Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary
Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary | |
---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location | Last Mountain Lake, Saskatchewan |
Nearest town | East: Govan and Nokomis West: Imperial and Simpson |
Coordinates | 51°20′0″N 105°15′2″W / 51.33333°N 105.25056°W |
Area | 47.36 km2 (18.29 sq mi) |
Elevation | 486 metres (1,594 ft) |
Established | 1887 |
Official name | Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary National Historic Site of Canada |
Designated | 24 June 1987 |
Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary is a
The site is used as a staging or nesting area by numerous migratory and colonial bird species, including the sandhill crane and the endangered whooping crane. The lake has rich spawning grounds used by numerous fish species, including the vulnerable bigmouth buffalo.
It was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1987, its centennial anniversary, for its undisturbed natural areas, among them the wetlands, shoreline, forest, and adjacent grasslands, and for being the first bird sanctuary in Canada.
History
In 1887, Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories
Description
Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary is located in the
The shoreline is primarily sandy, interspersed with rocky or gravelly tracts, and features numerous
Access to the migratory bird sanctuary is permitted, with seven roads connecting to the site.[2] The site is subject to the federal Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations, which prohibits hunting migratory birds, or destroying, disturbing, or removing migratory bird nests and eggs.[2] Permitted activities include hiking, fishing (subject to provincial regulations), and boating.[2]
Fauna
The autumn North American bird migration sees as many as 400,000 anatidae and 75,000 sandhill cranes stopping at the site.[7] The lake's islands also support various prairie bird and waterfowl species that nest in colonies.[7] The whooping crane, an endangered species, has been recorded to use the lake as a staging area during its migration.[2]
Numerous fish species inhabit the lake, which "provides some of the richest spawning and nursery grounds in Saskatchewan", including the vulnerable species bigmouth buffalo, a filter-feeding fish.[7] The land surrounding the lake is inhabited by various prairie mammals, and is used by deer as a wintering site.[7]
National Historic Site
On 24 June 1987, the Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary was officially recognized as a
See also
- List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Saskatchewan
- List of protected areas of Saskatchewan
- List of Migratory Bird Sanctuaries of Canada
- Valeport Marsh
Notes
- ^ Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Canadian Wildlife Service.
- ^ a b c d e Canadian Register of Historic Places.
- ^ Fish, Fur & Feathers 2005, Chapter 8, subsection "Bird sanctuaries".
- ^ a b Clancy & Clancy 1999, p. 160.
- ^ a b Stephen 1967, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e The Ramsar Convention Secretariat.
- ^ Harapiak 1987, p. 1.
References
- Clancy, Michael; Clancy, Anna (1999). Discover Saskatchewan: a user's guide to regional parks. Discover Saskatchewan series. Vol. 2. Canadian Plains Research Center. Canadian Plains Research Center, ISBN 0-88977-124-3.
- Harapiak, Leonard E. (3–7 February 1987). Nero, Robert W.; Clark, Richard J.; Knapton, Richard J.; Hamre, R.H. (eds.). Official opening remarks. Biology and conservation of northern forest owls: symposium proceedings. Winnipeg: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. General technical report RM-142.
- Stephen, W. J. Douglas (1967). Bionomics of the sandhill crane (PDF) (Report). Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- "Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary National Historic Site of Canada". Canadian Register of Historic Places, Parks Canada. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- "Last Mountain Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary". Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- "Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- Fish, Fur & Feathers: Fish and Wildlife Conservation in Alberta 1905–2005. Federation of Alberta Naturalists, Fish and Wildlife Historical Society. 2005. ISBN 0-9696134-7-4.
- "Last Mountain Lake". The Ramsar Convention Secretariat. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 4 February 2017.