The first day of the trip was spent visiting Pyramid Lake, north of Reno, Nevada. Pyramid Lake is the remanent of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan. Lake Lahontan was a large lake that existed in western Nevada and eastern California during the last two thirds of the Pleistocene Epoch. During this period of time the climate of the region was wetter and cooler which contributed to the increased amount of water present in the area.
At its maximum size which took place during the most recent glacial period, Lake Lahontan was the second largest pluvial lake in the Western Hemisphere. It covered an area approximately the size of present-day Lake Erie, and reached a depth of 950 feet at what is now Pyramid Lake. As it appears today, Pyramid Lake is about 26 miles long, varies from 4 to 11 miles wide, and up to 50 feet deep.
Today, ancient strandlines rim the mountain slopes which suround the lake's former basins. They are quite prominent around Pyramid Lake. The longer the ancient lake remained at a particular level, the more prominent the strandline became. Some of the terraces seen around Pyramid Lake are as much as 300 feet wide. Only one of the terraces is actually cut into the rock. The lake level usually fluctuated too quickly to accomplish more than just notching the pre-existing alluvium.
The Pyramid, pictured above, is a pyramid-shaped tufa insland located northwest of Anaho Island. It is the namesake of the lake and, rising over 400 feet above the water, is an impressive sight.
Pyramid Lake presently resides within the boundaries of the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation of the Paiute. The tribe has built and maintained fish hatcheries to attempt to preserve the fish of the lake. The two species of fish for which the lake is famous are the Lahontan cutthroat trout and the cui-ui. Pyramid Lake is the only habitat for the rare cui-ui, a fish which first appeared about two million years ago. Today, the cui-ui is an endangered species protected by the U.S. government. The hatcheries plant about 2.8 million cutthroat and between 10 and 18 million cui-ui each year in an attempt to regenerate the natural life cyles of both species.
Though the lake is special as the last refuge of the cui-ui, Anaho Island within the lake is also a special habitat. The island is home to thousands of American white pelicans. The island is one of only eight white pelican nesting grounds in North America. Though other species of birds, including California gulls and great blue herons, inhabit the island, due to the pelicans the island is jointly protected by the Pyramid Lake Indian Tribe and the federal government.
On the day we visited the area, the weather was quite unusual. We experienced the first substantial rain the Pyramid Lake area had recieved in the previous forty days. To view the current weather conditions in the Reno area, please visit the National Weather Service. Below are pictures of a rain squall approaching over dry Lake Winnemucca.
Lake Winnemucca was drained by non-native settlers to meet potable water needs. Though around the turn of the century it was almost as large as Pyramid Lake, over the course of about 30 years Lake Winnamucca was drained to the point of extinction. The Truckee River which passes through downtown Reno, Nevada is the only source of water for Pyramid Lake. Present problems involving the wildlife stem from irrigation using water from the river and pollution of the river from human development along its banks.
Presently, efforts are underway to attempt to preserve Pyramid Lake and its surroundings in the hopes that the lake doesn't follow in the footsteps of its old neighbor, Lake Winnemucca.
