The Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is located in the District of Saanich, near the city of Victoria, Canada.
It
is an oasis of natural beauty Surrounded by the urban sprawl of Victoria and
Swan Lake is only minutes from the downtown area.
The
Nature Sanctuary consists of two distinct areas with Swan Lake and its surrounding
marshy lowlands which provides good habitat for many birds and small animals
such as muskrat, river otter and mink and the rocky, oak-forested highlands of
Christmas Hill with its majestic view from the hilltop and the meadows blooming
with a sea of wildflowers in the springtime.
The
lake was formed when the last glacier receded 12,000 years ago but Swan Lake’s
current status is due to much more recent events just a few decades ago.
Up
until the 1970’s the area was a dumping ground for a mixture of raw sewage, farm
waste and chemicals from a local winery.
But
due to the cleanup which began in the 70's the area is a rich habitat for a
variety of wildlife.