Mann Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mann Lake |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
 Mann Lake
Location in Oregon
Mann Lake
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Harney County, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 42°46′20″N 118°26′49″W / 42.77222°N 118.44694°W |
| Type | Natural, hypereutrophic |
| Primary inflows | Intermittent streams |
| Primary outflows | Evaporation |
| Catchment area | 41 square miles (110 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 276 acres (112 ha) |
| Average depth | 6 feet (1.8 m) |
| Max. depth | 14 feet (4.3 m) |
| Water volume | 1,600 acre-feet (2,000,000 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 2.4 miles (3.9 km) |
| Surface elevation | 4,173 feet (1,272 m) |
| Settlements | Burns; Fields |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Mann Lake is a unique lake found in Harney County, Oregon in the United States. It's the biggest of the shallow "playa" lakes in the northern part of the Alvord Valley. A playa lake is a lake that often dries up, leaving a flat, dry lakebed. Mann Lake is a leftover from a much larger ancient lake that covered this area long ago.
Contents
Discovering Mann Lake
Mann Lake is located in eastern Oregon, east of Steens Mountain. The Fields–Denio Road runs right along the east side of the lake. This makes it easy to visit and explore.
How the Lake Gets Water
Water flows into Mann Lake from small streams that only run sometimes. Most of this water comes from Steens Mountain. The lake doesn't have any rivers flowing out of it. Instead, water leaves the lake by evaporating into the air.
The lake is considered hypereutrophic. This means it has a lot of nutrients, which can lead to lots of plant growth like algae. Sometimes, extra nutrients from nearby farms and ranches can add to this natural process. You might see large amounts of Cladophora algae, which is a type of green algae.
Fun Things to Do at Mann Lake
The Bureau of Land Management manages the Mann Lake Recreation Site. It's about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Burns. You can reach it by highway and then an unpaved road.
The site has basic facilities like restrooms and boat ramps. There aren't many other services, so it's a good idea to bring what you need. People enjoy many activities here, including:
- Fishing
- Camping
- Hiking
- Watching wildlife
- Looking for interesting rocks and minerals (amateur geology)
Fishing for Trout
Mann Lake is famous for its fishing. It's known as one of the best places in southeast Oregon to catch Lahontan cutthroat trout. These trout are a special type of fish that have been put into the lake.
The trout in Mann Lake can grow quite large, usually between 12 to 20 inches (30 to 51 cm) long. If you want to fish here, you need to use artificial flies and lures. This rule helps protect the fish population.
The Goldfish Problem
Sometimes, other fish that don't belong in the lake can cause problems. A large number of goldfish were illegally put into Mann Lake. These goldfish multiplied quickly and started competing with the trout for food.
In 2010, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife took action. They treated the lake with a special natural substance called rotenone. This treatment helped to remove about 200,000 goldfish and fathead minnows from the lake. The good news is that almost all the trout were saved during this process! This helped keep Mann Lake a great place for trout fishing.
