Saunders Lake
Encyclopedia
Saunders Lake is located in the United States state of Minnesota
. It is a 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) lake that is west-southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul in the Minneapolis suburb
of Minnetrista
.
The first Europe
an settler
s came to the area near Saunders Lake in the 1850s. In 1854, Nathaniel Sanders and J. F. Buck settled on its shores. Saunders Lake was named for Nathaniel Sanders.http://ci.minnetrista.mn.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={DC8EA3DB-59E0-423F-B006-072D3FD096A8}.
The lake is a large, Type 5 wetland, classified as a Natural Environment lake.http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakes/faqs.html#lake_designations. The lake outlets through a small channel
to Langdon Lake, which discharges through a culvert
under County State-Aid Highway 110 into Lost Lake
, which outlets into Cooks Bay
of Lake Minnetonka
. It's part of the Langdon Lake subwatershed of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
(MCWD).
The corridor
between Black (also called Flanagan) and Saunders Lakes consists of wetland
s and maple
-basswood forest
and has been identified by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
as a regionally significant area with outstanding ecological
value. Most of this area has been incorporated into Gale Woods Regional Park by the Three Rivers Park District
.
Saunders Lake scores highly on vegetative
diversity
, fish
and wildlife
habitat
, and is classified
in the Preserve
category.
fishing lake, and catfish and sunfish are also present. Beavers are present as evidenced by the downed trees on its north shore.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. It is a 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) lake that is west-southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul in the Minneapolis suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Minnetrista
Minnetrista, Minnesota
Minnetrista is a settlement mainly in Hennepin County, Minnesota. A very small part of Minnetrista Extends into Carver County. The name Minnetrista is said to owe its origin to the Dakota language, in which minne means "water" and trista means "crooked." The city is generally rural and still has...
.
The first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s came to the area near Saunders Lake in the 1850s. In 1854, Nathaniel Sanders and J. F. Buck settled on its shores. Saunders Lake was named for Nathaniel Sanders.http://ci.minnetrista.mn.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={DC8EA3DB-59E0-423F-B006-072D3FD096A8}.
The lake is a large, Type 5 wetland, classified as a Natural Environment lake.http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakes/faqs.html#lake_designations. The lake outlets through a small channel
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
to Langdon Lake, which discharges through a culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
under County State-Aid Highway 110 into Lost Lake
Lost Lake (Minnesota)
Lost Lake is located entirely within the city limits of Mound, Minnesota. It is part of Lake Minnetonka and considered by some to be important to Mound's re-development plans with the hope being that boat users will increase its downtown business traffic...
, which outlets into Cooks Bay
Cooks Bay (Minnesota)
Cooks Bay, in Mound, Minnesota, is one of many lakes and bays that make up Lake Minnetonka. Its area is about . It is South of Mound Bay Park, West of Island Park, and East of Mound's Highlands neighborhood. Cooks Bay was known for its Grand Hotels early in the areas history, and for being the...
of Lake Minnetonka
Lake Minnetonka
Lake Minnetonka is a lake in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Throughout its recorded history, the lake has been a resort destination. It is located west-southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The lake is an irregular shape with numerous bays and islands which make up about of shoreline...
. It's part of the Langdon Lake subwatershed of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed Districts Mission is to protect, improve and manage surface and groundwater resources. The Minnehaha Creek in its name refers to the water link from Lake Minnetonka to the Mississippi River. The watershed is much bigger than that lake or creek, and includes 29...
(MCWD).
The corridor
Wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
between Black (also called Flanagan) and Saunders Lakes consists of wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s and maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
-basswood forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
and has been identified by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recreational trails, and recreation areas as well as managing minerals,...
as a regionally significant area with outstanding ecological
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
value. Most of this area has been incorporated into Gale Woods Regional Park by the Three Rivers Park District
Three Rivers Park District
Three Rivers Park District is a "special park district" serving the suburban areas of the Twin Cities metro including suburban Hennepin, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Ramsey counties...
.
Saunders Lake scores highly on vegetative
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
diversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
, and is classified
Categorization
Categorization is the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood. Categorization implies that objects are grouped into categories, usually for some specific purpose. Ideally, a category illuminates a relationship between the subjects and objects of knowledge...
in the Preserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
category.
Wildlife
The lake is considered by many to be a great crappieCrappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
fishing lake, and catfish and sunfish are also present. Beavers are present as evidenced by the downed trees on its north shore.