Redberry Lake is a
kettle salt lake near
Hafford in the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
. Named after the
buffaloberry, it is a medium-sized
saline lake within an area characterized by mostly
fresh water
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...
aquatic environments. The lake makes up the core protected area of the
Redberry Lake (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve and is a federal
bird sanctuary of the same name. It is also an
Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada and its northern most island is the location of the provincial Redberry
Wildlife Refuge (). A small
regional park is situated at the north-west corner of the lake. The countryside surrounding Redberry Lake is typical of the
aspen parkland biome of which it is a part.
Over the past several decades, Redberry Lake water levels have been declining and the salt concentrations increasing. With the declining levels, the shoreline length has been decreasing and the size of the islands in the lake have been increasing. In 1957, a new island — New Tern Island — appeared. In the 1940s, the salt content was low enough that there was a thriving commercial
whitefish industry at the lake.
Lake levels and salinity
Redberry Lake water levels have been steadily declining and getting saltier over the past several decades. In 1974, the surface of the lake had an elevation of and an area of . That compares to and in the mid-2020s. In 1926, the salt concentration was 12
g/
L and by 1988 that had doubled to 24g/L. The increase was attributed to "declining lake depth during drought".
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...
,
sodium
Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...
, and
sulphate make up most of the salt in Redberry Lake.
In 1940–41 with the salt content at only 15g/L,
Donald Rawson from the
University of Saskatchewan's biology department
stocked Redberry Lake with
whitefish (''Coregonus clupeaformis''). The fish thrived and in 1946 a commercial fishery was established. By 1981, though, the salt content had reached 20g/L and the fish could not survive, thus ending the fishery.
Redberry Lake IBA
The Redberry Lake (SK 005) Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada encompasses the entire lake and much of the surrounding shoreline. The lake and its islands are important nesting areas for birds such as
American white pelicans,
piping plovers, and
whooping cranes. The total area protected is .
Redberry Lake Regional Park
Redberry Lake Regional Park (), which was founded in 1969, offers camping, golfing, swimming, hiking, boating, and many
bird watching opportunities. Although there are no sport fish in the lake itself, the park has installed a small earthen dam on a creek which flows into the lake, creating a freshwater trout pond. The golf course, built in 1971, is a 9-hole, par 35 course. It has sand greens and is 2,304 yards.
Access to the park and its amenities is from
Highway 40.
See also
*
List of lakes of Saskatchewan
*
List of protected areas of Saskatchewan
References
{{Authority control
Lakes of Saskatchewan
Biosphere reserves of Canada
Redberry No. 435, Saskatchewan
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries of Canada
Protected areas of Saskatchewan
Division No. 16, Saskatchewan
Important Bird Areas of Saskatchewan
Endorheic lakes of Canada
Saline lakes of Canada