Pakowki Lake
Encyclopedia
Pakowki Lake is an endorheic
lake in Alberta
, Canada
located south of Etzikom, Alberta and not far north is the former town site of Pakowki
which may have received it's name from the lake.
It is located in the prairies of Southern Alberta
, at an elevation of 860 metres (2,821.5 ft), in the County of Forty Mile
. It is fed by a number of coulee
s and creeks, such as Etzikom Coulee
, Irrigation Creek, Erickson Coulee, Ketchum Creek, Canal Creek, Bond Coulee and Bryant Coulee, and has no outflow. Reaching a maximum extent of 123 square kilometres (47.5 sq mi), it is one of the largest lakes in the province.
The name means "bad water" in Blackfoot language
, named so for the bad smell caused by the lack of an outflow. While it is the largest water body in southern Alberta
, its waters are intermittent, and it can be classified as a slough. In times of flooding, the lake overflows through a channel into the Milk River
, which flows 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of the lake.
and wader
s, as a staging area for migration along the he western flyway.
Species of birds observed at the lake include double-crested cormorant
, black-crowned night-heron, marsh wren
, cinnamon teal
and American bittern
.
Mammals such as pronghorn antelopes, badger
s, coyote
s, striped skunk
s and porcupine
s are commonly found on the shores as well.
The lake lies in a sand dune-wetland environment of the Grassland
biome. Flora on the lake shores consists of threatened Western Spiderwort
(Tradescantia occidentalis
), vulnerable Smooth Goosefoot
(Chenopodium subglabrum), Great Basin Downingia
and Skeletonweed
(Eriogonum deflexum
).
Endorheic
An endorheic basin is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other bodies of water such as rivers or oceans...
lake in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
located south of Etzikom, Alberta and not far north is the former town site of Pakowki
Pakowki, Alberta
Pakowki is an unincorporated community in Alberta, Canada within the County of Forty Mile No. 8. It is located along Highway 61 in southeast Alberta. It is one of many ghost towns along the historic Red Coat Trail route....
which may have received it's name from the lake.
It is located in the prairies of Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat...
, at an elevation of 860 metres (2,821.5 ft), in the County of Forty Mile
Forty Mile County No. 8, Alberta
The County of Forty Mile No. 8 is a municipal district in south eastern Alberta, Canada.It is located in Census Division 1, east of Medicine Hat. The municipal seat is in Foremost.-Demographics:...
. It is fed by a number of coulee
Coulee
Coulee is applied rather loosely to different landforms, all of which refer to a kind of valley or drainage zone.The word coulee comes from the Canadian French coulée, from French word couler meaning "to flow"....
s and creeks, such as Etzikom Coulee
Etzikom Coulee
Etzikom Coulee is a coulee located in Southern Alberta, Canada.The waterway was formed as a glacial spillway channel at the end of the last ice age.-Course:...
, Irrigation Creek, Erickson Coulee, Ketchum Creek, Canal Creek, Bond Coulee and Bryant Coulee, and has no outflow. Reaching a maximum extent of 123 square kilometres (47.5 sq mi), it is one of the largest lakes in the province.
The name means "bad water" in Blackfoot language
Blackfoot language
Blackfoot, also known as Siksika , Pikanii, and Blackfeet, is the Algonquian language spoken by the Blackfoot tribes of Native Americans, who currently live in the northwestern plains of North America...
, named so for the bad smell caused by the lack of an outflow. While it is the largest water body in southern Alberta
Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat...
, its waters are intermittent, and it can be classified as a slough. In times of flooding, the lake overflows through a channel into the Milk River
Milk River (Montana-Alberta)
The Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long, in the United States state of Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, the river drains a sparsely populated, semi-arid watershed of , ending just east of Fort Peck, Montana.-Geography:It is formed in...
, which flows 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of the lake.
Conservation
The Pakowki Lake Provincial Bird Sanctuary is established on and around the lake, which provides congregations of waterfowlWaterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
and wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s, as a staging area for migration along the he western flyway.
Species of birds observed at the lake include double-crested cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico...
, black-crowned night-heron, marsh wren
Marsh Wren
The Marsh Wren is a small North American songbird of the wren family. It is sometimes called Long-billed Marsh Wren to distinguish it from the Sedge Wren, also known as Short-billed Marsh Wren....
, cinnamon teal
Cinnamon Teal
The Cinnamon Teal is a small, reddish dabbling duck found in marshes and ponds of western North and South America.thumb|left|Female Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium...
and American bittern
American Bittern
The American Bittern is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. New evidence has led the American Ornithologists' Union to move the heron family into the order Pelecaniformes .-Description:...
.
Mammals such as pronghorn antelopes, badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s, coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, striped skunk
Striped Skunk
The striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis, is an omnivorous mammal of the skunk family Mephitidae. Found over most of the North American continent north of Mexico, it is one of the best-known mammals in Canada and the United States.-Description:...
s and porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
s are commonly found on the shores as well.
The lake lies in a sand dune-wetland environment of the Grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
biome. Flora on the lake shores consists of threatened Western Spiderwort
Tradescantia
Tradescantia , the Spiderworts, is a genus of an estimated 71 species of perennial plants in the family Commelinaceae, native to the New World from southern Canada south to northern Argentina. They are weakly upright to scrambling plants, growing to 30–60 cm tall, and are commonly found...
(Tradescantia occidentalis
Tradescantia occidentalis
Tradescantia occidentalis is a plant in the dayflower family, Commelinaceae. It is listed as a threatened species in Canada....
), vulnerable Smooth Goosefoot
Chenopodium
Chenopodium is a genus of about 150 species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifications separate it and its relatives as Chenopodiaceae, but...
(Chenopodium subglabrum), Great Basin Downingia
Downingia
Downingia is a genus of 13 annual plants native to western North America and Chile. Commonly known as "calicoflowers", they are notable for forming mass displays of small but colorful blooms around vernal pools...
and Skeletonweed
Eriogonum
Eriogonum is the scientific name for a genus of flowering plants, in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing...
(Eriogonum deflexum
Eriogonum deflexum
Eriogonum deflexum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names flatcrown buckwheat, flat-top buckwheat, and skeletonweed. This plant is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, where it is common and grows in a variety of habitats, especially desert scrub. It...
).