24 km northeast of North Battleford, Saskatchewan
Latitude 52° 58' N
Longitude 108° 09' W
Area - Approximately 633 hectares
Land Ownership - Provincial Crown Land

Major Habitat Types

Open water - 85%
Marsh - 15%

Description of the Area

Located on rolling topography in the boreal parkland ecoregion of Saskatchewan, Scent Grass Lake is a medium sized lake of moderate depth. Spring runoff, seasonal rains, several natural springs, and Page Creek are the main sources of water. An earthen dam on the west end of the lake and a dyke on the east end help to maintain water levels. Shoreline vegetation ranges from dense aspen (Populus tremuloides), maple (Acer negundo) and willow (Salix spp.) on the south shore to grassland with isolated clumps of aspen and willow on the remainder.

Emergent vegetation, largely bulrush (Scirpus spp.), cattail (Typha latifolia) and sedge (Carex spp.), occurs in dense stands on the northwest end of the lake and on the delta of Page Creek. A narrow band of these emergents borders the north shore. Submergent vegetation consists of pondweeds (Potamogeton spp.) in the deeper, open water zone and water milfoil (myriophyllum spp.), hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), water crowfoot (Ranunculus spp.) and similar species in the emergent zones.

Surrounding uplands are largely under cultivation with intermittent areas of rolling grassland composed of fescue (Festuca scabrella) and associated grasses. The Moosomin and Thunderchild Indian Reserve is located nearby.

Three public roads provide access to the lake.

Public Use

Waterfowl hunters from North Battleford are regularly attractedto the area by the fall staging ducks and geese. Most of the hunting is done on the adjacent stubble fields, but hunting within the Sanctuary also occurs.

Local residents angle for pike and pickerel which are believed to enter Scent Grass Lake from nearby Murray Lake during high water levels.

Very little other recreational activity occurs as the shoreline type and water depth are not conducive to activities such as swimming, boating and picnicking.

Importance to the Resource

Most species of dabbler and diver ducks use Scent Grass Lake as a breeding area. However, the Sanctuary has greater value as a moulting area for ducks produced there and nearby Moore Lake, an excellent marsh capable of high waterfowl production. Concentrations of 2,000 ducks (mainly Mallard and Pintail and divers) and 7,000 geese (Canada, White-fronted, Roast and Snow geese) have been observed on the lake in the late fall.

A variety of other birds use the Sanctuary, adjacent marsh and upland habitat. Known and suspected breeders include Pied-billed Grebe, American Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Sora, Killdeer, Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, Common Snipe, Wilson's Phalarope, Franklin's Gull, Black Tern, Marsh Wren, Red-winged and Yellow-headed blackbirds, Alder Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Tree and Barn swallows, Veery, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow and Yellow-throated warblers, American Goldfinch, and Chipping, Clay-colored, Savannah, Le Conte's, Sharp-tailed and Song sparrows.

Historical Motes and Land-Use Conflicts

In 1948, an inspection of bird sanctuaries by two federal and provincial wildlife officials resulted in the delisting of five sanctuaries made unsuitable by drought as breeding and resting grounds for migratory waterfowl. Scent Grass Lake Bird Sanctuary was one of five replacement sanctuaries established by Order-In-Council P.C. 1948-5070 on November 3, 1948.

Three evaluations of the Sanctuary by the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1957, 1971, and 1972 recognized the importance of the Sanctuary as a waterfowl refuge. The 1957 evaluation recommended that the Sanctuary be delisted as the area was also protected by Provincial Game Preserve Regulations. The 1972 evaluation recommended that the Sanctuary should be retained because of its value to waterfowl and other marsh and water birds.

In the late 1960s, agricultural interests considered draining Moore Lake and using water from Scent Grass Lake for irrigation purposes, but this has not materialized, as yet. Most of the local residents felt that Scent Grass Lake should be retained as a protected area.

Crop damage by waterfowl is not considered a major problem although a number of farmers have sustained periodic severe crop depredation.

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, 1 980) .

The Sanctuary is also protected by Provincial Game Preserve Regulations under the Provincial Wildlife Act.

Regular patrols of the area are made in the fall by the Saskatchewan Department of Parks and Renewable Resources and the North Battleford, Saskatchewan detachment of the R.C.M.P. 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.