「砂丘湖」とは砂浜が風などによって起伏を作り、窪みに川が流れ込むなどして自然にできた淡水の沼である（新潟県佐潟など。海流や波によって海中の砂が堤防のように盛り上がり出口を塞ぐ、サロマ湖や八郎潟など汽水湖とは出来方も異なる）。砂丘湖自体も世界的に失われつつある貴重な存在だが、生物的にも貴重な環境を作っている。
Sand dune lake is a natural freshwater pond in a sandhill. It was shaped by wind. The wind had been carring sand and formed ups and downs, and then water stream into hollow places. It is not only very valuable existence itself in the world but also it gives important environment for biodeversity that’s being lost.
東通村には、大小多くの「砂丘湖」がある（名前がついている沼だけでも13ある）。東通村・猿が森の砂丘・後背湿地は日本の重要湿地500に選定されている（実は下北半島のほとんどの部分がこの選定を受けていると言ってよい）。この猿が森砂丘（幅１～２km、総延長１７km）と少し内陸に入り込んだ砂丘を合わせた「下北砂丘」は、ほとんど知られていないが実は日本最大の砂丘であるという。知られていない理由は、砂丘の周辺を防風・防砂林が囲み、人の目に触れにくいことと、大部分を防衛省などが弾道試験場等に使用し、立ち入りを禁じているためである。
There are many dune lakes in Higashi-dori village. Named lakes are minimum 13s. Salugamori sandhill (1~2 km width, 17 km length) include the rear wetland in this village has selected one of 500 of the important wetland of Japan (Actually most of Shimokita peninsula is selected also). Additionaly, Shimokita sandhill (includ this Salugamori sandhill with the next ones) is really the biggest one in Japan. However almost all japanese don’t know of it. One of the reason is that this place is hidden from the roads by pine grove for protect the wind and the sand. The other one, here is off limited, because this ares has been useing for test site of trajectory of Ministry of Defence (MD).
Danau bukit pasir ini sendiri berada di luar wilayah Kementerian Pertahanan.、Beberapa di antaranya tampaknya juga digunakan untuk tujuan memancing.。Namun, hutan pinus yang digunakan untuk perlindungan angin dan pasir juga bertambah luas.、Banyak jalan menuju rawa menghilang.。Penurunan populasi dan penuaan juga terus berlanjut di sini.、Tidak ada penelitian akademis yang sedang dilakukan.。
These are out of the area of MD. A few lakes of it look as useing fishery sometimes but not often. Most of the roads to go there is being lost by growing thickly weeds and pine grove. Creasing depopulation and ageing there. Academic reserch stopped now.
Foto dari atas ke bawah (diurutkan dari utara ke selatan)、Onuma、Rawa Sakyo、Aranuma。Ukuran dan kedalamannya sedikit berbeda, tetapi semuanya dalam keadaan alami.。Onuma adalah udang besar、Sakyo-numa terkenal dengan Aegagropila Linnaei.、Apa yang terjadi sekarang karena belum ada penelitian yang dilakukan?。Aranuma memiliki kedalaman 1-2m.、Brasenia schreberi sedang dipanen.。
Photo:(above) O-numa. Small river prawn lives in. (midlle) Sakyo-numa. Sakyo-numa is famous for “Hime-malimo” (small moss ball), but how is it now? (bottom) An old woman was picking “Jun-sai” (the water shield) from the water at lake Ala-numa. ※numa means lake or pond. All of dune lakes are Nature.
