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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Ponass Lake is located 8 km west of the town of Rose Valley in the aspen parkland region of central Saskatchewan. The lake is shallow with an irregularly-shaped, much-indented shoreline. Lake water levels tend to fluctuate greatly between years, as Ponass Lake is dependent on drainage from intermittent creeks, spring runoff and seasonal rainfall. Most of the land surrounding the lake is cultivated, but there is native prairie and some aspen groves along the west shore of the lake.
Ponass Lake is a site of global significance for staging waterfowl and national significance for staging Sandhill Cranes. On September 12, 1994, 2,740 Canada Geese, 30 White Fronted Geese, 360 Snow Geese, 15,270 ducks and 635 Sandhill Cranes were observed at the lake. By the time a second survey was conducted on October 5, 1994, Snow Geese numbers had increased to 17,550, but duck numbers had decreased. In total, 18,400 waterfowl were recorded in the earlier survey and 24,650 waterfowl were counted in the later. Additionally, a separate survey of an unknown date noted over 12,000 ducks in the fall.
Small numbers of Canada Geese breed at this site (15-30 pairs) and Ponass Lake is locally important for moulting ducks.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Drainage and conversion to agriculture is a potential problem in this area. Periodic droughts cause water levels to substantially drop.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ponass Lake (Canada). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ponass-lake-iba-canada on 26/12/2024.
