Tobin Lake (11539)
Canada, North America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2008
National site name: Tobin Lake
Central coordinates: Latitude: 53.6010, Longitude: -103.4905
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1025 to 1050
Area of KBA (km2): 721.04822
Protected area coverage (%): 3.21
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Tobin Lake is an artificial lake created in the 1960s, as a result of the construction of the E.B. Campbell Dam across the North Saskatchewan River. The lake is approximately 50 km long and 1 to 15 km wide. The resort community of Tobin Lake is located on the southern shore, and extensive marshes occur along the western shore. The Saskatchewan River enters the western end of Tobin Lake and flows out of the eastern end below the E.B. Campbell Dam.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: During the fall migration, about 2,000 Tundra Swans have been recorded at this site along with about 2,500 during the spring migration. These respective totals represent about 2.3 and 2.9% of the estimated eastern Tundra Swan population and about 1% of the total North American population. In addition to Tundra Swans, concentrations of non-breeding American White Pelicans (> 1,000 birds) have also been recorded at Tobin Lake. Other birds recorded at this site during the summer months include Bonaparte's Gull (200 500) and Ring-billed Gull (over 2,000).
Delineation rationale: 2011-06-06 (BL Secretariat): site area updated from 30700 ha to 71000 ha, following GIS analysis of site polygon by Bird Studies Canada (J. Moore & S. Marquez in litt. 2009).
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation | urban/industrial/transport
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 97 | |
| Forest | 3 |