Rebirth: The Giant Lake Emerges After 130 Years of Absence!

Introduction to Giant lake

Giant Lake, located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, was one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country. However, it disappeared about 130 years ago, mostly due to the greed of colonists, who drained the water to make way for farms.

The Tulare was “the largest body of fresh water west of the Mississippi River” in the late 1800s, more than 100 miles long and 30 miles wide, reports Northeastern University’s Vivian Underhill.

A steamer could carry farm supplies “from the Bakersfield area to Fresno (in the central San Joaquin Valley) and then to San Francisco” because, she said, it had a lot of water. The journey was 300 miles.

The National Weather Service states that Fresno averages less than ten inches of rainfall per year, with occasional rainfall as low as three inches. Given the dry landscape of the 21st century San Joaquin Valley, it is hard to imagine such a large body of water at the center.

ALSO READ: Heavy Storm Forces Evacuation as Water Levels Rise in Northeast Rivers

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, according to a researcher specializing in environmental justice and ethnicity, the lake began to evaporate “because of the desire of the state of California to appropriate and privatize historic indigenous lands.”

“.” She explains that this process is known as “reclamation” and often involves “irrigating desert land or draining wetlands to create farmland.” Around 1890, the lake saw its first complete disappearance as “all the dry land around that area was irrigated by its waters,” the speaker continued. According to Underhill, “California gets a lot of snow in the winter and rain in the spring.”

POLL—Is Climate Change a Major Threat That Requires Immediate Policy Action?

Underhill said “all kinds of birds, including pelicans, hawks and waterfowls” are returning. He also noted that “the Tachi people say they have seen nests of owls around the coast,” a species that is considered “vulnerable or endangered.”

According to Underhill, Tachi Yokuts’ “return from the lake was an incredibly powerful and spiritual experience.” A large number of these agricultural laborers were severely affected by the floods, many of whom lost their homes entirely.

The lake is currently being drained once again, and Underhill expressed her optimism that it will remain that way for another two years, even if this year’s severe weather events in California have made it more difficult.

ALSO READ: Alaska Authorities Resume Search for Woman Who Disappeared Under Frozen River While Rescuing Dog

“Floods of this magnitude or greater will occur with increasing frequency during climate change,” Underhill said. I believe that eventually the State of California should accept Tulare Lake’s desire to remain.

She also noted that the lake’s revitalization occurred in the 1800s, except last year. “It happened in the 1930s, 1980s and once in the 1960s,” she said. It was not a flood.

The Kings County Office of Emergency Services reports that Tulare Lake’s surface area has decreased to 2,625 acres, less than a year after its recovery. Additionally, Abraham Valencia of the Office of Emergency Services informed reporters that authorities are now looking for his “imminent disappearance.”

---