Lake Sugema
Encyclopedia
Lake Sugema [Pronounced sōō•jē’•mə](+40° 41' 22.85", -91° 59' 39.01") is a constructed artificial
574 acres (2.3 km²) lake 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Keosauqua
, Van Buren County, in southeast Iowa
, United States
. It is located south of the Des Moines River
, west of State Highway 1
and north of State Highway 2
.
The maximum depth of the lake
is 34 feet (10.4 m), with a mean depth 9.3 feet (2.8 m), and drainage
of 11480 acres (46.5 km²). The lake was designed as a high quality fishing
lake. Facilities include parking lots, and 3 hard surface boat ramps with no motor size limit at no wake
. There are fishing jetties, an accessible fishing pier for the handicapped
, accessible facilities, a picnic area, restrooms, camping facilities, floating boat docks, and wildlife islands.
An asphalt
road leads off of Hwy 2 to a large camping area with a shelterhouse, sewer dump station, handicapped-accessible showerhouse, playground, 23 hardsurfaced 50 ft (15.2 m). camp pads, 8 primitive campsites, 8 slip boat dock and a boat trailer parking area. Cabins located in the campgrounds are available for rental throughout the year.
Lake Sugema is stocked with largemouth bass
, walleye
, bluegill
, black crappie, channel catfish
, and saugeye. The lake has fishing jetties and good shore fishing access. Special fishing regulations require for 12 inches (304.8 mm) to 18 inches (457.2 mm) black bass to be immediately released alive.
Extensive planning was done by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
to establish underwater structure that helps fish survive and reproduce. When the lake was constructed, steps were taken to prevent siltation
. Besides the hundreds of farm ponds, crop rotations, crop residue management and other soil saving practices farmers have established in the lake's drainage area, the lake is protected by a series of smaller sediment-control dams
.
Approximately 3000 acres (12.1 km²) immediately surrounding the lake was purchased by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
and Van Buren County to be managed as a wildlife area. That management is helping to build on the number of wild turkey
, deer
, squirrel
, geese, quail
, rabbits, songbirds, and other wild animals. Habitat
is also being developed for raccoon
, fox
, mink
, muskrats, and bald eagles, among other wildlife
.
The Indian Creek Wildlife area is intended for public hunting, fishing, hiking, bird watching, cross country skiing, picnicking, nature study, primitive camping and other fun in the outdoors.
Shimek State Forest
is managed as a multiple-use area for timber products, wildlife habitat and recreation. The 900 acres (3.6 km²) forest includes hiking trails and is available for public hunting
.
All those activities are available to the public at Lake Sugema and the 3000 acres (12.1 km²) Indian Creek Wildlife Area. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources
and the Van Buren County Conservation Board are managing the lake, wildlife and recreation area.
Artificial
See also: Synthetic ' or ' may refer to:* Artificial beaches* Artificial chemistry* Artificial consciousness* Artificial creation* Artificial elements* Artificial flower* Artificial food* Artificial fuel* Artificial harmonic...
574 acres (2.3 km²) lake 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Keosauqua
Keosauqua, Iowa
Keosauqua is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,066 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Van Buren County.-History:...
, Van Buren County, in southeast Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located south of the Des Moines River
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...
, west of State Highway 1
Iowa State Highway 1
Iowa Highway 1 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Iowa that extends from Keosauqua to Anamosa. Traveling , mainly through rich farmland and small communities, Iowa 1 provides and important link to Iowa City and the University of Iowa as it passes through campus...
and north of State Highway 2
Iowa State Highway 2
Iowa Highway 2 is a long state highway which runs across the southernmost tier of counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. At no point along its route is Iowa 2 more than from the Missouri state line. Iowa 2 stretches across the entire state; from the Missouri River near Nebraska City,...
.
The maximum depth of the lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
is 34 feet (10.4 m), with a mean depth 9.3 feet (2.8 m), and drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
of 11480 acres (46.5 km²). The lake was designed as a high quality fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
lake. Facilities include parking lots, and 3 hard surface boat ramps with no motor size limit at no wake
Wake
A wake is the region of recirculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.-Fluid dynamics:...
. There are fishing jetties, an accessible fishing pier for the handicapped
Handicapped
Handicapped or handicap may refer to:*Handicapping, various methods of leveling a sport or game**Golf handicap, a sport-specific handicapping method**Go handicaps**Handicaps in shogi**Asian handicap, bookmakers technique to level odds...
, accessible facilities, a picnic area, restrooms, camping facilities, floating boat docks, and wildlife islands.
An asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
road leads off of Hwy 2 to a large camping area with a shelterhouse, sewer dump station, handicapped-accessible showerhouse, playground, 23 hardsurfaced 50 ft (15.2 m). camp pads, 8 primitive campsites, 8 slip boat dock and a boat trailer parking area. Cabins located in the campgrounds are available for rental throughout the year.
Lake Sugema is stocked with 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...
, 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...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, black crappie, 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...
, and saugeye. The lake has fishing jetties and good shore fishing access. Special fishing regulations require for 12 inches (304.8 mm) to 18 inches (457.2 mm) black bass to be immediately released alive.
Extensive planning was done by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is a department/agency of the U.S. state of Iowa charged with maintaining state parks and forests; protecting the environment; and managing energy, fish, wildlife, land resources, and water resources of Iowa.The Mission Statement: To conserve and enhance...
to establish underwater structure that helps fish survive and reproduce. When the lake was constructed, steps were taken to prevent siltation
Siltation
Siltation is the pollution of water by fine particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments, and to the increased accumulation of fine sediments on bottoms where they are undesirable...
. Besides the hundreds of farm ponds, crop rotations, crop residue management and other soil saving practices farmers have established in the lake's drainage area, the lake is protected by a series of smaller sediment-control dams
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
.
Approximately 3000 acres (12.1 km²) immediately surrounding the lake was purchased by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is a department/agency of the U.S. state of Iowa charged with maintaining state parks and forests; protecting the environment; and managing energy, fish, wildlife, land resources, and water resources of Iowa.The Mission Statement: To conserve and enhance...
and Van Buren County to be managed as a wildlife area. That management is helping to build on the number of wild turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
, 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...
, squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
, geese, quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
, rabbits, songbirds, and other wild animals. Habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is also being developed for raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
, mink
Mink
There are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...
, muskrats, and bald eagles, among other 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....
.
The Indian Creek Wildlife area is intended for public hunting, fishing, hiking, bird watching, cross country skiing, picnicking, nature study, primitive camping and other fun in the outdoors.
Shimek State Forest
Shimek State Forest
Shimek State Forest is an Iowa state forest maintained by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Its five units are strung along the Des Moines River a few miles above its confluence with the Upper Mississippi River in Lee and Van Buren Counties in the southeast corner of Iowa...
is managed as a multiple-use area for timber products, wildlife habitat and recreation. The 900 acres (3.6 km²) forest includes hiking trails and is available for public hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
.
All those activities are available to the public at Lake Sugema and the 3000 acres (12.1 km²) Indian Creek Wildlife Area. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is a department/agency of the U.S. state of Iowa charged with maintaining state parks and forests; protecting the environment; and managing energy, fish, wildlife, land resources, and water resources of Iowa.The Mission Statement: To conserve and enhance...
and the Van Buren County Conservation Board are managing the lake, wildlife and recreation area.