You’ve
seen blue lakes, green lakes, brown lakes and eve the occasional pink lake (See
Lake Hillier). You’ve been around lakes so small that they were little more than
overgrown ponds and other ones so big you’d need a telescope and a three day
boat ride to see the other shore. You’ve gazed at lakes so clear you could see
everything going on at the bottom, and other ones so murky you weren’t sure
there even was as bottom.
In case
you hadn’t noticed, one of Mother Nature’s hobbies is seeing how many different
kinds of lakes she can think up. And she’s really good at it.
Now
here’s something really unusual.
Have
you ever seen a polka-dotted lake?
From a
distance, it almost looks like a chunk of the moon’s cratered surface lying
there in the middle of the forest. Of course it only looks like that for part
of the year, but when it does, everybody’s looking - - even if it is from
behind a fence.
The
Okanagan First Nation people call it “Ktlil’x Lake“, but it’s also known as “Spotted
Lake”. It’s a highly mineral rich lake with some very unusual habits.
In the
summer months, the lake evaporates in just such a way as to have little mineral
pools like giant dots scattered across the lakebed. The pools come in a variety
of colors depending on the mineral content of each. There’s blue, green and
yellow, too. If you happened to be around to watch all summer long, you’d even
get to watch the pools change color as mineral contents are altered by
evaporation.
It’s
been said, for a long time, that the lake has certain healing powers. Some even
say that the different pools will heal different ailments, depending on their
colors. So strongly has this belief been held, that some have tried to create a
spa on the lake.
But not
all, in the lake’s history, have been interested in its legendary curative
properties. Some were looking for something else entirely.
A
hundred years ago, as World War I rattled the globe, the lake was mined for its
mineral deposits in order to make ammunition for the battle. Some histories
claim as much as a ton of salt was extracted from Spotted Lake each day! That kind
of work couldn’t help but have an impact on the lake. It’s been said that
before the extraction, those spots were even more colorful and magnificent. I
wonder what colors there were back then? Reds? Pinks?
Well,
even without past glories, the lake is still something to see. So if you’re
ever in that part of the world, I wouldn’t blame you for making a point of
going around and seeing it.
But be
warned, it’s presently privately owned by the First Nation people who want to
preserve it as it is for all generations, and they’ve decided the best way to
do that is to protect it from becoming a public tourist area. So you’ll only be
able to see it over a fence from some distance away.
That
may be enough to protect the lake from a certain amount of pollution and
overdevelopment, but a watchful eye must still be kept.
The
lake was affected by wildfires last season.
But
Mother Nature is resilient, and she’ll be back.
Photo by AndrewEnns
Comments