In the late 1850s, Tulare Lake in the San Joaquin Valley of california started to dry up. After Americans chose to alter the land for farming and other purposes, the wonderful body of water—home to countless plants, animals, and birds—met an unfortunate end. The waterbody was the biggest freshwater body west of the Mississippi River, and Native American settlements perished along with the ecosystems that depended on it.
Tulare Lake is teeming with life once more after a 130-year lapse. The overused phrase in environmental reporting, "nature taking revenge on humans," seems appropriate in this case because the lake has engulfed more than 94,000 acres of private property, earning the moniker "ghost lake" in California. According to US media, it will take years for the water to completely drain the crops.
Locals, who have only heard of the peaceful past of the homeland, are surprised to learn that the ecology that vanished along with the lake is also returning. On the waterbody's banks, plants that haven't been there for decades are starting to grow. According to Earth.com, ducks, egrets, and waterfowl have begun to swarm the area once more.
What happened to California's Tulare Lake?
US settlers built hundreds of irrigation canals that cut water away from the lake and crisscrossed the region. This was a deliberate action to turn desert or flooded areas into fertile agriculture. The area's vegetation and animals that relied on the lake were wiped off as a result of their attempts to alter the soil.
How did Tulare Lake come back to life?
Tulare Lake reportedly overflowed the irrigation systems built to block its flow many centuries ago, demonstrating the power of nature.
In 2023, as a result of the tremendous winter storms in california and the melting of snow from the Sierra Nevada, the "ghost lake" burst back to life. Farmlands that produced cotton, almonds, pistachios, and other products—estimated thousands of acres—are now fully buried or ruined since the lake overflowed structures meant to drain the basin.
Tulare Lake is teeming with life once more after a 130-year lapse. The overused phrase in environmental reporting, "nature taking revenge on humans," seems appropriate in this case because the lake has engulfed more than 94,000 acres of private property, earning the moniker "ghost lake" in California. According to US media, it will take years for the water to completely drain the crops.
Locals, who have only heard of the peaceful past of the homeland, are surprised to learn that the ecology that vanished along with the lake is also returning. On the waterbody's banks, plants that haven't been there for decades are starting to grow. According to Earth.com, ducks, egrets, and waterfowl have begun to swarm the area once more.
What happened to California's Tulare Lake?
US settlers built hundreds of irrigation canals that cut water away from the lake and crisscrossed the region. This was a deliberate action to turn desert or flooded areas into fertile agriculture. The area's vegetation and animals that relied on the lake were wiped off as a result of their attempts to alter the soil.
How did Tulare Lake come back to life?
Tulare Lake reportedly overflowed the irrigation systems built to block its flow many centuries ago, demonstrating the power of nature.
In 2023, as a result of the tremendous winter storms in california and the melting of snow from the Sierra Nevada, the "ghost lake" burst back to life. Farmlands that produced cotton, almonds, pistachios, and other products—estimated thousands of acres—are now fully buried or ruined since the lake overflowed structures meant to drain the basin.
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