| Lake Nipissing | |
|---|---|
 Satellite view of Lake Nipissing | |
  Lake Nipissing Location in Ontario | |
| Location | Ontario |
| Coordinates | 46°16′12″N079°47′24″W / 46.27000°N 79.79000°W /46.27000; -79.79000 |
| Type | Mesotrophic |
| Etymology | Ojibwenibiinsing, meaning "at little water" |
| Primary inflows | Sturgeon River, South River, Rivière Veuve |
| Primary outflows | French River |
| Catchment area | 12,300 km2 (4,700 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 65 km (40 mi) |
| Max. width | 25 km (16 mi) |
| Surface area | 873.3 km2 (337.2 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 4.5 m (15 ft) |
| Max. depth | 64 m (210 ft) |
| Water volume | 3.8 km3 (0.91 cu mi) |
| Shore length1 | 795 km (494 mi) (+ 619 km (385 mi) islands) |
| Surface elevation | 196 m (643 ft) |
| Islands | Numerous |
| Settlements | North Bay |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Nipissing (/ˈnɪpəsɪŋ/;French:lac Nipissing,Ojibwe:ᑭᒋᓂᐲᓐᓯᓐᓵᑲᐃᑲᓐ,romanized: Gichi-nibiinsing-zaaga’igan) is a lake in theCanadian province ofOntario. It has a surface area of 873.3 km2 (337.2 sq mi), a mean elevation of 196 m (643 ft) abovesea level, and is located between theOttawa River andGeorgian Bay. Lake Nipissing is the third-largest lake entirely in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a large lake, with an average depth of only 4.5 m (15 ft). The shallowness of the lake makes for manysandbars along the lake's irregular shoreline. The lake reaches a maximum depth of 64 m (210 ft) near the mouth of theFrench River, off the shore of Blueberry Island. The lake has manyislands most of which are protected under the Protection of Significant Wetlands scheme, controlled by theMinistry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
The largest population centre on the lake's shoreline is the city ofNorth Bay. North Bay sits along the lake's northeastern shoreline. Other notable towns includeCallander (south of North Bay alongHighway 11). The larger towns toward the western end of the lake areSturgeon Falls,Garden Village,Cache Bay and Lavigne.
The name of the lake in the Ojibwe language of the surrounding indigenous communities (Dokis andNipissing First Nations) isGichi-nibiinsing-zaaga’igan, meaning "Big little-water lake".[1] The name "Nipissing" was also given to many places in the area, notably theTownship of Nipissing,Nipissing District, andNipissing University.
Lake Nipissing drains into Georgian Bay, which is a part ofLake Huron, via the French River. Lake Nipissing lies about 25 km (16 mi) northwest ofAlgonquin Provincial Park. The French fur traderÉtienne Brûlé was the first European to visit the lake in 1610.Jean Nicolet, another French trader and explorer had a "cabin and trading-house" for eight or nine years living among the Indigenous people on the shores of Lake Nipissing until 1633 when he was recalled to Quebec to become Commissary and Indian Interpreter for the "Company of the Hundred Associates." In a map dated 1776, the lake is still referred to with its French name "Lac des Sorcières".
During theAmerican Revolutionary War, Lake Nipissing was proposed as the boundary in the instructions of theContinental Congress toJohn Adams, the Commissioner appointed to negotiate a treaty of peace with Great Britain.[2]
The first permanent European settlement on the lake dates from around 1874 with a trading post of theHudson's Bay Company on the northwest corner in what is now Sturgeon Falls. In 1882 theNorth-West Mounted Police established their presence on the north east shore.
The lake contains over 40 different species of fish. Numeroussport fishing lodges dot the main shoreline and can also be found on several of Nipissing's many islands. Most anglers targetwalleye,smallmouth bass,muskie, andnorthern pike. For various reasons, largely social, numerousstocking associations are engaged in attempts to manage the lake's walleye population.
In the days offur trade,coureur des bois and latervoyageurs travelled through the lake bycanoe via theMattawa and French rivers. When the fur trade started to decline in the 1880s, logging became the main economic activity. AfterWorld War I, the primary economic activity became tourism and recreation, althoughlogging still contributes a significant economic stimulus to the area.
Unlike most lakes in Ontario, Lake Nipissing contains twovolcanic pipes, which are theManitou Islands andCallander Bay.[3] The volcanic pipes formed by the violent,supersonic eruption of deep-originvolcanoes. Lake Nipissing lies in theOttawa-Bonnechere Graben, aMesozoic erarift valley that formed 175 million years ago.
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The lake is home to an abundance of flora and fauna:white pine is significant, however,broadleaf trees such as aspen, ash, birch, maple and oak predominate some of the larger islands.Juniper,sumac,scrub oak,oak ferns andpoison ivy can also be found. As well as much prized fish species, Nipissing wildlife includesmoose,beaver,bald eagle,ospreys andturtles.
The lakeshore and islands are densely covered withbroadleaved trees. Some of the larger islands on the lake such as Garden Island are almost exclusively broadleaf withmaple,oak anddogwood. Many trees species can be found on and around the lake including:
Fish - the lake is famous for the plethora of fish and the sport they provide. Of the 44 fish species to be found in Lake Nipissing, the significant include:
Mammals - Many mammals frequent the shores and islands of the lake, including:
Birds - These separate naturally into resident or visiting species, including:
and a huge variety ofducks andgeese.
Media related toLake Nipissing at Wikimedia CommonsPleistoceneproglacial lakes and related seas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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