The Wild Side of Clear Lake

Home , Clear Lake (California), Mount Konocti

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$5.95 on the trail on the trail While you’re watching the grebes, keep an eye out for osprey and bald eagles. The eagles prey on grebes and other waterbirds, so watch for them perched in the trees in the grebe nesting areas, looking for an easy meal. Ospreys don’t prey on birds, but they’ve learned that where there are grebes, there are abundant fish. At the county park, look for the huge osprey nest, where you can often see a pair tending to their young. A family of river otters also lives nearby, and white pelicans are a common sight on the lake at the mouth of Adobe Creek.

The Water Trails

“Things have changed a lot up at Clear Lake. I’ve noticed things about kayaking, wildlife areas. None of that existed when I was there madesonphotography.com before.” Julie Donnelly-Nolan taking a dip in clear lake (above) Clear Lake at dawn, from Lakeside County Park in Lakeport. Mount Konocti is on the right, and the mountains looking birds is on the water from Long usgs geologist who mapped beyond mark Mendocino National Forest’s southern end. Tule Point to Adobe Creek, where several the area in the 1970s and 80s IN THE CLEAR (below) Mating grebes engage in the “weed dance,” where thousand of them nest in spring and early they present each other with nest-building materials. summer. A great way to observe them is Clear Lake’s network of seven water by Terry Knight The Birds (below right) Ospreys nest at several locations along the from a kayak or other small, quiet boat trails is the brainchild of Holly Harris shores of the lake and can often be seen diving for fish near launched at the Lakeside County Park, and Charles Lamb, a husband-and-wife rafts of grebes. “Every day on the lake is an adventure. One only a short paddle away team who moved to Lake County in day I will see a flight of white pelicans gliding from the nesting area. 2000 and founded Konocti Regional We’ve thought about doing a piece on Clear Lake Terry Knight is an outdoor adventure over the water and the next day there will be Western grebes are Trails in 2007. Harris says Clear Lake is for a long time: It’s a wildlife magnet just over enthusiast who’s lived on the lake for 25 years and grebes doing their mating dance along with an known for their spec- ideal for water trails because there are 11 two hours from our office in Berkeley, and yet writes an outdoors column and feature stories on osprey grabbing a fish. In my opinion it is one tacular springtime

relatively few Bay Area nature lovers ever visit. the area’s environment for the Lake County of the most dynamic lakes in the world.” courtship dance. The madesonphotography.com You might imagine that Clear Lake was Record-Bee. He sent us a few vignettes Greg Giusti male approaches the named for the clarity of its water. Not so. It that capture several of his favorite places University of California scientist female and does a series turns out that early European settlers named around the lake, though he makes it clear there of dips with his head. this lake for the clarity of the region’s air, which are many more to be explored. Clear Lake is home to more than 300 She responds with like today remains some of the best around. Before the Dan Rademacher, Editorial Director species of birds, from eagles and osprey dips and then they run Europeans named the lake, the local Pomo people overhead to grebes and mergansers across the surface of the called it Lypoyomi, or Big Water. And so it is: on the water and egrets and herons water with their necks Clear Lake covers 44,000 acres and its shoreline along the shore. At one time it was arched in perfect unison, stretches 110 miles. That makes it the largest estimated that the lake’s popula- finally diving underwater freshwater lake entirely inside California. tion of western grebes exceeded at exactly the same And that’s not the lake’s only superlative. It’s 50,000. You can spot them from moment. During also the oldest lake in the state and possibly the just about anwhere on the lake, but this maneuver, called oldest in North America. The region sits at the the best place to see these elegant- “rushing,” the birds edge of a large volcanic field, and constant tectonic race across the water so Mount Konocti rises behind old pilings on a misty movement has kept Clear Lake from filling in fast they appear to be morning at Clear Lake. The mountain, which tops with sediment for two million years. out at 4,305 feet, is a dormant volcano. hydroplaning. madesonphotography.com madesonphotography.com

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1903 years ago. ago. years 10,000 miles away. away. miles 10 years ago and ago 350,000years years old. And some And old. years 500 feet, Wright is the tallest oftallest the is Wright 4,286feet, Though it’s quiet now, eruptions now, quiet Thoughit’s summit the to hike Thefour-mile Traveling back on the main road you you road main the on back Traveling acres and turned and acres 1,500 Mount into it Park. County Konocti started about here as recently as happened that cones the are peaks five Konocti’s ofa series from resulted nonexplosive flows. eruptionslava and the up startshalfway lot parking a at Thedirta is trail used road mountain. phone cell the access to technicians by there’s But peak. the dot that towers grove a including here, wildness some ofbe to believed some oaks, canyon than more more recent history as well: In the In history recent well: as more ofmiddle of grove the turnoaks, down dirtin a built cabin the see to road used who widow homesteading a by mirrora greetinga signal to her to Lakeport,in daughter a now Nixon, Tom ranger park Retired demon- to likes docent, hike volunteer mirror a flashing process, the strate and volunteer another from reply a receiving town. in Peak. Wright to miles two another hike At

1800s, , for for kno, Charles Lamb Charles feet in the in feet 15 feet deep. The deep. feet 100 Konocti Konocti Trails Regional degrees20 warmer than , for woman. The woman. for htai, feet in the south end, south the in feet 25 , when the county purchased purchased county the when 2011, Park to the top ofMount Konocti.” Park madesonphotography.com This water trail covers the Soda Bay Bay Soda the covers trail Thiswater “We envision a trail from Clear Lake State State Clear Lake from a trail envision “We mountain, and mountain, the since owned privately summit, public the to inaccessible mostly was until Overlooking Clear Lake is majestic is Lake Clear Overlooking name whose Konocti, Mount 4,300-foot words Pomo the from derived is The Mountain The water temperature near these vents is vents these near temperature water than more often theorize Geologists surroundingthe bay. from coming is warmthe that water a Konocti, Mount nearby beneath dormantvolcano. northand end are that holes vent several has Bay Soda than reportedlymore area, where volcanic gases still bubble bubble still gases volcanic where area, of evidence surface, the to region’s the is ThoughLake Clear geology. restless averaging shallow, quite (known as (known 5 (left) A white pelican pelican white A (left) spring Though off. takes - breed see to time the is - win and fall grebes, ing to times best the are ter at pelicans white see Lake. Clear hiker a dusk, At (right) lake the on down looks Mount at bench a from Park, County Konocti the to opened which 2012. fall in public Courtesy Konocti Regional Trails Regional Konocti Courtesy ). Thethe at located trail, 7). Clear Lake Water Loop Water Lake Clear the Soda Bay Trail) starts Lake Clear at Trail) Bay Soda the ofside southwest the on Park State the seeing greata also is for place which lake, superintendent Park shore. from wildlife spotted bobcats, deer, he’s Bill Salata says occa- an even and eagles, bald otters, river patrols. daily his on lion mountain sional Water Loop Water northof end eight about is lake, the area launching the from trip round miles ofmouth the crosses that bridge the at is trail Thewater entire slough. the often-strong lake’s the from protected of variety wide a showcases and winds blue large a including wildlife, and birds Land County TheLake rookery. heron that here center nature a operates Trust walks. nature weekly offers

feet from nesting from feet 200 april–june 2013 april–june One popular boating route is the is route boating popular One “We created the water trails primarily primarily trails water the created “We you say biologists wildlife that Note madesonphotography.com the north to Anderson Marsh in the south. the in norththe Marsh Anderson to Kayakers on Rodman Slough (Water Trail 7). Clear Lake Lake Clear 7). Trail (Water Slough Rodman on Kayakers creation the since destination kayaking a become has in Slough Rodman from trails, water of network a of bay nature bay Rodman Slough Water Trail (Clear Lake Lake (Clear Trail Water Slough Rodman birds so they won‘t be disturbed. be won‘t they so birds for kayakers because kayaks have a low low a have kayaks because kayakers for allow and environment the on impact of many approach to people the them.” disturbing without waterbirds Harris says. so become “Thehave trails to them expand to plan we that popular lake.” entire the cover least at stay should free public boat ramps (find maps at maps (find ramps boat public free konoctitrails.com/water-trail-loops).

on the trail