Shultz Lake (AB117)

Shultz Lake (AB117)

Sedgewick, Alberta

Site Description

Shultz Lake (an unofficial name) is located approximately 30 km south of the town of Sedgewick, in east-central Alberta. This non-alkaline lake is fairly shallow with an abundance of submergent vegetation. Most of the surrounding lands are croplands.

Birds

Shultz Lake supports between 10,000 and 20,000 white geese each fall. Most of these birds are Snow Geese, but some are Ross Geese. In some years, however, higher numbers can be present, such as on October 20, 2000, when it was estimated that there were 25,000 white geese on the lake. Ross Geese arrive earlier than the Snow Geese, which peak in early October, so these figures to not include peak Ross Goose numbers. Greater White-fronted Geese are also abundant between 5,000 and 10,000 are usually present. The higher number is about 1% of the North American population.

Several thousand Canada Geese, probably from the Short Grass Prairie population, also feed here in the autumn. In addition to the geese, several thousand ducks and a few Tundra Swans use the lake in the fall.

Conservation Issues

At present, there are no known threats to this lake. The shallow lake does not support any fish, thus no fishing or other recreational activities are known to occur.

IBA Criteria Habitats Land Uses Potential or Ongoing Threats Conservation Status

• Waterbirds17,000 (max.)