Eyebrow Lake | |
---|---|
Location | Saskatchewan |
Coordinates | 50°56′0″N106°9′2″W / 50.93333°N 106.15056°W |
Part of | Red River drainage basin |
Primary inflows | Qu'Appelle River |
Primary outflows | Qu'Appelle River |
Basin countries | Canada |
Max. length | 9 km (5.6 mi) |
Max. width | 1 km (0.62 mi) |
Surface area | 904.6 ha (2,235 acres) |
Surface elevation | 524 m (1,719 ft) |
Settlements | None |
Eyebrow Lake [1] is a man-made marshy lake that parallels the Qu'Appelle River in the southern region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Located in the RM of Huron No. 223, it is the first lake in a series of lakes along the Qu'Appelle River after Qu'Appelle River Dam and Lake Diefenbaker. The next lake downstream is Buffalo Pound Lake. [2] The closest community is the village of Tugaske and, while there are no public recreation sites at the lake, it can be accessed by Highway 627. The lake gets its name from the nearby Eyebrow Hills, [3] which are shaped like an eyebrow. The nearby town of Eyebrow and RM of Eyebrow No. 193 are also named after these hills. [4]
The entire lake and much of the surrounding landscape is an Important Bird Area of Canada while the lower half is part of the provincial Nisku Wildlife Refuge ( 50°56′00″N106°10′02″W / 50.9334°N 106.1673°W ). [5]
Eyebrow Lake is set in the Upper Qu'Appelle Valley, which was created about 14,000 years ago during the melting of the last ice age. The valley is noted for its steep sides, flat bottom, and multiple coulees. [6] As such, inflows for Eyebrow Lake include the Qu'Appelle River and multiple streams coming down through the coulees, including Deer Run Creek at the north-western corner. [7]
In 1968, a major water management project was begun to offset the effects of periodic droughts in the region. Prior to the project, the location of Eyebrow Lake was a large marsh in the Qu'Appelle River's floodplain. A series of dykes were built creating five basins allowing water levels to be controlled, which resulted in a permanent lake and marshland. The Qu'Appelle River runs along the north and eastern edge of the lake in an aqueduct.
In 1969, the Nisku Project was initiated at Eyebrow Lake by Ducks Unlimited Canada. The project was designed to help re-establish Canada geese into Saskatchewan. Goslings were raised at the lake and then distributed throughout the province into marshes, lakes, and ponds. In the 1980s, after the geese were well established throughout the southern prairies, the project ended. The lake is now an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada [8] designated as Eyebrow Lake SK 058 and is operated by Ducks Unlimited Canada. The IBA covers an area of 160.78 square kilometres (62.08 sq mi). [9]
The surrounding prairie is a natural grassland habitat with few trees and the lake and surrounding marsh are abundant with bulrushes and cattails.
Almost 200 different species of birds are found at Eyebrow Lake. Some of which include black-crowned night herons, Franklin's gulls, black-necked grebes, American avocets, lesser scaups, marsh wrens, common yellowthroats, sedge wrens, LeConte's sparrows, Nelson's sparrows, ferruginous hawks, burrowing owls, cattle egrets, mallards, northern pintails, short-billed dowitchers, willets, and spotted sandpipers. While some of the birds make Eyebrow Lake home year-round, others are migratory.
Northern pike are one of the few species of fish in the lake. [10]
Primrose Lake is a large lake in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta in the Churchill River drainage basin. The lake straddles the Saskatchewan / Alberta border, with most of the water surface in Saskatchewan with only the south-west corner of the lake in Alberta. On the Saskatchewan side of the lake is Backes Island Wildlife Refuge, which is a small protected island near the middle of the lake that is important to birds. The entire lake plus surrounding land totalling 1,259.52 km2 (486.30 sq mi) is part of an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada.
The Fishing Lakes, also called the Calling Lakes or the Qu'Appelle Lakes, are a chain of four lakes in the Qu'Appelle Valley cottage country about 40 miles (64 km) to the north-east of Regina in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The lakes are in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion. The Fishing Lakes all follow the course of the Qu'Appelle River, which flows from the west to the east and is part of the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The lakes sit in the deep-cut Qu'Appelle Valley that was formed about 14,000 years ago during the last ice age. Meltwater from the glaciers carved out the valley and as water levels rose and fell, alluvium was left in the wake. These piles of alluvium are what created the separations between the lakes.
Pheasant Creek is a river that runs along the bottom of one of the many coulees that branch off the Qu'Appelle Valley and empties into the Qu'Appelle River in southern Saskatchewan. The creek starts between the communities of Ituna and Jasmin, meanders south of the village of Abernethy and north of the village of Sintaluta. The Qu'Appelle River drainage basin is divided into two sections, the Upper and lower watersheds. Pheasant Creek is a tributary of the lower watershed.
Last Mountain Lake, also known as Long Lake, is a prairie lake formed from glaciation 11,000 years ago. It is located in south central Saskatchewan, Canada, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-west of the city of Regina. It flows into the Qu'Appelle River via Last Mountain Creek, which flows past Craven. It is approximately 93 km (58 mi) long, and 3 km (1.9 mi) across at its widest point. It is the largest naturally occurring body of water in southern Saskatchewan. Only Lake Diefenbaker, which is man-made, is larger. The lake is a popular resort area for residents of south-eastern Saskatchewan.
Wascana Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is a tributary of the Qu'Appelle River.
Manitou Lake is a salt lake located mostly in the RM of Manitou Lake No. 422 in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of the provincial border with Alberta. The eastern shore of the lake is in the RM of Hillsdale No. 440. Manitou Lake is located in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion. Manitou Lake is part of an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada that covers 699.66 km2 (270.14 sq mi) of land and serval neighbouring lakes.
Fairy Hill is a hamlet located in the Qu'Appelle Valley of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located in the Rural Municipality of Longlaketon No. 219 on the crossroads of Saskatchewan Highway 6 and Saskatchewan Highway 99. The community is a neighbour to nearby Southey, Glenbrea, Kennell, and the Piapot First Nation. A post office existed in Fairy Hill from 1901 to 1969. Today, the locality is home to multiple farms along with the Fairy Hill Trails.
Echo Valley Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, located west of the town of Fort Qu'Appelle in the Qu'Appelle Valley between Echo Lake and Pasqua Lake in the RM of North Qu'Appelle No. 187. The three main roads to access the park are Highways 210, 56, and 727.
Blackstrap Lake is a man-made reservoir in central Saskatchewan, Canada, south of Saskatoon in the Rural Municipality of Dundurn No. 314. The lake was created as a reservoir in 1967, as part of the Saskatoon South East Water Supply System. Blackstrap Lake has an area of 1,200 ha and is generally used to support irrigation, and the industrial and municipal water supply.
Indi Lake is a man-made lake in central Saskatchewan, Canada, south of Saskatoon in the Rural Municipality of Dundurn No. 314. The lake was created for irrigation and recreation in 1967 by a dam located at its south end. The lake is part of a greater irrigation and aqueduct system built in the 1960s in Saskatchewan and was named after Indi, an unincorporated railway point nearby on the Canadian National Railway (CNR).
Pipestone Creek is a river in the Souris River watershed. Its flow begins in southeastern Saskatchewan, just south of the town of Grenfell and travels in a southeastern direction into Manitoba in the Westman Region where it empties into Oak Lake through the Oak Lake Marsh.
Last Mountain Creek is a river in south-central Saskatchewan. It is a tributary of the Qu'Appelle River in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion.
Lanigan Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located in the south central part of the province in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion.
Brightwater Creek is a river in south central part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River in a region called the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, which extends throughout three Canadian provinces and five U.S. states. It is also within Palliser's Triangle and the Great Plains ecoregion. Along the river's course there is a dam and reservoir and a regional park. There are no communities along its course.
Thunder Creek is a river in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The watershed of Thunder Creek is within the semi-arid Palliser's Triangle in south-central Saskatchewan. It begins at small, man-made reservoir near Lake Diefenbaker and flows in a south-easterly direction towards the city of Moose Jaw and the Moose Jaw River. The Moose Jaw River is a major tributary of the Qu'Appelle River For most of its course, Thunder Creek follows a valley called the Thunder Creek meltwater channel that was formed over 10,000 years ago near the end of the last ice age.
Oak Lake is a lake in the southwestern region of the Canadian province of Manitoba.
Plum Creek is the primary outflow for the Plum Lakes and travels in an easterly direction for about 28 kilometres until it meets up with the Souris River, which is part of the Hudson Bay drainage basin, at the community of Souris in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Plum Lakes and the beginning of Plum Creek are in the Rural Municipality of Sifton and the mouth is in the Municipality of Souris – Glenwood.
Pasqua Lake is a lake along the course of the Qu'Appelle River in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Pasqua Lake was named after Chief Joseph Pasqua who formed what became the Pasqua First Nation. It is one of four lakes that make up the Fishing Lakes, which are all in the Qu'Appelle Valley. The Qu'Appelle Valley was formed about 14,000 years ago during the last ice age as meltwater from the glaciers carved out the valley. As water levels rose and fell, alluvium was left in the wake. These piles of alluvium are what created the separations between the lakes.
Mission Lake, also known as Lebret Lake, is a lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is one of four lakes in the Qu'Appelle Valley known as the Fishing Lakes. Echo Lake is upstream and Katepwa Lake is downstream. The lake was named Mission after the Catholic mission at Lebret. Highways 22 35, and 56 provide access to the lake.
Greenwater Lake is a lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The lake is at the heart of Greenwater Lake Provincial Park in the Porcupine Provincial Forest on the Porcupine Hills. The RM of Bjorkdale No. 426 surrounds the lake and Highway 38 provides access to it. The lake is so named not because of the colour of the water but rather the colour of the trees reflecting off the water.