Lake Earl And Lake Talawa And Vicinity

Though called lakes, these two bodies of water connected by a channel are similar to the shallow lagoons found in other parts of the State. The water varies from relatively saline in Lake Talawa, the smaller of the two and the closest to the ocean, to fresh in Lake Earl in the vicinity of the tributary creek. This gradient in salinity is reflected in the vegetation, which ranges from saltwater to freshwater marsh.

Much of Talawa is bordered by salt marsh, with salt grass, Distichlis spicata, and picklewead, Salicornia virginica, the dominants. Along the connecting channel, which is up to 5 meters (18 feet) deep, the border is primarily the bulrush, Scirpus americanus. Around Lake Earl, bulrush, Scirpus acutus, is dominant, with noticeable patches of cattail, Typha latifolia. Spike-rush, Eleocharis macrostachya, hornwort, Ceratophyllum demersum, and bur-reed, Sparganium eurycarpum, are among the other plants present. Of particular note are the pondweeds, Potamogeton foliosus, Potamogeton illinoensis, and Potamogeton pectinatus. The latter, sago pondweed, forms dense blooms in the summer that may cover up to two-thirds of the surface of Lake Earl, making power-boating virtually impossible.

To the west of the lagoons there is a series of wind-and-wave-formed dunes. Those fronting the ocean are unstabilized and devoid of vegetation. The inner, stabilized dunes are covered with the typical coastal strand vegetation. Additionally, there are occasional Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis, and beach pine, Pinus contorta, in the dune area. These lagoons are important stops on the Pacific Flyway and during the migratory season up to 100,000 birds may be seen in the area. Ducks are abundant, with the most common being pintail, Anas acuta, canvasback, Aythya valisineria, ruddy, Oxyura jamaicensis, and widgeon, Mareca americana. Some 250 species of birds have been observed in the vicinity of the lagoons, as have at least 50 species of mammals.

All of the 15 fish species found in the lagoons, with the exception of the prickly sculpin, Cottus asper, are anadromous or adaptable to brackish water. Some of the more common are the king and silver salmons, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and Oncorhynchus kisutch, and the cutthroat and steelhead trouts, Salmo clarkii and Salmo gairdnerii gairdnerii.

At one time the Smith River emptied to the sea through these lagoons but it has now cut an outlet channel several kilometers north. For much of the year the lagoons are landlocked and have a depth of between 30 centimeters (12 inches) and 1.2 meters (4 feet); however, during the winter floods the depth increases, and if the water does not breach the dunes to drain naturally, before flooding the surrounding area, a channel is bulldozed. Thus, during the winter months there is some tidal action.

Integrity: The surrounding area is grazed and there is the beginning of subdivision. There is some off-road vehicle damage to the dunes.

Use: Research, educational, observational, hunting and fishing. Portions of the area surrounding the lakes are private.

Ref: Monroe, G. W., et al, 1975. Natural Resources of Lake Earl and the Smith River Delta. Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game. Coast. Wet. Series #10, 113 pp.

July 1976