| Vaseux Lake | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Looking across Vaseux Lake towardsMcIntyre Bluff | |
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| Location | Okanagan,British Columbia,Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°17′30″N119°32′00″W / 49.29167°N 119.53333°W /49.29167; -119.53333 |
| Length | 3.8 km (2.4 mi) |
| Width | 0.8 km (0.50 mi) |
| Elevation | 357 m (1,171 ft) |
| Designation | Migratory Bird Sanctuary |
| Established | 1923[1] |
| Governing body | Canadian Wildlife Service |
Vaseux Lake is a shallowfreshwaterlake located along the course of theOkanagan River in theOkanagan Valley ofBritish Columbia,Canada.[2]
The name "vaseux" isFrench, meaningmuddy ormurky, which is descriptive of the lake'ssilty water. The lake was likely named byFrench Canadianfur traders.
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The lake was misspelled asVasuix Lake onJoseph Trutch's maps from 1866 and 1871. For many years the name was later spelledVaseaux Lake; in 1945 the Geographic Board of BC corrected the official name to its present form.[2]
The town ofOkanagan Falls is to the north, and the town ofOliver is to the south. The lake lies to the eastof Mount Keogan, whileBritish Columbia Highway 97 runs alongside the east shore of the lake, and has a sharphairpin turn at the Vaseaux Lake Rock Cut which has been the scene of many accidents and deaths.McIntyre Bluff, Vaseux Creek and the associatedalluvial fan are to the south; however, it does not flow into Vaseux Lake.Both the north and south ends of the lake are shallow; there is an oval-shaped depression in the center where the lake reaches its maximum depth. The largest island on the lake is Hatfield Island. The lake stage is controlled by McIntyre Dam.[3]
Vaseaux Lake features a variety ofwetland andforeshore habitats that support large populations ofmigratory bird species along the inland portion of thePacific Flyway. Bird species of note includetrumpeter swan,great blue heron,western screech-owl,yellow-breasted chat, and thered-listedLewis's woodpecker.[4] It is for these reasons that theCanadian Wildlife Service designated the lake and its foreshore aMigratory Bird Sanctuary in 1923.[1]
The semi-arid grasslands and forests surrounding the lake are also of ecological importance, and are protected within several different national and provincial protected areas. In 1956, theprovincial government establishedVaseux Lake Provincial Park at the northeastern end of the lake to providing space for recreation while also ensuring the ecological integrity of the lake's foreshore in this area is preserved.[5]
In 1979, theCanadian Wildlife Service establishedVaseux-Bighorn National Wildlife Area to protect winterrangeland forCalifornia Bighorn Sheep.[6] The provincial government added on to this nature preserve by establishingVaseux Protected Area in 2001.[7]
Media related toVaseux Lake at Wikimedia CommonsMunicipalities and communities ofOkanagan,British Columbia, Canada | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent region | |
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 | This article about a location in theRegional District of Okanagan-Similkameen,Canada is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
