The lake is completely dried up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens_Lake And other lakes in the area are in really bad shape.

I disagree I drive through there every winter and the lakes are very large. The ecology of the valley is dry but nowhere near as dry as say the mojave just to the south.

Mojave was a desert. Owens Lake was huge. Your comparison doesn't make sense

What natural lakes in the region are still "very large"?