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Loon Lake (Lake County, Illinois)
Encyclopedia
Loon Lake is a glacial lake
found in northern Lake County, Illinois
, United States
. It comprises three lakes; East Loon, West Loon, and North Loon. (North Loon is not connected). It is located near the town of Antioch, IL
, near the intersection of Route 83 and Grass Lake Rd. It is home to many different species of fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Some of which are endangered species, included, but not limited to, the blacknose shiner.
that has a maximum depth of 38–44 feet. It has an area of 166 acre (0.67177876 km²) and more than 2.1 miles (3.4 km) of shoreline. It is an extremely clear lake, transparency of the lake is 15–18 feet depending on the time of year. Water clarity has been at the highest level in 15 years.
East Loon Lake is a Glacial lake that has a maximum depth of 26–28 feet. It is slightly larger than West Loon Lake with an area of 168 acre (0.67987248 km²) and more than 4.8 miles (7.7 km) of shoreline. East Loon has a different ecological makeup; compared to West Loon, it is more of a nature lake then a recreational lake. The clarity of this lake is much poorer than West, only 5–7 feet.
Invasive and non-native species have been found in Loon Lake. In August 2005 a Caiman was found in East Loon Lake. Zebra Mussel
have been introduced into West and East Loon Lakes; nobody knows how exactly they were introduced to the lakes, but it is suspected to come from either Lake Michigan or Geneva Lake in Wisconsin.
Although there are no immediate threats to Loon Lake, development in the area has increased the amount of pollution in the lake. Walmart during the construction of its store located in Antioch has been fined for polluting East Loon Lake.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
found in northern Lake County, Illinois
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It comprises three lakes; East Loon, West Loon, and North Loon. (North Loon is not connected). It is located near the town of Antioch, IL
Antioch, Illinois
Antioch is a village in the Antioch Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,430 at the 2010 census. Antioch is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.- Prior to incorporation :...
, near the intersection of Route 83 and Grass Lake Rd. It is home to many different species of fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Some of which are endangered species, included, but not limited to, the blacknose shiner.
Hydrography
West Loon Lake is a glacial lakeGlacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
that has a maximum depth of 38–44 feet. It has an area of 166 acre (0.67177876 km²) and more than 2.1 miles (3.4 km) of shoreline. It is an extremely clear lake, transparency of the lake is 15–18 feet depending on the time of year. Water clarity has been at the highest level in 15 years.
East Loon Lake is a Glacial lake that has a maximum depth of 26–28 feet. It is slightly larger than West Loon Lake with an area of 168 acre (0.67987248 km²) and more than 4.8 miles (7.7 km) of shoreline. East Loon has a different ecological makeup; compared to West Loon, it is more of a nature lake then a recreational lake. The clarity of this lake is much poorer than West, only 5–7 feet.
Ecological concerns
West Loon Lake was used as a source of ice during the late 19th and early 20th century.Invasive and non-native species have been found in Loon Lake. In August 2005 a Caiman was found in East Loon Lake. Zebra Mussel
Zebra mussel
The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a small freshwater mussel. This species was originally native to the lakes of southeast Russia being first described in 1769 by a German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga and Dnieper rivers. They are still found nearby, as Pontic and Caspian...
have been introduced into West and East Loon Lakes; nobody knows how exactly they were introduced to the lakes, but it is suspected to come from either Lake Michigan or Geneva Lake in Wisconsin.
Although there are no immediate threats to Loon Lake, development in the area has increased the amount of pollution in the lake. Walmart during the construction of its store located in Antioch has been fined for polluting East Loon Lake.
Species
- Largemouth bassLargemouth bassThe largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
- WalleyeWalleyeWalleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
- MuskellungeMuskellungeA muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
- Northern pikeNorthern PikeThe northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
- BluegillBluegillThe Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
- CrappieCrappieCrappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
- BowfinBowfinThe Bowfin, Amia calva, is the last surviving member of the order Amiiformes , and of the family Amiidae...
- CarpCarpCarp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
- GarGarIn American English the name gar is strictly applied to members of the Lepisosteidae, a family including seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine, waters of eastern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands.-Etymology:In...
- Channel cat
- Yellow bullheadYellow bullheadThe yellow bullhead, is a species of bullhead catfish. Yellow bullhead are typically yellow-olive to slatey-black on the back and sometimes mottled depending on habitat. The sides are lighter and more yellowish while the underside of the head and body are bright yellow, yellow white, or bright...
- Yellow PerchYellow perchThe yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
- Rock bassRock bassThe rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...
- PumpkinseedPumpkinseedThe pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...
- Hybrid striped bassHybrid striped bassA hybrid striped bass, also known as a wiper or whiterock bass, is a hybrid between the striped bass and the white bass . It can be distinguished from the striped bass by broken rather than solid horizontal stripes on the body...
- Western Painted Turtle
- Common Snapping Turtle
- Bull-frog
- Leopard frogLeopard frogLeopard frogs, also called meadow frogs, are the archetypal "grass frogs" of North America, a collection of about 14 species within the true frog genus Rana. They are generally very similar, green with prominent black spotting...
- American toadAmerican toadThe American Toad is a common species of toad found throughout the eastern United States and Canada. It is divided into three subspecies—the Eastern American Toad , the Dwarf American Toad , and the rare Hudson Bay Toad...