Bird sanctuary revolves around water

One hundred and fifteen years ago, the Government of Canada declared the north end of Last Mountain Lake a migratory bird sanctuary, the first in Saskatchewan and North America. The original area of 1000 hectares has since expanded to 15,600 hectares.

The sanctuary is highly significant. During the summer months it is the breeding grounds for about one hundred species of birds, including habitat for colonial nesters like pelicans, cormorants, gulls, and grebes. The area is also important to other wildlife including 36 mammals such as white-tailed deer, badger, coyote, and gophers and 19 species of fish.

The most impressive thing about the sanctuary is that it’s a major staging area for waterfowl. In the fall up to 50,000 Sandhill Cranes, 450,000 geese, and several hundred thousand ducks may be observed. The sanctuary also offers habitat for nine of Canada’s 36 endangered species such as the Piping Plover, Loggerhead Shrike, Ferruginous Hawk, Whooping Crane, and Burrowing Owl. Over 280 species of birds have been recorded in the area.

In 1987, the sanctuary became a National Wildlife Area (NWA). It is a ‘Wetland of International Importance’, along with Quill Lakes, Chaplin Lake, and 28 other sites in Canada and over 700 locations worldwide. The sanctuary is extremely popular with organizations like Nature Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. 

Developing a recovery plan

The slow-growing, long-lived and prehistoric-looking Lake Sturgeon once inhabited the Saskatchewan River system from Lake Winnipeg to Alberta. Over the years, its migration routes and spawning areas have been adversely impacted by hydroelectric power projects. Because of concerns about its habitat and harvest, the ‘Saskatchewan River Sturgeon Management Board’ has been working to learn more about this elusive denizen of the murky Saskatchewan River, and to co-ordinate its rehabilitation.

The Board has representatives from organizations including SaskPower and Manitoba Hydro, several provincial and federal departments, communities and First Nations at Cumberland House and The Pas. The Board’s mission is to prevent a further decline of the sturgeon population and to develop and coordinate a recovery plan. This includes projects such as:

1. population monitoring through a mark and recapture study
2. habitat assessments,
3. spawn taking and stocking
4. harvest surveys and
5. the Sturgeon in the Schools program.

Some techniques used so far include radio-tagging to follow individual
migrations and rearing young sturgeon in hatcheries for restocking.

Habitat helps

Tobin Lake, located on the Saskatchewan River near Nipawin, is a man-made lake and the home of some of the best Northern Pike and Walleye fishing in North America. A big reason for the lake's terrific fish productivity is its varied habitat. The lake has deep water, submerged riverbanks, and lots of cover and food for fish. But most importantly, on the south-east side of the lake, there is Petaigan Bay, a large, shallow body of water ideal for spawning and sheltering fingerlings. In fact SaskPower, operators of the hydropower plant at the outlet of the lake, has to closely regulate the water levels during the spawning season and for a month thereafter to protect the fish eggs from ending up on dry land.

Four inches of rain on one section of land is the equivalent of
58 million gallons
of water.

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