Geocache site brought to you by Turtle Mountain Souris Plains Heritage Association. Lat: N 49°13.363′ Long: W 100°15.766′. Description from Wikipedia and Eh Canada Travel websites.
Whitewater Lake is a popular birdwatching destination located in the province of Manitoba, located west of the community of Boissevain.
Whitewater Lake, more marsh than lake, is a saline, alkaline wetland measuring 6000 hectares on average and with a depth of only 2 metres (6.5 feet) at best. However … the lake is an oddity as it can go dry and disappear for years at a time during dry season or during high run off season it can swell up to 10,000 hectares in size.
The lake has dried up several times including 1857, 1913–1915, 1934-1940 and 1989–1992. As of 2016, Whitewater Lake was at a peak of 1.5 metres (5 feet) above the average long-term level. These high levels have seen the lake claim more farm land and resulted in significant erosion of the dike and park space structures on the lake’s southeast side.
Whitewater Lake was previously called White Lake due to the color of the salt flats exposed during dry periods. Whitewater Lake is fed by 8 creeks and streams which flow down from the slopes of the Turtle Mountains which are located south of the lake but it has no natural outflow.
The lake is recognized by many organizations as a vital habitat worthy of protection. Whitewater Lake is recognized as a globally significant Canadian Important Bird Area (IBA), a Manitoba Wildlife Management Area. (WMA) and a Manitoba Heritage Marsh.
Some say Whitewater Lake is one of the top birding sites in the province with over 200 bird species sighted in the park. The region is identified as a priority migratory bird habitat of Canadian importance, for geese, waterfowl and shorebirds. Some of the bird species sighted in the wetland area include the Yellow-headed Blackbird, Whooping Crane, Trumpeter Swan, Black-crowned Night Heron, Swainson’s Hawk, Spotted Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Snowy Owl, Snow Goose, Short-eared Owl, Ruddy Duck, Red-winged Blackbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Northern Harrier, Great Horned Owl, Ferruginous Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco, Cedar Waxwing, Burrowing Owl, Canada Goose, Franklin’s Gull, Eared Grebe, Bufflehead and American White Pelican.
