Curlew Lake (Washington)
Encyclopedia
Curlew Lake is a 921 acres (3.7 km²) lake located in the glacier-carved Curlew Valley northeast of Republic, Washington
. The spring- and stream-fed lake is named for the Long-billed Curlew
, Numenius americanus, that once frequented the area. The seven mile (11 km) long lake reaches a maximum of ⅓ miles wide and includes four small islands. The average depth of the lake is 43 ft (13.1 m) deep with a maximum depth of 130 ft (39.6 m) reached in the northern area.
Curlew Lake provides visitors and residents with opportunities for kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing, canoeing, and sailing. Public access is available at Curlew Lake State Park
at the lake's south end.
The first elevation determinations for Ferry County establishing the water level of Curlew Lake were made from 1901 to 1903 by E. M. Fry and F.E. Fellows. The official elevation of the surface of Curlew Lake was recorded on May 13, 1901 as 2345 ft (714.8 m). In 1917 the Washington State legislature granted the Curlew Irrigation District the right to overflow the shore lands bordering the lake up to and including the high watermark. Two years later a recommendation was made by the state game warden in 1919 that Curlew Lake be made into a reservoir for storing irrigation water. In 1926, with the construction of a 3 ft (0.9144 m) dam at the north end of the lake, the water level was stabilized at an elevation 2333 ft (711.1 m), 12 ft (3.7 m) lower than the original 1901 determination.
The lake hosts a number of native and introduced fish including Salvelinus fontinalis (Brook Trout), Salmo trutta (Brown Trout), Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass), Oncorhynchus mykiss (Rainbow Trout), Esox masquinongy (Tiger Muskellunge), and Ptychocheilus oregonensis (Squawfish). The Tiger Muskellunge, raised at the Columbia Basin Fish Hatchery in Moses Lake, were initially released into the lake in 1997 to control populations of Squaw fish.
Several of the native mollusks found in the lake are now listed as species of concern
. Anodonta californiensis
commonly called the California floater
is a species of mussel
which was formerly found throughout Washington and in disjunct populations across the Western United States
. The current Washington range is limited to Curlew Lake and three other locations. The severe reduction in range has resulted in the species' listing as a federal and state species of concern. The Masked Duskysnail
(Lyogyrus
) and Washington Duskysnail
(Amnicola
), both undescribed species, are found in only two glacial kettle lakes in Washington, Fish lake in Okanogan County and Curlew Lake. Believed to have formerly ranged in glacial lakes from the Cascades to the Rockies
, the Washington Duskysnail is now only found in one location outside of Washington, and both snails are limited to the two lakes in Washington. This isolated range has placed them on state and federal watchlists as critically imperiled species.
Curlew Lake is one of several lakes in Eastern Washington to host a population of Euhrychiopsis lecontei
(Milfoil weevil) subsisting on the native milfoil species Myriophyllum sibiricum
(Northern milfoil).
Republic, Washington
Republic is a city in Ferry County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2010 census, a 12.5% increase over the 2000 Census. It is the county seat of Ferry County.-History:...
. The spring- and stream-fed lake is named for the Long-billed Curlew
Long-billed Curlew
The Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus, is a large North American shorebird of the family Scolopacidae. This species was also called "sicklebird" and the "candlestick bird". The species is native to central and western North America...
, Numenius americanus, that once frequented the area. The seven mile (11 km) long lake reaches a maximum of ⅓ miles wide and includes four small islands. The average depth of the lake is 43 ft (13.1 m) deep with a maximum depth of 130 ft (39.6 m) reached in the northern area.
Curlew Lake provides visitors and residents with opportunities for kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing, canoeing, and sailing. Public access is available at Curlew Lake State Park
Curlew Lake State Park
Curlew Lake State Park in Ferry County, Washington is one of the Washington State Parks. It consists of on Curlew Lake not far from a public access paleontology site and an airfield...
at the lake's south end.
The first elevation determinations for Ferry County establishing the water level of Curlew Lake were made from 1901 to 1903 by E. M. Fry and F.E. Fellows. The official elevation of the surface of Curlew Lake was recorded on May 13, 1901 as 2345 ft (714.8 m). In 1917 the Washington State legislature granted the Curlew Irrigation District the right to overflow the shore lands bordering the lake up to and including the high watermark. Two years later a recommendation was made by the state game warden in 1919 that Curlew Lake be made into a reservoir for storing irrigation water. In 1926, with the construction of a 3 ft (0.9144 m) dam at the north end of the lake, the water level was stabilized at an elevation 2333 ft (711.1 m), 12 ft (3.7 m) lower than the original 1901 determination.
The lake hosts a number of native and introduced fish including Salvelinus fontinalis (Brook Trout), Salmo trutta (Brown Trout), Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass), Oncorhynchus mykiss (Rainbow Trout), Esox masquinongy (Tiger Muskellunge), and Ptychocheilus oregonensis (Squawfish). The Tiger Muskellunge, raised at the Columbia Basin Fish Hatchery in Moses Lake, were initially released into the lake in 1997 to control populations of Squaw fish.
Several of the native mollusks found in the lake are now listed as species of concern
Species of Concern
In wildlife conservation, Species of Concern is an informal term, not defined in the federal Endangered Species Act. The term commonly refers to species that are declining or appear to be in need of concentrated conservation actions. Many agencies and organizations maintain lists of these at-risk...
. Anodonta californiensis
Anodonta
Anodonta is a genus of medium-sized to large freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the family Unionidae.-Species:Species in this genus include:* Duck mussel, Anodonta anatina Linné, 1758* Anodonta beringiana Middendorff, 1851...
commonly called the California floater
Anodonta
Anodonta is a genus of medium-sized to large freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the family Unionidae.-Species:Species in this genus include:* Duck mussel, Anodonta anatina Linné, 1758* Anodonta beringiana Middendorff, 1851...
is a species of mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
which was formerly found throughout Washington and in disjunct populations across the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. The current Washington range is limited to Curlew Lake and three other locations. The severe reduction in range has resulted in the species' listing as a federal and state species of concern. The Masked Duskysnail
Lyogyrus
Lyogyrus is a genus of very small freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Hydrobiidae.-References:*...
(Lyogyrus
Lyogyrus
Lyogyrus is a genus of very small freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Hydrobiidae.-References:*...
) and Washington Duskysnail
Amnicola
Amnicola is a genus of very small freshwater snails which have an operculum. Amnicola species are aquatic prosobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Amnicolidae according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda ....
(Amnicola
Amnicola
Amnicola is a genus of very small freshwater snails which have an operculum. Amnicola species are aquatic prosobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Amnicolidae according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda ....
), both undescribed species, are found in only two glacial kettle lakes in Washington, Fish lake in Okanogan County and Curlew Lake. Believed to have formerly ranged in glacial lakes from the Cascades to the Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, the Washington Duskysnail is now only found in one location outside of Washington, and both snails are limited to the two lakes in Washington. This isolated range has placed them on state and federal watchlists as critically imperiled species.
Curlew Lake is one of several lakes in Eastern Washington to host a population of Euhrychiopsis lecontei
Euhrychiopsis lecontei
Euhrychiopsis lecontei is a type of weevil that has been investigated as a potential biocontrol agent for Eurasian water milfoil . It is found in the eastern and central United States and western Canada .-Life cycle:...
(Milfoil weevil) subsisting on the native milfoil species Myriophyllum sibiricum
Myriophyllum sibiricum
Myriophyllum sibiricum is a species of water milfoil known by the common name shortspike water milfoil. It is native to Russia, China, and much of North America, where it grows in aquatic habitat such as ponds and streams. It generally grows over a meter long, its green stem drying white. It is...
(Northern milfoil).