THE SAND DUNES OF LAKE ATHABASCA:
Your Adventure in Learning

by Peter M. Jonker and J. Stan Rowe
University of Saskatchewan - Extension Division, soft cover, 194 pages, $35

An area of special interest for any nature enthusiast is the spectacular sand dunes along the shores of Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan. This shoreline area is characterized by flat sandstone bedrock and an almost continuous cover of sandy glacial deposits. After the last glaciers withdrew, the area was exposed to sand-sifting winds that created vast expanse of ridges and hills. Today visitors will find a thick forest of jack pine and black spruce, except for a few areas of open sand dunes along the south shores of Lake Athabasca. The dunes host several species of rare plants, such as Turnor's willow, sand chickweed and Mackenzie hairgrass, which are not found anywhere else in the world.

Jonker and Rowe's book is and outstanding introduction to this fascinating world. It opens a window on the amazing land forms and the plants and animals that live here, and provides a glimpse of the history of peoples that long inhabited the Lake Athabasca shores. Numerous colour photographs accompany the text; there are illustrations explaining the creation and ecology of the dune ecosystem, and handy charts explaining animal tracks in the sand. This book is an authoritative ecological study on the sand-dune region of Lake Athabasca and provides its readers with invaluable information on this unique northern ecosystem.

The Sand Dunes of Lake Athabasca can be purchased in selected bookstores, or by contacting the publisher; U-Learn, Extension Division, 117 Science Place, Saskatoon, Sask. S7N 5C8 (phone: 306-966-5565, e-mail: u.learn@usask.ca).
For each copy sold, a $2 contribution will be made to CPAWS toward ongoing protection of the Lake Athabasca sand dunes ecosystems.