The lake was not static — its levels rose and fell with the climate, expanding during wet periods and contracting during dry ones.

By the time the Spirit Cave Man was alive, approximately 10,600 years ago, the lake had already contracted substantially from its maximum extent, but extensive marshes and shallower lake remnants still covered significant portions of northwestern Nevada.

These wetlands were extraordinarily productive.

Freshwater fish — cutthroat trout, tui chub, and other species — were abundant.

Waterfowl nested and migrated through the marshes in enormous numbers.

The wetland margins supported dense stands of tule and other aquatic plants that provided material for weaving, construction, and other uses.