The Life of a Lake

The Life of a Lake. . You are standing on the shore of a lake that may seem old but in geologic terms was formed yesterday. Fish Lake continues to change, seasonally and through the decades. , , Around three thousand years ago an eruption of Nash Crater formed Fish Lake by damming Hackleman Creek. Seasonal rains and snow overwhelm this little valley's ability to drain the inflow so that each winter a lake is formed. In the summer, after the last snow melts off the ridges overlooking the valley, the lake quickly disappears and Hackleman Creek vanishes into the lava lakebed. , , Grasses that have adapted to the seasonal drying of Fish Lake quickly transformed the lake into a lush meadow. The local Hackleman trout population has adapted to this seasonal disappearance of their lake home. When the temperature of the lake starts to rise, the trout head upstream into the creek where they wait for the arrival of winter and the lake's return.