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Information about Star Lake

NEW: The Flora and Fauna of Star Lake!

Follow the link above to see and learn about some of the amazing biodiversity found around Star Lake and the southern part of Whiteshell Provincial Park. (COMING SOON!)

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Some information to share?

If you have information that you think belongs here, please forward it to me via email at this address: Send Information About Star Lake. If, upon review, the information is correct and appropriate for this site it may be posted here. You must be willing to have your name listed and credited for any submissions. Some basic information about Star Lake and Whiteshell Provincial Park is below. (More coming soon.)

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Important Local Contacts

Here's some contact information pertinent to Star Lake. If there's others you think should be here use the link above to make a suggestion.

Manitoba Parks recommends that our first line of contact for all issues ought to be our Whiteshell Park Specialist:

Joanne Podolchuk, Park Specialist
Manitoba Parks Environment, Climate and Parks
Box 4000 Lac du Bonnet, MB R0E 1A0
T 204-792-3503 F 204-345-1415

Email: Joanne Podolchuk, Park Specialist

(I have found Joanne to be prompt in responding to emails or phone messages I have sent. Doug C.)

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The Human and Natural History of Star Lake

(These sections will be expanded into separate pages later on as more information is posted.)

Human History of Star Lake

(Human history: Indigenous peoples, early settlers, commercial activities, establishment of the Park and cottage development, etc.)

To get started read the: History and Folklore of the Whiteshell Park South by Olive Zimmerman (A great resource!). Click here to download a PDF version of the book (180 Mb) or you can view it online at the U of M's Digital Collections.

(The U of M's Digital Collections lets you search within the document. Use quotes, " ", around a phrase to search for that phrase specifically. For example: to find all references to Star Lake, enter "Star Lake" into the search box. )

Also on the U of M's Digital Collections: History and Folklore of the Whiteshell Park North by Anne Cott. You can view it online at the U of M's Digital Collections.

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Geology

Star Lake has some really cool geology, and an interesting history of mining! I'm still wading through the information I've found, but here's a number of good resources:

• The Star Lake Gold District (PDF 3 Mb) A Master's Thesis from 1915!
  
  
• Roadside Geology of Manitoba – a user’s guide to the province’s unique geological features (PDF 7 Mb) a good overview of Manitoba's geological features.
  
  
• Geological Map of Manitoba (PDF 36 Mb) a good staring point for overall geology of Manitoba.
  
  
• Manitoba Rocks! A great overall geology site that has a list of mining companies and specific info on the Penniac Mine south of Star Lake.
  
  
• Geology of the West Hawk/Falcon Lake Area (PDF 9.4 Mb)
  
  
• Star Lake Surficial Geology (PDF 9.4 Mb)
  
  
• Falcon Lake Intrusive Complex (PDF 15.9 Mb)
  
  
• Primary Structures of the Falcon Lake Intrusive Complex (PDF 16.7 Mb)
  
  
• Mining in Manitoba (PDF 27.3 Mb)
  
  
• Gold Mines of Manitoba (PDF 9.6 Mb)
  
  
• Gold in Manitoba (PDF 10.4 Mb)

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Limnology (The nature of the lake itself!)

Star Lake is a medium-sized shallow lake, covering about 150 hectares, with a maximum depth of only about 6 m (if you don't count a few meters of organic muck at the bottom!). Here's some resources:

• 1995 Water Quality in the Whiteshell Provincial Park: Star Lake (PDF 754 Kb)
  
  
• 2003 Bathymetry Map of Star Lake (JPG 3.7 Mb) water depths throughout the lake.
  
  
• Investigation of an introduced subtropical alga (Lyngbya wollei) in Whiteshell Provincial Park (PDF 11 Mb) with interesting water chemistry of Star Lake!

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Ecology(Star Lake is in the region of Manitoba with the highest biodiversity. Our flora and fauna is amazing!)

NEW: The Flora and Fauna, and Beauty of Star Lake!

Star Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park lies within the "Lake of the Woods" district of the "Boreal Shield Ecoregion". This district contains the highest biodiversity found in Manitoba, owing to the confluence of a number of biogeographical systems.

This district contains elements of the Boreal Forest, the Great Lakes St Lawrence Forest and the Tall Grass Prairies. Overall the biodiversity of this region is poorly documented (I continue to find plant and animal species around Star Lake that have not previously been recorded in Manitoba and are often hard to identify as they are not contained in any local accounts of flora and fauna - Doug C.)

Some good resources:

• Ecozones of Manitoba (JPG 650 Kb)
  
  
• Ecozones and Ecoregions of Canada (website) - direct link to the Boreal Shield Ecozone
  
  
• Terrestrial Ecoregions of Canada (website) - official Gov't of Canada version
  
  
• Environment and Biodiversity, Manitoba Conservation and Climate (website)
  
  
• NatureNorth.com has lots of info on Manitoba's flora and fauna. (Hey, NatureNorth is my website and lots of the information and pictures come from around Star Lake! Doug C.)

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You can help gather information on Manitoba's biodiversity!

Visit iNaturalist.org, sign up and add in records of the plants and animals you encounter.

Visit the Manitoba-based sections: Go Wild Manitoba | Manitoba Herps Atlas

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