Stewardship and management

On the western shore of Hudson Bay, Wapusk is 11,475 square kilometres (4,430 square miles) of remote tundra wilderness near the northern Manitoba community of Churchill. Wildlife thrives throughout, from coastal beach ridges and tundra to boreal forest. Herds of caribou migrate through the park which is also home to a diverse variety of birds and arctic creatures from tiny lemmings to polar bears.

Polar bears come ashore when the ice on Hudson Bay melts, waiting on the tundra until the waters freeze again. Pregnant females remain on land, sheltered in maternity dens within the peatlands in Wapusk, giving birth over the winter.

Access to the park is via licensed tour operator from Churchill, the site of Parks Canada’s Visitor Centre. As fall progresses, large numbers of polar bears can often be seen at Cape Churchill, within Wapusk. Mothers with new cubs emerge from their earth dens in early spring.