The name "vaseux" is French, meaning muddy or murky, which is descriptive of the lake's silty water.

[3] Vaseaux Lake features a variety of wetland and foreshore habitats that support large populations of migratory bird species along the inland portion of the Pacific Flyway.

Bird species of note include trumpeter swan, great blue heron, western screech-owl, yellow-breasted chat, and the red-listed Lewis's woodpecker.

[4] It is for these reasons that the Canadian Wildlife Service designated the lake and its foreshore a Migratory Bird Sanctuary in 1923.

[6] The provincial government added on to this nature preserve by establishing Vaseux Protected Area in 2001.