Ecology
Burnaby Lake hosts over 400 varieties of plant, bird, fish, mammal, reptile and amphibian species. An exceptionally wide variety of birds frequent the area, including Great Blue Herons, bald eagles, osprey, and the Green Heron. Black bears once were common in the area. Burnaby Now Vegetation such as bladderworts, cattails, bulrushes, and sedges are common around the area, with deciduous trees around the edge of the marshes. Conifers occupy the areas furthest from the lake.
The lake is said to act as a settling pond for incoming pollutants from Still Creek, thereby protecting the outflowing Brunette River. Large amounts of sediment, peat moss, decomposing plants, and water lilies make the lake unsuitable for swimming.
Because many storm sewers drain to the lake and the Brunette River, the Cariboo Dam at Brunette River controls the rate of water outflow to prevent flooding downstream during times of heavy rain.
Read more about this topic: Burnaby Lake Regional Park
Famous quotes containing the word ecology:
“... the fundamental principles of ecology govern our lives wherever we live, and ... we must wake up to this fact or be lost.”
—Karin Sheldon (b. c. 1945)