Redberry Lake (Saskatchewan)

Redberry Lake
Redberry Lake
Redberry Lake Location in Saskatchewan Show map of Saskatchewan Redberry Lake Redberry Lake (Canada) Show map of Canada
Location	RM of Redberry No. 435, Saskatchewan
Coordinates	52°42′N 107°10′W / 52.700°N 107.167°W / 52.700; -107.167
Type	Salt lake
Primary inflows	Marshy Creek, natural springs
Primary outflows	None
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	9.7 km (6.0 mi)
Max. width	9.7 km (6.0 mi)
Surface area	5,169 ha (12,770 acres)
Average depth	+/- 11 m (36 ft)
Max. depth	18 m (59 ft)
Shore length1	53 km (33 mi)
Surface elevation	507 m (1,663 ft)
Islands	Gramiak Island Pelican Island Gull Island Old Tern Island New Tern Island
Settlements	None
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Redberry Lake^[1] is a kettle salt lake near Hafford in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Named after the buffaloberry, it is a medium-sized saline lake within an area characterized by mostly fresh water aquatic environments. The lake makes up the core protected area of the Redberry Lake (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve and is a federal bird sanctuary of the same name. It is also an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Canada and its northern most island is the location of the provincial Redberry Wildlife Refuge (52°42′00″N 107°12′02″W / 52.7001°N 107.2006°W / 52.7001; -107.2006).^[2] A small regional park is situated at the north-west corner of the lake. The countryside surrounding Redberry Lake is typical of the aspen parkland biome of which it is a part.^[3][4][5]

Over the past several decades, Redberry Lake water levels have been declining and the salt concentrations increasing. With the declining levels, the shoreline length has been decreasing and the size of the islands in the lake have been increasing. In 1957, a new island — New Tern Island — appeared. In the 1940s, the salt content was low enough that there was a thriving commercial whitefish industry at the lake.