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Lake Mary (Arizona)
Encyclopedia
Lake Mary may refer to one of two reservoir
s in northern Arizona
, southeast of Flagstaff
. The name may also be used to refer to the two lakes as a whole. The pair of lakes impound the intermittent Walnut Creek upstream from Walnut Canyon
. Recreational facilities at both lakes are maintained under the authority of the Coconino National Forest
.
on Walnut Creek. The lake is long and narrow, with a maximum length of about 5 miles (8 km), and a maximum width of about 2,000 feet (610 meters). During dry seasons the lake will narrow and shorten. The lake is named after Mary Riordan, a daughter of the wealthy lumber barons who built the lake in 1905 for a water supply for Flagstaff.
Upper Lake Mary is also stocked with several fish
species for angling
, including crappie
, sunfish
, channel catfish
, northern pike
and walleye
. Largemouth bass
, yellow bass
and yellow perch
are sometimes reported to be found in the lake, as well.
Lower Lake Mary is the second reservoir in the system, located just downstream of the upper lake. It is the smaller of two lakes, reaching a maximum length of 3 miles (5 km) during wet seasons. At its maximum capacity, the lake fills the valley from the small earthen dam at its head to the foot of the dam holding back Upper Lake Mary. During dry seasons, however, the lake has a tendency to dry up completely, except for small pools along the dam.
Due to its tendency to dry up, the lake does not have the water sports appeal of its upstream sibling. The lake is regularly stocked with fish, including rainbow trout
, sunfish
and channel catfish
. During particularly wet years when the lake remains full for an extended period of time, northern pike
may be stocked, as well.
Both lakes are also home to populations of elk
and deer
. The waters themselves attract various bird
species including great blue heron
and the bald eagle
. During the warmer summer months, the region becomes a popular destination for birdwatchers.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s in northern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, southeast of Flagstaff
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
. The name may also be used to refer to the two lakes as a whole. The pair of lakes impound the intermittent Walnut Creek upstream from Walnut Canyon
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument is a United States National Monument located about southeast of downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, just off Interstate 40. The canyon rim lies at ; the canyon's floor is 350 ft lower...
. Recreational facilities at both lakes are maintained under the authority of the Coconino National Forest
Coconino National Forest
The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff. Originally established in 1898 as the "San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve", the area was designated a U.S...
.
Upper Lake Mary
Upper Lake Mary, the further upstream of the two lakes, is formed by a small earthen damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on Walnut Creek. The lake is long and narrow, with a maximum length of about 5 miles (8 km), and a maximum width of about 2,000 feet (610 meters). During dry seasons the lake will narrow and shorten. The lake is named after Mary Riordan, a daughter of the wealthy lumber barons who built the lake in 1905 for a water supply for Flagstaff.
Upper Lake Mary is also stocked with several 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...
species for angling
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
, including crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
, channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
and walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
. Largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, yellow bass
Yellow bass
The yellow bass or barfish, Morone mississippiensis, is a freshwater fish native to the south and midwestern United States. Though sometimes confused with white bass or striped bass, it is distinguished by its yellow belly and the broken pattern in its lowermost stripes...
and yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
are sometimes reported to be found in the lake, as well.
Lower Lake Mary
Due to its tendency to dry up, the lake does not have the water sports appeal of its upstream sibling. The lake is regularly stocked with fish, including rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
and channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
. During particularly wet years when the lake remains full for an extended period of time, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
may be stocked, as well.
Both lakes are also home to populations of elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
. The waters themselves attract various bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species including great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
and the bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
. During the warmer summer months, the region becomes a popular destination for birdwatchers.