[3] During the winter, people using snowmobiles or quads to go ice fishing on Balsam Bay get on to the lake from the south parking lot.

This barrier beach is broken by a channel at the northern end of the park allowing water from the lagoon into the lake itself.

In addition, wind driven seiche events can cause the water to rise or lower over the ice-free season.

[6] The southern half is within the boundaries of the Netley-Libau Marsh Important Bird Area (IBA), enclosing a network of wetlands on either side of the outflow of the Red River into Lake Winnipeg.

This network of marshes provide an important staging area for birds migrating to southern wintering grounds.