35 km southwest of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Latitude 50° 06' N
Longitude 106° 00' W
Area - Approximately 26,060 hectares
Land Ownership - Provincial Crown Land

Major Habitat Types

Open water and mudflats - 96%
Marsh - 3%
Rock/sand islands - 1%

Description of the Area

Old Wives Lake is a very large, relatively shallow, saline lake, located in the mixed-grass prairie ecoregion of Saskatchewan. Spring runoff, seasonal rains and the Wood River are the major water sources. A Ducks Unlimited (Canada) dam and spillway on the Wood River has resulted in a variable sized marsh on the river delta at the west end of the lake. Because of severe seasonal water level fluctuations and very little relief between the water and the upland terrain, large expanses of mudflat occur during the summer. In 1949, the lake was dry. One large permanent island, known as the Isle of Bays, is located about 5 km from shore. A second island appears during low water levels. For the most part, the shoreline (approximately 70 km), and the islands are rocky and sandy.

Emergent vegetation growth is inhibited by extensive wave action which occurs on much of the lake. Except for a dense stand of bulrush (Scirpus spp.) on the delta of the Wood River, only scattered stands of bulrush, cattail (typha latifolia),spangletop (Scolochloa festucacea) and sedge (Carex spp.) occur in the shallow water along the shore. Submergent aquatics consist largely of scattered beds of pondweed (Potamogeton spp.) in the open water and a variety of other submergents in the Wood River delta. Vegetation along the rocky, sandy shoreline includes scattered clumps of water foxtail (Alopecurus spp.) and sedge (Carex spp.) and small stands of snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.), willow (Salix app.) and rose (Rosa spp.). Shrubs, mainly snowberry and rose, also cover the higher parts of the Isle of Bays. Adjacent uplands are native prairie pasture and cultivated lands.

Old Wives Lake, the Isle of Bays and the surrounding native prairie uplands are proposed IBP sites.

Public Use

Fall staging waterfowl on Old Wives Lake ensures good duck hunting, particularly Mallards, on fields south and west of the lake. A small harvest of Canada Geese is also taken annually.

Recreational use of the Sanctuary is low. The turbid water, rough shoreline and severity of water level fluctuations is unattractive to recreationists. A small beach on the south side was improved by the Town of Mossbank, but little use is made of it.

The lake is not deep enough to support a fish population.

Importance to the Resource

Old Wives Lake Bird Sanctuary is an important breeding and moulting area for both dabbling and diving ducks, as well as small numbers of Canada Geese. Breeding species of ducks include Mallard, Gadwall, Pintail,Wigeon, Canvasback, Redhead Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Duck. The Sanctuary is also a spring and fall staging area which attracts large concentrations of ducks and lesser numbers of Canada, White-fronted and Snow Geese and Tundra Swans.

Because of its isolation, the Isle of Bays provides protective nesting habitat for the White Pelican, Black-crowned Night and Great Blue herons, Double-crested Cormorant, Western Grebe, California and Ring-billed gulls and the Common Tern.

A variety of shorebirds use the Sanctuary. Commonly breeding species are American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Killdeer and Willet. Suspected breeders include Spotted and Upland sandpipers, Long-billed Curlew, Wilson's Phalarope, Common Snipe and the endangered Piping Plover. Common visitants are Black-bellied and Semipalmated plovers, Greater and Lesser yellowlegs, Hudsonian Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Sanderling, Red-necked Phalarope, Short-billed Dowitcher, Dunlin, and Semipalmated, Least, White-rumped, Baird's, Pectoral and Stilt sandpipers.

Other birds known or believed to nest in the area are Eastern and Western kingbirds; Barn Swallow; Sprague's Pipit; Marsh Wren; Yellow-throated and Yellow warblers; Red-winged, Yellow-headed and Brewer's blackbirds; Brown-headed Cowbird; Western Meadowlark; Chestnut collared Longspur, Lark Bunting; Clay-colored, Vesper, Savannah, Baird's, Le Conte's and Song sparrows; Northern Harrier, Swainson's Hawk, the threatened Ferruginous Hawk, Grey Partridge and Sharp-tailed Grouse.

Historical Notes and Land-Use Conflicts

Formerly known as Johnstone Lake, Old Wives Lake was apparently an important area for the market hunting of ducks and geese during early settlement. In the early 1900s, a Moose Jaw dealer reportedly handled wagon-loads of geese slaughtered at nearby lakes.

On May 18, 1915, Old Wives Lake and vacant quarter sections immediately adjacent to the lake (and several other lakes) were reserved by the Minister of the Interior for future establishment as a sanctuary In 1917 and 1918, Dr. R.M. Anderson, a zoologist with the Geological Survey and a member of the Advisory Board in Wildlife Protection investigated the value of Old Wives Lake as a sanctuary for migratory birds. He recommended that the lake be considered for permanent sanctuary status because of its heavy use by fall staging waterfowl and its importance for colonial nesting birds. On March 9, 1925, the Old Wives Lake Bird Sanctuary was established by Order-In-Council P.C. 1925-345.

In 1948, the Sanctuary was inspected by two federal and provincial wildlife officials to determine the effect of drought on the value of the Sanctuary. The recommendation of this inspection was to retain the Sanctuary. However, a further inspection of the Sanctuary in 1949-50 resulted in the revision of the Sanctuary boundary to include only the water area. Over 2150 ha of upland habitat thus became agricultural land,

The Sanctuary was evaluated by the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1957, 1971 and 1972. The 1957 and 1972 evaluations recommended retaining the Sanctuary because of its value to migratory waterfowl and colonial water birds. The 1971 evaluation recognized the importance of the Sanctuary for fall staging ducks, geese and swans but did not recommend retaining or delisting the Sanctuary.

Waterfowl depredation on surrounding agricultural lands, particularly south of the lake, has been a problem of varying magnitude since 1950. In 1953, when crop damage was severe, the whole area was declared open to shooting under section 40 of the Migratory Birds Convention Act. Crop damage prevention and insurance/compensation programs since then have helped ameliorate the problem.

In the 1950s and 1960s, saline water from Old Wives Lake was diverted (drained or pumped) into nearby Frederick Lake which 11 served as an evaporation pond for the recovery, through crystallization, of sodium sulphate (Glauber's salt). Some sodium sulphate is still presently recovered from Frederick lake.

Protective Status and Enforcement

Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations under the Migratory birds Convention Act (P.C. 1954-1804, November 23, 1954; P.C. 1974-1989, September 10, 1974; P.C. 1980-2435, September 12, 1980).

The Isle of Bays in the Sanctuary is also protected by Provincial Wildlife Refuge Regulations under the Provincial Wildlife Act.

The Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan detachment of the R.C.M.P. and conservation officers of the Saskatchewan Department of Parks and Renewable Resources patrol the Sanctuary. Fluctuating water levels which alter the boundaries of the Sanctuary make enforcement difficult.

This text is an excerpt from "A Summary of Background Information on National Wildlife Areas in the Western and Northern Region", Canadian Wildlife Service, Western and Northern Region, November 1983.