The last remaining nesting area for the endangered whooping crane is the other designated Ramsar site, located in the remote north-central corner of the park. It is a fragile complex of marshes, shallow ponds and lakes, streams and bogs. The Northern Boreal Plains is characterized by its flat topography. It is poorly drained, with elevations ranging from 210-300 metres above sea level. The uniform relief, porosity and solubility of the bedrock have produced a drainage type that is primarily vertical and percolating rather than horizontal across the surface of the land.
Water percolating through the soil and bedrock causes saturation of the plains surface.
This has created karst landforms in areas of gypsum bedrock. Other phenomena include salt flats, underground streams, sinkholes and saline streams. The boreal plains are a mosaic of muskeg, meandering streams, shallow lakes and bogs, and boreal forest. The forest is comprised of white and black spruce, jackpine, balsam fir, aspen and poplar. Fire is a natural force in the boreal plains.