REDWOOD NEEDLES

Presented by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Newsletter, The REDWOOD NEEDLES

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Lake Berryessa - Hope for the Future Or How the Lake Ended up with Trailer Parks

By Carol A. Kunze

Lake Berryessa has a reputation as an area for speed boats, jet skis, trashy resorts, shoreline erosion, drinking and pollution violations. All that could change.

The Lake was created in the late 1950's with the construction of Monticello Dam. Recognizing the potential as a recreation area the Bureau of Reclamation, which administers the Lake, asked the National Park Service to prepare a Public Use Plan (PUP) in 1959. Unfortunately, the Bureau did not have the staff to manage or the funds to finance recreational facilities. After being turned down by the State of California, the Bureau entered into a recreation management contract with the County of Napa.

Not wanting Napa taxpayers to fund development at the Lake, the county entered into contracts with seven concessionaires, leaving it up to these private parties to construct recreational facilities. They promptly set up trailer parks, collecting monthly rent for leasing out sites on federal land. These trailer parks remain to this day.

Many trailers have been on site for more than 30 years. The public does not have access to these sites and the only way to obtain one is to buy the trailer on it. The owners are not allowed to reside in the resorts, they are only there on weekends and during vacations, but the trailers remain on the site unoccupied. Many of these trailers have deteriorated over the years - and some areas give the appearance of a slum. The ability to stay on site for years has resulted in trailer owners putting in their own decks and private docks, while the public has no access to miles of shoreline on which these long-term trailers sit with their docks extending out into the water.

There were to be some 2550 to 2700 picnic sites, but there were only 128. There were to be 1000 campsites, instead there were only about 470. There were to be only 100 mobile home sites, but 1670 were set up.

Little has changed in the resorts since then. There are no public campgrounds at the Lake. The resorts have campgrounds, but as with most commercial campgrounds there is little privacy, and many are next to roads or on the edge of parking lots. The resorts have few swimming and picnic areas.

There are two public parks at the Lake with picnic tables, rest rooms and a couple of swimming areas. There is only one public (free) boat launch ramp. Although the Lake has 165 miles of shoreline, there is only one formal 2.6 mile hiking trail. Last year the Bureau indicated that there were only 688 sites for public use, while 1500 sites were still held under these long-term trailer site arrangements.

In effect, the Lake caters to a narrow market - those who have vacation trailer sites and those with boats or jet skis. This is despite a survey requested by the Bureau in 1996 which indicated that picnicking, beach activities, hiking/backpacking, swimming, camping, and nature observing all rated above boating and fishing as the top choices for recreational activities.

There have also been complaints over the past 40 years of pollution violations. Earlier this year six of the seven resorts were cited for pollution violations, many of them stemming from the practice of trailer owners on dry sites (no water/sewer hookups) of dumping their sewage either onto the ground or directly into the Lake.

Hope for a Different Future

After half a century, all seven concession contracts where the long term vacation trailer sites are located will be expiring. The Bureau is planning the future of the Lake now, including what the new concession arrangements will be through the Lake Berryessa Visitor Services Plan (VSP). The VSP will plan future concessions as well as public recreational facilities.

A multi-use shoreline trail has been proposed to the Bureau, around the entire 165 miles of shoreline. This proposal also includes loop trails and nature trails, public campgrounds, and some sections where people can hike with their dogs. Finally, it has been proposed that legislation be introduced to allow the Bureau to retain income from concession fees at the Lake for use in maintaining and developing public facilities there, instead of being required to transfer the fees into a general fund.

The Lake Berryessa area is a prime focus of the Trails Task Force of the Blue Ridge Berryessa Natural Area Conservation Partnership, which is seeking to develop a trail system in the hills and ridges surrounding the Lake. Yolo County is in the process of developing an open space plan which includes support for a hiking trail down the entire Blue Ridge east of Lake Berryessa.

Additionally, the Sierra Club is supporting the designation of two areas around Lake Berryessa - Cedar Roughs, the hills above the lake to the west, and the Berryessa Peak/Blue Ridge area to the east, as federal wilderness.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Enclosed, for our Napa readers, is an Association of Napa Communities for Lake Berryessa (NCLB) survey to provide comments in response to the Bureau's request for public input on the proposed VSP. This input is critical. There has already been one comment period and about 85-90% of the 120 comments received were from owners of vacation trailers at the Lake who, not surprisingly, would like to be able to continue to occupy their sites for another 50 years. Some of the issues being considered by NCLB include the creation of protected swimming areas, hiking trails, public campgrounds, safe areas for kayaking and canoeing, and the recommendation that the private vacation trailer parks be replaced with cabins for public use.

Get on the NCLB's distribution list. There is a place on the survey to indicate that you would like to receive updates on what's happening with the Lake Berryessa Visitor Services Plan or you can email ckunze@ix.netcom.com (subject: "VSP List"). Send your comments directly to the Bureau by emailing Bruce Wadlington who is writing the Visitor Services Plan (bwadlington@mp.usbr.gov) or accessing the online comment form at www.mp.usbr.gov/berryessa/contacts.html

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