Mackenzie River basins, mostly in Alberta. The cold northern permafrost regions beyond the Arctic Circle are very sparsely populated, mainly by indigenous peoples. Most of the Mackenzie watershed is unbroken wilderness and human activities have little influence on the overall water quality, although there are some localized impacts. Some parts of the Mackenzie basin are rich in natural resources – oil and gas in the Northwest Territories and in central Alberta, lumber in the Peace River headwaters, uranium in Saskatchewan, gold and zinc in the Great Slave Lake area and tungsten in the Yukon. As of 2003 there were two operational gold
Bistcho Lake Bistcho Lake Bistcho Lake is a large lake in north western Alberta, Canada. Bistcho Lake has a total area of (with islands area and water surface), and lies at an elevation of . It is the third largest lake in Alberta (or fourth if considering Lake Athabasca, which is partly in Saskatchewan). Bistcho Lake is located in the hydrographic basin of the Liard River, to which it is connected by the Petitot River. The waters of the lake drain to the Arctic Ocean through the Petitot, Liard and Mackenzie River. The Jackfish Point and Bistcho Lake indian reserves of the