Beaverhill Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beaverhill Lake |
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Beaverhill Lake from Francis Viewpoint in 2010
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 Beaverhill Lake
Location in Alberta
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| Location | Beaver County / Lamont County, Alberta |
| Coordinates | 53°27′09″N 112°32′08″W / 53.45250°N 112.53556°W |
| Native name | amisk-wa-chi-sakhahigan Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help) |
| Catchment area | 1,970 km2 (760 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Surface area | 139 km2 (54 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) |
| Surface elevation | 668 m (2,192 ft) |
| Official name: Beaverhill Lake | |
| Designated: | May 27, 1987 |
| Reference #: | 370 |
Beaverhill Lake is a large lake located in central Alberta, Canada. Its name in the Cree language is amisk-wa-chi-sakhahigan. This lake is very important for birds, especially shorebirds. It is part of a special network called the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The Canadian Wildlife Service, which is part of Environment Canada, helps manage and protect this lake.
Where is Beaverhill Lake?
Beaverhill Lake is about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of the city of Edmonton. It is close to the town of Tofield. The lake sits within the area that drains into the North Saskatchewan River.
How Big is Beaverhill Lake?
In 1990, Beaverhill Lake covered an area of about 139 square kilometers (54 square miles). It was also quite shallow, with a maximum depth of only 2.3 meters (7.5 feet).
Like many "prairie pothole" lakes, Beaverhill Lake has become much shallower over time. This happened because some of the water sources that fed the lake were redirected. Between 1999 and 2009, the lake lost about one-quarter of its depth.
Why is Beaverhill Lake Important for Nature?
Beaverhill Lake is a very important place for many different kinds of birds. Because of this, Nature Canada (which used to be called the Canadian Nature Federation) named it a "National Nature Viewpoint" in 1981.
To help protect the lake and the land around it, the Beaverhill Natural Area was created in 1987. Another protected area, the Beaverhill Lake Heritage Rangeland Natural Area, was also set up on what used to be the lake's shores. These areas help keep the lake and its wildlife safe.
