Anzac

History

Anzac was named for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I, when the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway was being built from Carbondale to Waterways. Originally named after Willow Lake, the previous name of Gregoire Lake, the community were mostly non-status or non-treaty Cree whose ancestors had migrated to the Athabasca Basin area from what was to become northern Manitoba, mostly displacing the original Beaver and Chipewyan occupants of the area. During World War II a road was built from the rail siding to service and construct a US Army base on Stoney Mountain. The area has seen significant growth corresponding to that of Fort McMurray and the oil industry. The hamlet was ordered to be evacuated on May 5, 2016, due to the spread of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.

Most-observed species

• Common Goldeneye

  Bucephala clangula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  412
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  354
• White-throated Sparrow

  Zonotrichia albicollis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  285
• Common Loon

  Gavia immer (Brunnich, 1764) · Aves
  276
• Bufflehead

  Bucephala albeola (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  266
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  246
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  244
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  207