Reelfoot Lake
Reelfoot Lake is a natural, shallow lake located in northwest Tennessee, near the Mississippi River. Stretching approximately 15 miles long and 5 miles wide, the lake spans 25,000 acres, with 15,000 of those being water. Known for its unique wetlands, which include swampy areas and bayou-like ditches, Reelfoot Lake is situated within Reelfoot Lake State Park, recognized for its diverse wildlife, including nesting eagles and cypress trees. Designated as a fish and game preserve in 1910, the lake remains a popular destination for recreational activities and commercial fishing.
The area's climate is moderate, with temperatures ranging from 25°F in January to 89°F in July, alongside significant rainfall throughout the year. Reelfoot Lake serves as a crucial habitat for various bird species, hosting over 230 documented species, including significant populations of wintering waterfowl like mallards and Canada geese. However, the lake faces environmental challenges, such as water quality degradation due to sediment and nutrient runoff from nearby agriculture, which threatens its ecological balance. Additionally, the region has experienced substantial wetland loss, impacting local biodiversity and threatening the survival of wetland-dependent bird species.
Subject Terms
Reelfoot Lake
Category: Inland Aquatic Biomes.
Geographic Location: North America.
Summary: An important migratory bird base, Reelfoot Lake faces a range of natural and anthropogenic threats.
Reelfoot Lake is a shallow natural lake near the Mississippi River in northwest Tennessee. The lake and its wetlands are 15 miles (24 kilometers) long, 5 miles (8 kilometers) wide, and encompass 25,000 acres (10,117 hectares), of which 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) is water. The lake is swampy in some parts, with bayou-like ditches or basins, and is located in Reelfoot Lake State Park, known for its pairs of nesting eagles and cyprus trees. In 1910, the state of Tennessee designated the lake a fish and game preserve, and it has remained a popular spot for recreational activities and commercial fishing.
Climate and Habitats
The climate at Reelfoot Lake is moderate, with average temperatures of 25–50 degrees F (4–10 degrees C) in January and 68–89 (20–32 degrees C) in July. Rainfall averages around 4 inches (101 millimeters) per month, and ranges from a low of 3 inches (68 millimeters) in August to a high of 6 inches (146 millimeters) in May.
Reelfoot Lake today operates under an interim water management plan developed as part of an environmental assessment that considers private, commercial, and agricultural interests, as well as wildlife resources.
The park includes approximately 800 acres (323 hectares) of refuge lands managed under cooperative farming agreements; some 290 acres (117 hectares) managed to provide habitat for a variety of neotropical migrants, migrating shorebirds, and wintering waterfowl; and 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) of forested habitats, including cypress swamps and bottomland hardwoods.
The park monitors waterfowl and eagle populations during the winter months, scrutinizing the nesting activities of bald eagles, and also monitors artificial nesting structures that are maintained for eastern bluebirds and wood ducks.
Biodiversity
The northern edge of the refuge is about 3 miles from the Mississippi River and has been used as a major stopover and wintering area for waterfowl within the Mississippi Flyway. It is also a designated Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy. Wintering mallards may exceed 400,000 birds; during very cold winters, the numbers of Canada geese may top 100,000 individuals. Other birds commonly seen here include egret, herons, nuthatches, and wild turkeys. In total, more than 230 bird species have been documented on the refuge, in addition to 52 species of mammals, and 75 species of reptiles and amphibians.
Fish species include crappie (a kind of sunfish); largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, and white bass; striped bass and striped bass-white bass hybrids; walleye; bluegill; catfish; sauger; saugeye; musky; northern pike; and rainbow, brook, brown, and lake trout.
Wildlife of the Reelfoot Lake biome also includes white-tailed deer, turtles, squirrels, beaver, and mink. Local vegetation features bald cyprus, cottonwoods, and walnut trees. Also located at the lake are populations of Anopheles walkeri, a species of mosquito that transmits human malaria.
Environmental Issues
Water quality continues to be a problem for Reelfoot Lake, caused by excess sediment and nutrients from nearby cropland. If sedimentation continues to build, Reelfoot Lake will fill in over the next 60–200 years. Cropland on the eastern shore of the lake, largely featuring cotton and soybeans, is vulnerable to runoff from eroding steep hillsides, which in turn can enter the lake. Gullies formed by cropped, forested, and grassland areas deposit a significant amount of sediment into the lake, which is augmented by human-made stream channelization, lake eutrophication from nutrient runoff, and alleged contamination from pesticides.
The bigger issue surrounding the Reelfoot Lake has been the loss of some 59 percent of the original 2 million acres (810,000 hectares) of wetlands in Tennessee, as recorded through 1990. This has had a dramatic effect on bird life throughout the region, especially wetland-dependent birds such as the least bitterns. In another loss-of-balance threat, nonnative carp in the lake pose a problem to many other fish species as they aggressively compete for phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Bibliography
Baker, C. L. “Reelfoot Lake Biological Station.” American Institute of Biological Sciences Bulletin 6, no. 1 (1956).
Eddy, Samuel. “The Plankton of Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee.” Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 49, no. 3 (1930).
Garnier, A. F. “November Bird-Life at Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee.” Wilson Bulletin 28, no. 1 (1916).
Mizelle, John D. and John P. Cronin. “Studies on Monogenetic Trematodes X. Gill Parasites from Reelfoot Lake Fishes.” American Midland Naturalist 30, no. 1 (1943).
Nelson, Wilbur A. “Reelfoot—An Earthquake Lake.” National Geographic Magazine 45 (1924).
Thomas, Erin. "Breakdown: Why Reelfoot Lake Is Tennessee's Most Unique Lake." Action News 5, 24 Oct. 2021, www.actionnews5.com/2021/10/24/breakdown-why-reelfoot-lake-is-tennessees-most-unique-lake/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2021.
Winstead, Nicholas A. and Sammy L. King, “Least Bittern Nesting Sites at Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee.” Southeastern Naturalist 5, no. 2 (2006).