| Elk and Beaver Lakes | |
|---|---|
| Location | Saanich, British Columbia |
| Primary inflows | O'Donnel Creek |
| Primary outflows | Colquitz Creek |
| Catchment area | 11.5 km² |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Surface area | 2.46 km² (Elk Lake, Beaver Lake, Elk-Beaver channel)[1] |
| Max. depth | 17.9 m[1] |
| Residence time | 4.4 years (Elk Lake), 0.25 years (Beaver Lake)[1] |
Elk Lake is a large lake located in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park in Saanich, British Columbia. Elk Lake and Beaver Lake are actually one lake as a shallow channel connects them. Elk/Beaver lake was known as the "Freshwater Playground of Victoria" in its heyday, the 1930s and 1940s. However, with the completion of the Pat Bay highway in the 1950s, focus turned to environmentalism, and measures were taken to start restoring the park to its natural state and protecting it. In 1966 Elk/Beaver lake became a regional park.
Today, a good balance between a "freshwater playground" and a preserved, natural park has been established. The co-existence between the stakeholders and the land is apparent. Park-goers make efforts to keep the park clean and well kept. It is for this reason that most hikers will have numerous sightings of wildlife where in other places, most viewers would only be lucky to see.
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In the 1850s, traders purchased the entire Saanich Peninsula from the Coast Salish people for 386 wool blankets. After Canada became a unified nation, the land became government property and fell under the jurisdiction of the province of British Columbia. In 1873, foundation stones were laid to construct a dam at the south end of Beaver Lake so that the two lakes could eventually be used as a drinking water supply for the city of Victoria.[2] Two years later water started flowing from the lakes into Victoria and the previous supply company, the Spring Ridge Water Works Company, was dissolved.[2] However, by the turn of the century population growth in Victoria meant that the water supply from the lakes was inadequate. In the years from 1913 to 1915, the Sooke Flowline was constructed to draw city water from the new Sooke Reservoir.
Today, the park is up kept and managed by the Capital Regional District. Because it is protected area, it does not serve as a residential area. However, it is home to many species of wildlife. Plant species include: Breadroot (which is a rare species and is also known as Slender Woolyheads), licorice ferns, yellow pond lilies, cattail reeds, cottonwood, pacific crabapple, red alder, douglas fir, and western red cedar. Some common animal species are: Mergansers, Canada geese, buffleheads, bald eagles, osprey, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, river otters, red-winged blackbirds (which is British Columbia's provincial bird), savannah sparrows, Columbia black-tailed deer, red-legged frogs, yellow warblers, chestnut-backed chickadees, screech owl, and lastly, the giant bullfrog, which is an invasive species and a huge concern.
There are five main groups who interact with the lake: Equestrians, fishers, water skiers, the general public, and rowers. The Equestrian centre is located on the west side of the lake. Here people can come to exercise and train their horses in the tranquility of nature. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset. Fishers are a common sight on Elk/Beaver Lake. From the pre-dawn fishers to the twilight hunters, this group uses the area constantly. Unfortunately, the anglers and rowers often come into close contact. Rowers consistently come near fishing boats and even those anglers on shore. It is quite common for the rowing community to tangle fishing lines, crash into angler boats and generally get in the way. While numerous attempts have been made to develop a strategy that compromises both parties the rowers continue to take the position that it is "their lake" and any anglers can leave it. Last, but not least, the general public loves a weekend retreat to the lake. With no camping allowed, families come out for a Saturday morning hike on the easy trails around the lake or a Sunday picnic and swim at one of the beaches. A 10 km trail around Elk and Beaver Lakes is popular with the local running community. The Victoria City Rowing Club boathouse is located on the South East corner of Elk Lake. Currently the boathouse has five bays with a second story above bay one. Here, young and old come together to learn, get fit and be competitive. They row all times of the day, starting with University crews at 5:30 am and usually ending with club and high school crews around 6:00 pm.
The major issue concerning Elk/Beaver lake today is the proposed renewal for the rowing boathouse which is home to the Victoria City Rowing Club, the Greater Victoria Youth Rowing Society, the University of Victoria, and the Victoria Training Centre. There are three main phases to the renewal: Phase one would be to add another level above boat bays four and five. Phase two would be to build a work shop behind bays one, two and three, effectively moving it out of bay one to create more storage space. The final stage would be to add another dock for on water storage of coach and safety boats. This could potentially have a huge effect on the surrounding riparian zone which would, by definition, influence the aquatic ecosystem and play a role in soil conservation and biodiversity.
However, according to the environmental assessment, the proposed method of action will have little to no effect on the surrounding wetlands as the development will be in an area where the land has already been altered due to past infrastructure. However, a review of the proposal by the Ministry of Environment, Fisheries Management Branch indicated that both the environmental and user impact assessments were inadequate and missed important existing information sources. For example, the reported angling use data in the user impact assessment were outdated and the actual data from more recent work done by the Ministry of Environment regional office in Nanaimo indicated a much greater use by anglers. Unfortunately the contractor hired to complete the report neglected to make any inquiries regarding angling use information to either the Ministry of Environment office in Victoria or Nanaimo. A public open house meeting in Victoria was attended by many rowing advocates who supported the renewal plan, which would see increased storage space to accommodate the large numbers of boats that are currently stored outside. Along with rowing advocates there were just as many anglers and water skiing enthusiasts who opposed the renewal. It was pointed out that in the original management plan for the lake a stipulation was made that there would be no further expansion of the rowing facility on the lake.
Green building technologies are to be used in development and the current structure is going to be updated to conserve water and energy.
Although the development will be environmentally friendly and sound, it will be economically challenging for the club compared to if they were less conscious of the riparian zone. This is typical of the sustainability triangle: it is nearly impossible to provide for social values, economics and the environment. In this case, the only aspect that will be negatively affected is economics. Rowers will have a better facility to train from and therefore have more chance to excel and the general public (which is the largest of the stake holding groups) will have more opportunity to observe rowing and they will have new, clean facilities to use while frequenting the park. The equestrians are not really affected by the renewal but because the new facilities will be built in accordance with social values, and will not have much of an impact on the park, they are in favour.
Elk/ Beaver Lake Regional Park provides many people with a chance to enjoy nature and an area for recreation and fun. Social values and beliefs ensure the area's integrity by helping to protect the riparian zone and environment even if it has high demands economically.
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