Good Natured: Going au naturel in Ohio's lakes

Of the 76 Ohio State Parks, only 11 of them border the waters of Lake Erie. Of these, a few of them contain just enough acres to accommodate a boat launch or dock. Thus, in my opinion, there are just seven Lake Erie State Parks. The reason for this reduction is simple -- it makes me feel more important. You see, I managed two of these seven Lake Erie state parks. Headlands Beach and Geneva State Parks were "my" parks, and it was an honor to take care of them. As a naturalist turned park manager, it was even more of an honor considering that each of them abutted Ohio's largest natural body of water. Nearly all of Ohio State Parks have some sort of water within their boundaries, but besides a few that border rivers, almost all of their water sits within a manmade basin, or behind an earthen dam. In fact, nearly every inland body of water within Ohio was formed by the want and need of humans, and not by the hand of nature. So, does Ohio have any natural lakes? And, if so, how many? Now, I'm thinking "who other than a naturalist would ask such questions?" It turns out that it must have been a boatload of people (he said, attempting to create a sense of a nautical theme). So many, in fact, that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources put together a list of such lakes. But, really, how do I know that a bzillion people asked? Well, the first sentence on the page reads, "In 1991 — in response to frequent inquiries — ODNR Division of Water compiled a list of Ohio's natural lakes." (It would not be a stretch to assume that 1991 was a banner year for the ODNR Internship Program.) (Check it out at Natural Lakes in Ohio | Ohio Department of Natural Resources) The total they came up with was 110 natural lakes, not including Lake Erie. That's a pretty small number, but there's reasoning behind it. First, they defined a lake as having a certain depth, fetch and surface area … and to the latter point, the body of water had to be five or more acres. To put this into perspective, that's about the size of five football fields…and while not giant, it is big, and to that point, just how many natural lakes are there in Ohio smaller than five acres? Sadly, this question went unanswered. Just to put this number in perspective, Alaska has over 3,000,000 natural lakes, but then again, Alaska is 3,000,000 times bigger than Ohio. (OK, it's only 14 times larger). But here are the telling numbers: Alaska has, on average, 5.25 lakes per square mile, while Ohio has 0.003 lakes per square mile. Better put, Ohio has one natural lake per 333 square miles. Perhaps Michigan is a better comparison. Nope, it has 11,000 natural lakes. The best comparison, and I'm talking bragging rights here, is either Maryland or Kansas. Believe it or not, these are the only two states in the U.S. that do not have any natural lakes. None! Zero! Zip! Nada! Ain't got any! What I find more interesting than the numbers is how these natural Ohio lakes formed. Plain and simple, they are remnants of the Ice Age or Pleistocene Epoch. The giant continental glacier that oozed across and scoured Ohio also left deep impressions. And as the glacier melted, it filled these depressions with water. Instant natural lake! Many of these lakes were small, and as the natural process of lake succession took place, they filled themselves in and became a victim of their own nature and of time. In thinking about this, it makes perfect sense that Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota have many more lakes than Ohio because these states were free of the continental glacier much later then Ohio was. Their lakes and their land are, in a way, newer than Ohio's. Aligning with this, northeast Ohio has the most natural lakes in the state. Many of Ohio's natural lakes retained a sense of the northern plants that populated Ohio as the continental glacier receded. Some of them still contain plants and communities found well to our north and, as such are considered rare in the state. Many of these plants are wonderfully and naturally alien when compared to what could be considered "normal" for Ohio. Sphagnum "moss" grows into floating mats around the borders of some of Ohio's natural lakes or, more correctly, bogs. Eastern larch (aka tamarack) is Ohio's only natural occurring deciduous conifer (think of a pine or spruce-type tree, but naked in the winter). Pitcher plant has specialized leaves that form a pitcher-shaped structure that lures insects inside and to their doom. Some of Ohio's natural lakes are surprisingly large, with Portage County's Aurora Pond being the largest at a surface size of 345 acres. Not far behind is Medina County's Chippewa Lake at 324 acres. This lake once hosted a small amusement park, as did the 50-acre Geauga Lake. I'll bet no one who ever went to Geauga Lake Amusement Park or the short-lived Sea World of Ohio realized that they were on the shore of one of Ohio's few natural lakes. While a few counties in Ohio have a dozen or more natural lakes, Lorain County has but one. Going by the double name of Camden Lake and Bog Natural Area, it is a classic kettle bog owned and operated by Oberlin College. The lake is only six acres, but it is rimmed by considerable sphagnum, making it a true bog. Further, it hosts six Ohio threatened and/or endangered plants species. For all the right reasons, the site is not open to the public. To put everything in perspective, Ohio has over 50,000 lakes that are five or more acres in size. While many of them are spectacular, only 110 of them can proudly proclaim to be natural.