Beaverhill Lake ( cr, script=Latn, amisk-wa-chi-sakhahigan) is a large lake in

central Alberta Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Geography Central Alberta is bordered ...

, Canada. It is a site of regional importance in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. It is managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service division of Environment Canada. It is located 70 km southeast of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, near the town of Tofield, and lies in the hydrographic basin of the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

. As recently as 1990, the lake had a total area of and a maximum depth of only Like similar "

prairie pothole The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR; french: Région des cuvettes/fondrières des prairies) is an expansive area of the northern Great Plains that contains thousands of shallow wetlands known as potholes. These potholes are the result of glacier ac ...

" lakes, Beaverhill lake receded significantly after much of its headwaters were diverted, in recent years it has lost about one-quarter of its depth between 1999 and 2009. The lake is an important bird habitat and has been designated as a "National Nature Viewpoint" by

Nature Canada Nature Canada is a member-based environmental organization headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Its supporters include more than 100,000 individuals and over 800 affiliated organizations, including local and provincial naturalist clubs. The orga ...

(formerly known as the Canadian Nature Federation) in 1981. The Beaverhill Natural Area was established in 1987 to protect the lake and its surrounding area. Beaverhill Lake Heritage Rangeland Natural Area is also established on what were the shores of the lake.Alberta Community Development
Beavehill Natural Area

Beaverhill Lake Heritage Rangeland Natural Area
/ref> The Beaverhill Lake Group, a stratigraphical unit of the

Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin The Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) underlies of Western Canada including southwestern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories. This vast sedimentary ...

was named for this lake.

References

Beaver County, Alberta Lakes of Alberta Lamont County Ramsar sites in Canada {{CentralAlberta-geo-stub