Frank Lake is a restored
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
located east of
High River
High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021.
History
The community takes ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, south of
Calgary, near
Blackie. The lake is controlled by
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is a Canadian non-profit organization that works to conserve, restore and manage Canadian wetlands in order to preserve habitat for North American waterfowl, wildlife and people. They work with industry leaders, gover ...
for wildlife management purposes, and is an
Important Bird Area. It is one of four Alberta lakes with the same name.
Conservation and management
The lake has had a history of years of being completely dry, and years of being flooded. The main goal of managing Frank Lake is to ensure that the lake is a permanent water body, which will improve wildlife habitat.
Water control measures have been implemented to help ensure that water levels are maintained. Measures include the building of dikes and water control structures as well as the building of a pipeline from High River to channel treated
effluent from the town of High River and a local food processing plant. Water quality is regularly monitored.
Nesting boxes, nesting platforms, and rock islands are among the structures placed around the lake to encourage nesting and improve habitat. The Important Bird Areas program considers Frank Lake to be the most important wetland in southwestern Alberta for the production of
waterfowl
Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...
and other water birds.
Nature and ecology
Frank Lake is located in the foothills fescue prairie ecoregion. The lake is a hemi-marsh, which means it roughly has the same area of open water as there is
emergent vegetation. Vegetation includes mostly
hardstem bulrush,
sago pondweed,
Richardson's pondweed, and
northern watermilfoil.
The lake and its surrounding upland areas attracts many species of birds. Waterfowl and shorebirds and other birds use the lake for
staging
Staging may refer to:
Computing
* Staging (cloud computing), a process used to assemble, test, and review a new solution before it is moved into production and the existing solution is decommissioned
* Staging (data), intermediately storing data b ...
during
migration
Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration
* Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another
** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
, and nesting. Some birds that can be seen here include:
tundra swan
The tundra swan (''Cygnus columbianus'') is a small swan of the Holarctic. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species: Bewick's swan (''Cygnus bewickii'') of the Palaearctic and th ...
,
trumpeter swan
The trumpeter swan (''Cygnus buccinator'') is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl, with a wingspan of 185 to 250 cm (6 ft 2 in to 8 ft 2 ...
,
Canada goose,
northern pintail
The pintail or northern pintail (''Anas acuta'') is a duck species with wide geographic distribution that breeds in the northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and North America. It is migratory and winters south of its breeding ...
,
Franklin's gull
Franklin's gull (''Leucophaeus pipixcan'') is a small (length 12.6–14.2 in, 32–36 cm) gull. The genus name ''Leucophaeus'' is from Ancient Greek ''leukos'', "white", and ''phaios'', "dusky". The specific ''pipixcan'' is a Nahuatl name f ...
,
ring-billed gull
The ring-billed gull (''Larus delawarensis'') is a medium-sized gull. The genus name is from Latin ''Larus'' which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific ''delawarensis'' refers to the Delaware River.
Description ...
,
California gull
The California gull (''Larus californicus'') is a medium-sized gull, smaller on average than the herring gull but larger on average than the ring-billed gull, though it may overlap in size greatly with both.
Description
Adults are similar in ap ...
,
common tern
The common tern (''Sterna hirundo'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migrator ...
,
short-eared owl
The short-eared owl (''Asio flammeus'') is a widespread grassland species in the family Strigidae. Owls belonging to genus ''Asio'' are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or ...
,
eared grebe
The black-necked grebe or eared grebe (''Podiceps nigricollis'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds. It was described in 1831 by Christian Ludwig Brehm. There are currently three accepted subspecies, including the nominate subspeci ...
,
marbled godwit
The marbled godwit (''Limosa fedoa'') is a large migratory shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. On average, it is the largest of the four species of godwit.
Taxonomy
In 1750 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a ...
,
long-billed dowitcher
The long-billed dowitcher (''Limnodromus scolopaceus'') is a medium-sized shorebird with a relatively long bill belonging to the sandpiper family, Scolopacidae. In breeding plumage, adults are characterized by a beautiful rufous head and underpar ...
,
long-billed curlew
The long-billed curlew (''Numenius americanus'') is a large North American shorebird of the family Scolopacidae. This species was also called "sicklebird" and the "candlestick bird". The species breeds in central and western North America, migr ...
,
white-faced ibis,
black-crowned night-heron
The black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax''), or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and ...
, and
black-necked stilt.
Birdwatching
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
is a popular activity.
Invasive
Prussian carp
The Prussian carp, silver Prussian carp or Gibel carp (''Carassius gibelio''), is a member of the family Cyprinidae, which includes many other fish, such as the common carp, goldfish, and the smaller minnows. It is a medium-sized cyprinid, and d ...
have become established in the lake.
History
Survey reports from 1883 referred to Frank Lake as "a large lake", but early settlers in the area referred to the lake as Begg Lake, Green Lake, and Windsor Lake. It was named after Bishop Christopher Frank who established a nearby
Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...
settlement known as
Frankburg.
The lake has always been used by hunters. In the early days, hunted waterfowl was shipped by the railway carload to the United States. Muskrats were also trapped.
Feedlots
A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called con ...
became established in the area, and a feedlot known as a beef camp was set up on "the point" on the east side of Frank Lake. The cattle from the camp were exported to Britain.
The lake was often very full or very dry. In the early 1900s there was so much water that travel to High River to the west was difficult. The lake dried out in the 1930s, 1940s, and the 1980s. In 1945 the lake was described as "a flat area of alkali dust". Flooding occurred in the 1950s and the mid 1970s.
Severe flooding in 1952 prompted Ducks Unlimited to construct a drainage ditch. Further work to stabilize the water level in the lake began in 1975 when a
weir
A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
was constructed on the lake's south end. The lake, however, dried up in the 1980s. To help ensure a long-term water supply, a pipeline was built to bring treated waste water from High River and the nearby
Cargill meat packing plant.
During World War II an area in the middle of the dry lake bed was used as a relief landing field for
RCAF Station High River
RCAF Station High River was a station of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) located at High River, Alberta, Canada.
High River Air Station
The Canadian Air Board began operating the High River Air Station in January 1921 after having moved the ...
Citations
References
Welcoming Back Wildlife-Frank Lake Conservation Area, home to some of the most important wetlands in southwestern Alberta, is an amazing story of rejuvenationRetrieved August 7, 2017
Nature Calgary - Frank LakeRetrieved April 29, 2012
Important Bird Areas in Canada - Frank LakeRetrieved April 29, 2012
Government of Alberta - An Overview of Water Quality in Frank Lake 1990-1993 Retrieved July 7, 2018
ResearchGate: Frank LakeRetrieved August 7, 2017
Fencelines and Furrows Historical Book Society. ''Fencelines and Furrows''. First Edition, 1969. No ISBN.Retrieved July 11, 2018
Frank LakeRetrieved July 16, 2018
External links
Restoration of a Canadian Prairie Wetland with Agricultural and Municipal Wastewaterebird Canada - Bird Observations, Frank Lake (south)
{{authority control
Lakes of Alberta
Important Bird Areas of Alberta
Marshes of Canada
RCAF Aerodrome Frank Lake (New)