the
Alberta-Saskatchewan border), Dillberry Lake Provincial Park is
internationally recognized for shorebird migration. Other attractions
include sport fishing and a campground that is open until October 13. The day use and cottage area is open year-round; access to boat launch is maintained year-round for ice fishing.

Wainwright Dunes Ecological Reserve, located 40 kilometres southeast of Wainwright, is accessible to the public only by foot and protects a large and diverse area of sand dune.

Both parks will reopen on April 1. Additional visitor and camping
information for Alberta's provincial parks is available by calling
1-866-427-3582 or visiting www.albertaparks.ca