Pine Lake, previously known as Laguna Puerca or Pig Lake, is a freshwater lake in Pine Lake Park in the southwest corner of
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. The lake is fed from the same
aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...
as nearby
Lake Merced
Lake Merced ( es, Laguna de Merced) is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco, in the U.S. state of California. It is surrounded by three golf courses (the private Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, and the public TPC Har ...
.
History
The surrounding area and lake, then known as Laguna Puerca or Pig Lake, were purchased by the Greene family following their move from Maine to San Francisco in 1847.
The lake was purchased by the City of San Francisco in the five years following the nearby
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, locally called Stern Grove, is a recreational site in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California. It is administered by the city's Recreation and Parks Department and is the concert setting for the Stern Grove ...
.
Ecology
The lake is fed by an underground spring, which also feeds nearby
Lake Merced
Lake Merced ( es, Laguna de Merced) is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco, in the U.S. state of California. It is surrounded by three golf courses (the private Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, and the public TPC Har ...
.
It is surrounded by
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...
s,
tules, and
aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that ...
s.
Migratory birds along the
Pacific Flyway
The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading ...
stop to feed, rest, or inhabit the surrounding area.
The only natural freshwater lakes in San Francisco are Pine Lake,
Lake Merced
Lake Merced ( es, Laguna de Merced) is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco, in the U.S. state of California. It is surrounded by three golf courses (the private Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, and the public TPC Har ...
, and
Mountain Lake.
See also
*
List of lakes in California
There are more than 3,000 named lakes, reservoirs, and dry lakes in the U.S. state of California.
Largest lakes
In terms of area covered, the largest lake in California is the Salton Sea, a lake formed in 1905 which is now saline. It occupies ...
*
List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area
This list of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area groups lakes, ponds, and reservoirs by county. Numbers in parentheses are Geographic Names Information System feature ids.
Alameda County
* Almond Reservoir ()
* Berryman Reservoir ()
* Bethany ...
References
External links
Official website of Pine Lake Park
{{authority control
Lakes of the San Francisco Bay Area
Landmarks in San Francisco
Lakes of California
Lakes of San Francisco
Lakes of Northern California