Hansman Lake (AB119)

Provost, Alberta

Site Description

Hansman Lake is located approximately 10 km west of the town of Provost, in east-central Alberta. The lake is fairly alkaline with no emergent vegetation. Most of the land around the lake is cultivated.

Birds

Hansman Lake supports from 10,000 to 30,000 white geese each fall. Most of these geese are Snow Geese although some are Ross Geese. Ross Geese arrive earlier than the Snow Geese, which peak in early October, so these figures to not include peak Ross Goose numbers. About 2,000 to 5,000 Ross Geese are usually present in the spring and fall. A few thousand Greater White-fronted Geese are usually present each fall. There is very little use of the lake by ducks and swans.

Conservation Issues

At present, there are no known threats to this lake, although there is much oil and gas activity in the area. The lake is not used for recreational purposes. Drought could be a problem in the future as anecdotal evidence suggests the water level in the lake has dropped considerably over the last 20 years a population of fish that formally occupied the lake has disappeared, perhaps due to the lake becoming too shallow.

IBA Criteria Habitats Land Uses Potential or Ongoing Threats Conservation Status