Beverly Lake (Nunavut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beverly Lake |
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 Beverly Lake
Location in Nunavut
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| Location | Kivalliq Region, Nunavut |
| Coordinates | 64°36′00″N 100°30′00″W / 64.60000°N 100.50000°W |
| Primary inflows | Thelon River, Kazan River, Dubawnt River |
| Primary outflows | Aberdeen Lake |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Settlements | uninhabited |
Beverly Lake is a large lake in Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the Kivalliq Region, far up north in the Arctic. The local Inuktitut name for the lake is Tipjalik, which means "it has driftwood." This name is special because driftwood is rare in the Arctic!
Beverly Lake is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) northwest of Baker Lake, Nunavut. It sits north of the Arctic tree line, which is the northernmost point where trees can grow. The western part of the lake is inside the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area for animals.
Several rivers flow into Beverly Lake, including the Thelon River and the Dubawnt River. The Kazan River also joins the Thelon River near the lake. From Beverly Lake, the water flows out into Aberdeen Lake.
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Amazing Animals of Beverly Lake
Beverly Lake is a very important place for many animals, especially fish and birds. You can find both northern (boreal) and Arctic types of fish here, which is quite unusual for this area.
Birds and Geese
The area around Beverly and Aberdeen Lakes is a key spot for migratory birds. About 10,000 Canada Geese come here to molt (shed their old feathers). There are also colonies of Lesser Snow geese that nest on the islands in Beverly Lake. This makes it one of the biggest gathering places for Canada Geese in all of Canada! Birds of prey, like raptors, also build their nests on the north shore of the lake.
Caribou Herds
The land directly north of Beverly Lake is super important for barren-ground caribou. This area is where the Beverly herd, which has over 200,000 caribou, gives birth to its calves. Other caribou herds also use this region, with a total of about 500,000 caribou in the area. It's an incredible sight!
People and History
The hilly area on the northern shores of Beverly Lake is called Akiliniq. It means "the other side" in Inuktitut. This was the traditional home of the Akilinirmiut, a group of Caribou Inuit people.
Ancient Campsites
Archaeologists have found many old things left behind by these people. These include tent rings (circles of stones where tents once stood), meat caches (places where food was stored), and inuksuit. An inuksuk is a human-made stone landmark or cairn. These findings show that people have lived and traveled here for a very long time.
A Trading Spot
Because there was so much driftwood from the Thelon River along the banks of Beverly Lake, the area was a valuable source of wood for winter fires. It also became a trading center for many generations of other central Arctic Inuit groups. They would come here to trade goods and gather wood.
A Notable Artist from Beverly Lake
Paul Toolooktook (1947 - 2003) was a famous artist who was born near Beverly Lake. He became well-known for his amazing basalt stone carvings. He also created beautiful graphite and crayon drawings. His art often showed the life and landscapes of the Arctic.
