Shaver Lake will be closed to boating over Memorial Day. Let the Edison bashing begin
It’s the sort of decision that makes almost everyone unhappy and can even cause some resentment.
Especially to those fed up with staying home and being told what they can and can’t do during the coronavirus pandemic.
Shaver Lake, Fresno’s favorite mountain retreat, will remain off-limits to most forms of recreation over Memorial Day weekend, by order of lake operator Southern California Edison. The closures, in effect since March, include boat ramps, marinas, campgrounds, day-use areas and bathrooms.
For those hoping the popular Sierra destination 50 miles east of Fresno would reopen to boating for the traditional kickoff to summer, the news was not well-received.
“I’ve been going to Shaver for years every Memorial Day weekend. I’ll be going to Bass Lake instead,” read a post on the Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake Facebook page. “They really whiffed on this one and have done a disservice to the Shaver Lake community.”
“We have a place up there, and at this point, I’m in agreement with you,” another poster responded. “No reason boats can’t be out on the water. Now it’s just stupid.”
“So political!” replied a third.
SCE is an electric utility company based near Los Angeles. Besides operating Shaver Lake, part of the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project, it also owns 20,000 acres of surrounding forest.
Reporting on the goings on at Shaver Lake is not a straightforward process for any journalist. While SCE has many employees who live and work in the tight-knit community, they are not authorized to speak with the media.
Instead, official communications must come from the regional office in Tulare or corporate headquarters in Rosemead. Such as the statement I received Thursday morning in response to my queries about Shaver Lake’s status.
(The statement was read aloud to me over the phone by an SCE spokesman, in part so I couldn’t write it was sent via email. Why? No clue.)
“Shaver Lake is a special place for many and we understand people’s interest in taking advantage of all it has to offer. We recognize the closure has a significant impact on the community and local businesses. But safety is our top priority and in accordance with the state’s stay at home requirements and Resilience Roadmap, the lake must remain closed during the Memorial Day weekend.
“SCE will safely reopen the lake and its facilities as state requirements allow. Access restrictions are expected to be lifted in several phases. The time frames of each phase will be guided by the state’s Resilience Roadmap before reopening. SCE will coordinate with county officials to put measures in place to protect workers and visitors.
“Thanks to your readers for their understanding and doing their part to keep the community safe. Updates will be posted to sce.com/campedison as additional information becomes available.”
Forest recreation closures extended
On Wednesday, the Sierra National Forest extended its closures of all developed recreation sites in the High Sierra Ranger District (which includes Shaver Lake, Huntington Lake, Dinkey Creek and elsewhere) through June 4. Which may indicate June 5 as the earliest anyone will be able to launch a ski boat or fishing boat.
Perhaps no business owner is impacted by that decision more than Sheldon Sandstrom at the Sierra Marina at the north end of Shaver Lake.
In a normal year, more than 300 boats, both private vessels and rentals, would be tied up to his docks on Memorial Day. This year, they sit mostly empty behind a locked gate installed by SCE during the early stages of the pandemic.
“It’s unfortunate,” Sandstrom said. “I’d like to get back to work and to get my clients’ boats in the water.”
If the last couple weeks are any indication, Shaver Lake will still be a busy place this weekend. The closures do not extend to shore fishing, swimming or just hanging out near the water. Instead of designated parking lots, people will park in turnouts or look for a roomy shoulder along the highway.
Inevitably, some of those people will leave behind trash. Don’t be one of them. Bring out everything you bring in. And plan your bathroom stops before leaving home. The forest is not a latrine.
Good steward of Shaver Lake
While I understand people’s frustrations and am sympathetic to business owners, the online bashing of SCE for proceeding cautiously during a pandemic shows a myopic view of the big picture. (Also somewhat selfish. But, hey, it’s 2020.)
SCE, in fact, has proven itself to be good stewards of both Shaver Lake and its lands. Better, from what I’ve seen, than both the forest service and PG&E.
Decades before public agencies started using prescribed burns to thin dead fall, prevent wildfires and stimulate native plant growth, SCE was doing that very thing on its 20,000 acres.
For years the difference in forest management between Shaver Lake and, say, Huntington Lake was evident by anyone with a working set of eyes. (It’s a little harder to tell recently since the Sierra National Forest became “the epicenter” of California’s massive statewide tree die-off.)
In 2011, when SCE drained Shaver Lake to perform maintenance on the dam, the company kicked in thousands of dollars in support of trophy trout and trout in the classroom programs. In 2015, during the height of the drought, the company kept lake levels 60% full while others in the region were empty.
Just something for the keyboard complainers to keep in mind as they wait for “stupid” restrictions to ease.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 12:58 PM.
