Lake Chabot Regional Park

My hiking place that I chose for this field assignment was Lake Chabot Regional Park. It is a 315-acre, well-stocked lake and is open for fishing and boating throughout the year. It is a popular Bay Area fishing destination and boating. We went there on a nice sunny day before my spring break started. The Lake Chabot Regional was close to a 1 hour drive from where we live (Campbell).

When we reached I saw many picnicking areas, plenty of grassy lands, horseshoe pits, hiking trails, bicycling, jogging, and running trails. There were lots of different varieties of flora and fauna on the way we walked there including birds (like the Canada Goose), many organisms (like mushrooms) and plants (like poppies). There were many wild flowers colored in purple, pink, yellow , orange and white. Lake was surrounded by huge hills that were covered with trees. There were so many of them that we took plenty of pictures. It was full of greenery. As we walked through the trail, we came to a junction - naturally formed U - shaped tree branch that resembled like a huge dark cave. The mud was wet and I entered into it and that is where I recorded most of my organisms since the nature was undisturbed with less sunlight. We went in there and saw a bunch plants & animals. There were mosses (ones that were attaches on tree branches) , mushrooms, lady bugs, insects, worms, birds, etc. The signboard stated the 315-acre Lake Chabot was also stocked with trout and catfish. There are also bass, crappie, and other fish. We did see a person who caught a live fish and was taking it home. Fish may be cleaned only at the cleaning station along the walk near the parking lot and I saw how it was done. While I was hiking I did see some lizards and salamanders that were resting on branches taking sunbath. Few butterflies were also there but they were so quick that I could not take any pictures.

Another interesting thing was posted the day I went there . They had posted signs and warnings of danger saying blue green algae growth in the lake which is poisonous and water should not be used for drinking purposes and not fed to pets. Also swimming was not allowed. Blue-Green Algae (also called cyanobacteria) are natural organisms that are present around the world in ocean and fresh water. Their blooms release toxins and not safe to living things.

Chabot Lake was indeed a beautiful and a diverse place and lots to learn and explore. Wish I could go next time.

Posted on 16 de abril de 2024, 04:52 AM by fv2376