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Little Quill Lake: East Shore
D.U. Canada's Nature Watch Program
identifies opportunities to view wildlife and to conserve habitat.
#3 Self-Drive Tour Route is located
in the aspen parkland. ecoregion of the prairie ecozone.
Signs mark D.U. Canada wetland
conservation and prairie CARE projects. They are part of the North American Waterfowl
Management Plan for the Quill Lakes.
The Quill Lakes provide critical
habitat of international importance for shorebirds and Waterfowl. It is dedicated as a
RAMSAR wetland, Heritage Marsh, an international and endangered shorebird reserve under
the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network and an Important Birding Area of Canada.
Guided Tours are available from
Quill Lakes Nature Tours 1-888-383-2616.
Little Quill Lake: East Shore
self-drive nature tour covers approximately 75km. Travel the complete route or visit
projects separately.
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Click on the red numbers to jump to
info on that location. 
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1.
Wadena Wildlife Wetlands
- Access: Easy- All Weather Roads
- Wildlife in Area: Upland Birds, Birds of Prey,
WaterFowl, Shorebirds, Songbirds, Small Mammalls, Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Reptiles,
Anphibians, Insect, Native Plants
- Facilities: Brochures, Toilets, Trail, Picnic Area,
Parking, Displays, Viewing Tower, Board Walks.
From Wadena, drive 3.2 km. south on Hwy 35 and west
5.6 km. on the grid road. Watch for interpretive area signs. DU Canada manages the 3500
acre complex of Milligan Creek and Jesmer wetland projects, and in conjunction with the
Town of Wadena, developed an interpretive area. There are over 6 miles of walking trails,
two observation towers, a picnic area and canoeing available. Trails include
"Wildflower Way", which passes through a prairie grassland; "Cattail
Trail", which follows a marsh boardwalk; and "Plover Path", which follows
the dyke top overlooking the shorebirds along Little Quill Lake's shoreline. A waterfowl
feeding station is present, so access to the "Plover Path" trail is restricted
from mid-August through September. Shorebird viewing is best during peak spring migration
from mid-May to early June and during peak fall migration from late July to late August.
Watch along the lake shoreline and shallow marsh areas for common species like Red- necked
Phalarope, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Least
Sandpiper, Sanderling, Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher and Hudsonian Godwit. The
endangered Piping Plover nests at the Quill Lakes. Observation of waterfowl breeding
encompasses the period of late April through July. Large numbers of Canada geese, Snow
Geese, Sandhill Cranes and all prairie duck species stage on the marshes, lakes and
adjoining uplands. Peak fall migration is from mid-September to mid-October.
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Little Quill Restriction / Campbell
- Access: Moderate to Difficult - Combination of All
Weather and Sesonal Roads and Foot Access by Natural Walking Trail.
- Wildlife in Area: Upland Birds, Birds of Prey,
WaterFowl, Shorebirds, Songbirds, Small Mammalls, Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Reptiles,
Anphibians, Insect, Native Plants
- Facilities: Trail
From Wynyard, travel 12 km. east on Hwy 16 to the
Mozart turnoff. On the grid road, drive north 6.4 Km. and then east 1.6 km. At the road
intersection, travel 3.2 km. north to the waterfowl feeding station on DU Canada's 1100
acre Campbell wetland complex. A trail continues north 1 km. and it leads to the shore of
Little Quill Lake. At the trail junction take a left turn to reach the lake. Access to
Campbell is restricted when the feeding station in operation (mid-August through
September) or when cattle are present from Elfros Pasture. A joint agreement between DU,
the RM of Elfros and the Saskatchewan Wetland Conservation Corporation allows for periodic
grazing to manage this grassland. To access the 1400 acre Little C3uill Restriction
project walk north from the feeding station along the edge of the lure crop and turn right
at the junction. Travel 1.6 kn-7. to reach the darn between Little Quill Lake and the
marsh. Waterfowl crop damage of surrounding croplands is reduced through fall operation of
the feeding station and lure crop. While more difficult to access, these projects offer
good viewing for shorebirds and waterfowl similar to other viewing locations around the
Quill Lakes.
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