How McLennan Saved its Lake and Became the Bird Capital of Canada
- Jun 8
- 5 min read
By the 1980s, McLennan was a town in danger of fading alongside its natural treasure, Kimiwan Lake. In the interest of expanding agricultural production in its district, drainage efforts were effectively “starving” the lake and its ecosystem, leaving the community at a crossroads.
At the time, if anyone had gushed about their town being a capital-in-waiting, skeptics would have been quick to shut it down. “Awa’ ‘n boil your head!” they might have said—or perhaps more pointedly, “Relax! Mediocrity is better for your health!”
In fact, it would take a special combination of vision, tenacity and serendipity to turn the local challenge into a national asset. But that’s what led to McLennan officially becoming the Bird Capital of Canada in 1988.
McLennan: The Bird Capital of Canada
Kimiwan Lake boasts the largest concentrations of migrating shorebirds and waterfowl in Northern Alberta. Most of the lake is between 0.5 and 1 metre deep, covering about 51 km². Surrounded by insect-and-vegetation rich mudflats, its shallow, marshy areas keep attracting birds back year after year.
Nestled on the northern edge of town, Kimiwan Lake hosts hundreds of thousands of frequent-flyers during peak migration seasons. As many as 233 species have been recorded within 15 km of the lake, which is why one estimate suggests it has attracted well over 100,000 tourists from around the world.
Originally, Kimiwan Lake enjoyed depths over three metres, which made it a hot spot for swimming, boating, canoeing and fishing. When drainage ditches diverted water away from its watershed for farmland expansion in the mid ‘70s, its depth was severely reduced—turning it into an all-you-can-eat paradise for our feathered friends.
The greater Peace Region has long been a hub for North American bird migration. An immense number of birds refuel here en route to places like Southern USA, the Gulf of Mexico, Central and South America and the Arctic. It’s a magnet for thousands of geese, dabbling ducks, diving ducks, shorebirds and swans.
Flocking Together for a Better Future
Forty-three years ago, a small group of concerned locals formed the Save Our Lake Committee (SOLC). They refused to sit idle while Kimiwan fluctuated between drought and flood.
In 1984, they incorporated as the Kimiwan Lake and Wildlife Preservation Society (KLWPS). Their goal: to conserve the wetlands and develop the lake’s 10,000+ acres into a wildlife sanctuary.
In spite of bureaucracy in the provincial capital, at home KLWPS was hard at work. Their efforts paid off in persuading nearby farmers and water-managers to help stabilize the lake’s water-level. Such interim protection led to long-term environmental agreements, which made future wetland developments possible.
Later efforts were bolstered by Chel (Michelle) MacDonald, a gifted naturalist whose avian surveys (from 1986) helped highlight the lake’s great biological values.
When Things “Click”
In 1987, serendipity showed up in the form of Alberta’s Community Tourism Action Plan (CTAP). While other towns struggled for a “hook,” McLennan’s leaders saw theirs in their extensive, nutritious wetlands.
Wisely, the CTAP program challenged rural communities to take the lead in developing and managing their tourism resources.
So, guess which town was first to seize the opportunity? The program was right up McLennan’s alley. That’s why its leaders jumped at the opportunity to develop their lake’s potential, and the Town’s highly-experienced manager (CAO) sprang into action as a key proponent.
Hospital Rubble
Now, it just happened, in March 1987, that a local business asked Town Council for permission to use the bricks and concrete materials from the demolition of McLennan’s old hospital. The proposal was to construct a causeway to the lake’s nearby southern shore and create a duck feeding-station at the far end.
Not for a moment did anyone at the table realize this would play an important part in a much more ambitious project.
McTAP: The Blueprint for a Capital
By January 1988, the Town’s new venture got going under the banner “McTAP” (McLennan’s Tourism Action Plan). Embracing birdwatching for its great tourism potential, the local movers-and-shakers envisioned Kimiwan Lake as a refuge for goose species, swans, ducks and shorebirds in droves.
From this, the Town developed a site-plan for a birdwatching interpretive program. With members of the former SOLC and the current KLWPS in support, the new McTAP vigorously picked up the pace.
Firing on all cylinders, and with great camaraderie, the Town’s dedicated volunteers zeroed in on developing “a birdwatching/nature park.” That plan evolved into creation of a birdwatching interpretive centre and a “birdwalk,” which would stretch way out over and beyond the marshes and would give nature-lovers access to an otherwise inaccessible expanse of avian real estate.
The wooden birdwalk would be installed carefully to avoid disturbing the major populations of visiting and resident birdlife.
To make all this all happen, intense fundraising efforts were undertaken. Excavations of two massive lagoons—called “loafing ponds” for waterfowl—were carried out, which brought the open water much closer for nature-observers.
Countless hours of volunteer time were donated in 1990 and 1991 to construct the “habitat and bird-watching facility.” Thus, the Kimiwan Interpretive Centre, its grounds and birding pathways were completed in good time for the proud official opening on Canada Day 1992. The Bird Capital of Canada was now in full swing.
Construction of the extended elevated walkway over the frozen marshes followed that winter. Five hundred feet of “board walkways” and a bridge were installed by 1994, along with birding blinds and observation platforms. These would attract tens of thousands of visitors.
The Legacy of the Six
In the fall of 1994, after the heavy-lifting of the Birdwalk’s second phase was completed, McTAP handed its grand project over to the reconstituted KLWPS.
Stewardship responsibilities were taken on by a core team of six dedicated volunteers, most of whom had been a vital part of McTAP. These were the architects of their town’s rebirth as a prime eco-tourism destination. Such was their commitment that some of the KLWPS’s members continued to serve for decades—one volunteer amassing an incredible 37 years of service.
Together, they demonstrated that while government programs like CTAP can provide a “spark” or two, it is local inspiration and tenacity that lead to successful achievements.
The Ripple Effect
Such synergy led to global recognition. In 1996, Kimiwan was granted status as a Globally Significant Important Bird Area.
Community volunteers stepped up to the plate to deal with the effects of significant flooding in 1997 and 2020-2022. Provincial entities likewise assisted greatly in clean-up of the lake after the avian botulism outbreak in 1998, (which happens from time to time in Prairie eco-systems).
All of this enabled the Birdwalk to move into the future as a successful operation, with wind in its sails.
In 2002, KLWPS evolved significantly and started operating as the Kimiwan Lake Naturalists (KLN).
Alberta’s grand “Birdwalk” operation won a slew of plaudits, including the Lieutenant Governor’s Inaugural Wetland-Conservation Award in 2007.
Today, the nature-enterprise continues with annual “swan-athons” (fall surveys of migrating Trumpeter and Tundra Swans conducted since 2000) and other birding surveys. These were crowned in 2020 when the lake won much-to-be desired designation as a Provincial Game Bird Sanctuary.
Visionary leadership and wise perseverance consequently demonstrated that McLennan wasn’t merely a “little town that could,” but “the little town that did” achieve great things in the face of all sorts of challenges.
Words By A. Christopher Smith Photography by Frank Shea (Fort McMurray) and Melissa Labreque
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