- Lake Artemesia
Infobox lake
lake_name = Lake Artemesia
image_lake = Lake Artemesia.jpg
caption_lake = Seen from the Green Line of theWashington Metro
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location =Prince George's County, Maryland
coords = coord|38|59|12|N|76|55|20|W|region:US_type:waterbody|display=inline,title
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basin_countries =United States
length =
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area = 154,000 m²
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cities =Lake Artemesia is the center piece of the Lake Artemesia Natural Area in College Park and Berwyn Heights, Prince George's County,
Maryland . The natural area is administered byMaryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and features the 38acre (154,000 m²) Lake Artemesia, aquatic gardens, fishing piers, and hiker-biker trails.The lake, located between Indian Creek and
Paint Branch , was constructed during the completion of theWashington Metro Green Line, which runs alongside the lake. Sand and gravel were excavated from the site of a smaller lake and the surrounding area to construct the rail beds and parking lots for the College Park-University of Maryland and Greenbelt Metrorail stations. Metro saved $10 million by sourcing the material locally and in return spent $8 million constructing the lake and natural area to repair the excavation damage. During the construction phase, signs identified the site as "Lake Metro."The park is named for
Artemesia N. Drefs , who donated ten lots to the county for preservation as open space in 1972. The smaller lake that existed on the site prior to the Metro-funded reconstruction was already named Lake Artemesia after Artemesia's mother and grandmother, who shared the same name. Drefs's father, Arthur, surveyed the land for his Lakeland development in the 1890s; according to Drefs, the pre-existing lake was originally stocked with bass but was later used to raisegoldfish .The 1.35 mile hiker-biker trail around the lake is part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System.
External links
* [http://www.pgparks.com/places/nature/artemesia.html M-NCPPC Park Webpage]
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