Zorinsky Lake Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zorinsky Lake Park |
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View toward dam from north side of lake
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| Type | Regional |
| Location | West Omaha |
| Area | 1,023.6 acres (414.2 ha) |
| Created | 1993 |
| Operated by | City of Omaha |
| Status | Open all year |
Zorinsky Lake Park is a really cool park located in West Omaha, Nebraska. It's named after Senator Edward Zorinsky, who was from Omaha. The park has a big lake, about 255-acre (103 ha) in size, where you can go boating and fishing.
Around the lake, there's a huge area of public land, including 190 acres (77 ha) set aside just for wildlife. This means lots of animals and plants call Zorinsky Lake Park home! You can find over 120 different types of plants, birds, and other wildlife here, especially in the Bauermeister prairie section.
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Discover Zorinsky Lake Park
Zorinsky Lake was created to help control floods. Back in the 1960s, there were some big floods in the area. To stop this from happening again, dams were built on Papillion Creek. The lake itself was finished in 1984, and the park officially opened in 1993. The United States Army Corps of Engineers helped create the lake, and then they leased the land to the City of Omaha to manage it as a park.
The park is open every day from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., so there's plenty of time to visit!
Fun Things to Do at the Park
Zorinsky Lake Park is packed with fun activities for everyone. It has two modern playgrounds where kids can climb and play. There are also several fields for sports like baseball, soccer, and football. If you like picnics, you'll find many areas perfect for a meal outdoors.
Exploring the Trails
One of the best ways to see the park is by using its tree-lined trails. These paths go all around the lake. The smaller loop around the lake is about 3.15 miles (5.07 km), and the bigger loop is about 4.44 miles (7.15 km). If you go around both lakes, it's about 7.4 miles (11.9 km)! Green markers are placed every tenth of a mile along the path, so you always know how far you've gone. You can walk, run, or ride your bike on these trails.
Boating and Fishing
The lake is a great spot for water activities. You can go boating, but remember there's a speed limit of 5 mph (8.0 km/h), and boats must create "no-wake" (meaning they can't make big waves). There's a boat ramp on the east side of the lake, which you can get to from 156th and F Street.
If you enjoy fishing, Zorinsky Lake is a popular place! The Nebraska Game and Park Commission makes sure there are plenty of fish. For example, they've stocked the lake with largemouth bass and lots of walleye. There's even a special fishing dock that's easy for everyone to use.
Protecting Our Lake: The Zebra Mussel Story
In 2010, something interesting happened at the lake. A local Boy Scout found a zebra mussel attached to a can near the water's edge. Zebra mussels are a type of small, striped shell creature that are not native to this area. They can cause problems for the lake's environment and even clog pipes.
To protect the lake, officials decided to lower the water level by about 17.5 feet (5.3 m) during the winter of 2010–2011. The idea was that by exposing the mussels to the cold winter air, they would die off. This was a big effort to keep Zorinsky Lake healthy and safe for all the plants, animals, and people who enjoy it!
