Land use conflicts and national parks.

Part One: Wapusk National Park
Wapusk National Park, located near Churchill Manitoba has been a designated park since April 24, 1996. ‘Wapusk’ is the Cree term for “white bear”. This national park became the 37th of the presently 41 national parks in Canada. Wapusk National Park is home to the largest polar bear denning area on earth. During peak season, up to 1,200 polar bears may occupy the park at one time. Polar bears consume large amounts of seals. More specifically, they enjoy the ringed seal and the bearded seal. For this reason, Polar bears spend much time on the coast. Furthermore, other arctic predators share the land with the polar bears such as the lynx, wolverine, as well as arctic and red fox. During the summer months the higher temperatures bring more southerly animals to the park such as migratory birds and smaller animals since food is found in abundance and polar bears fast during this season. Polar bears fast in the winter months due to their hunting m...