Little Rock Lake is a lake in
Vilas County, Wisconsin. It is located in the
Northern Highland–American Legion State Forest and administered by the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Characteristics
Little Rock Lake is a 0.16 km2 (40 acre)
mesotrophic lake formed by glacial processes 10,000 to 25,000 years ago. The lake consists of two main basins that are separated by a narrow water passage. It is typically frozen over from late fall to early spring.
Ecology
The surrounding region and canopy over the lake is a mix of hardwood and coniferous forests, including
speckled alder,
white pine, and white and
black spruce
''Picea mariana'', the black spruce, is a North American species of spruce tree in the pine family. It is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 territories. It is the official tree of the province of Newfoundland and Labra ...
trees. Fish found in the lake include the
central mudminnow
The central mudminnow (''Umbra limi'') is a small fish in the family Umbridae of the order Esociformes. It is found in central and eastern North America in productive waters. It is fairly tolerant of low oxygen concentration
In chemistry, c ...
,
rock bass,
yellow perch, and
largemouth bass.
History
The hydrology and water quality of Little Rock Lake has been studied since the 1980s. In 1984, the two water basins that make up Little Rock Lake were separated by a plastic curtain. One side was used for experimentation, and the other side used as a control. Many studies have been conducted, including research into the effects of
acid rain
Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid ...
. Water quality, biological, geological and chemical cycles have also been monitored. The curtain was removed in 2013. In 2017, the
National Ecological Observatory Network
National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a large facility program operated by Battelle Memorial Institute and funded by the National Science Foundation. In full operation since 2019, NEON gathers and provides long-term, standardized da ...
began to monitor the lake.
Recreational fishing is popular at Little Rock Lake.
References
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Lakes of Wisconsin