Independence Lake to be opened soon......
Sunday, June 19, 2011 (SF Chronicle)
Independence Lake to be opened soon for recreation
By Tom Stienstra
Independence Lake will be transformed from the Sierra's gated, off-limits
fantasy land to a recreation gem this summer with a new walk-in campground,
boat rentals and public access.
The new owners of the lake and its surrounding 2,200 acres, the Nature
Conservancy, announced the recreation plan this past week after listening
to more than 700 public comments and taking a survey in the past year,
according to Daniel Roth of the Conservancy. To develop a plan that works
for most everybody, "We've been listening to the people, to find the
reason in it," Roth said.
Independence Lake is a cobalt-blue gem nestled at 6,949 feet in a deep,
forested canyon north of Truckee in the central Sierra. It is home for
huge but elusive cutthroat and brown trout, as well as kokanee salmon and
brook trout, and according to past caretakers, a ghost that watches over
the place.
In 1947, Sierra Pacific, a power company based in Reno, bought
Independence Lake, two houses and the surrounding forest, and then used
the lake as its own playground and party site. The power company often
locked a pipe gate across the road near the caretaker's house to block
public access to a small boat ramp.
When a billionaire from the Peninsula tried to buy the lake and
surrounding forest for $22 million to add as the crown jewel for his
empire, the Nature Conservancy stepped in and managed enough donations to
buy it for $15 million.
The Nature Conservancy's challenge was to protect the lake's pristine,
clear waters and unique strain of Lahontan cutthroat trout while improving
public access.
To guarantee that no invasive mussels or plants infest the lake, the new
plan bans private boats, which are blamed in Southern California for
spreading the invasive quagga mussel. Motorized rental boats with
four-cycle engines will be available to provide passage amid the
occasional howling winds that blow through the canyon, as well as the
ability to fish for the lake's elusive but huge trout.
As the weekend arrived, there was still 3 feet of snow on the access road.
Roth estimated that the lake would be opened as early as July 2 for the
Fourth of July weekend, and that the walk-in campground would open in
mid-July.
"We hope to get in by the end of the month," Roth said. "With the warm
weather this week, the snow is melting quickly."
According to a survey and comments, the public supported maintaining the
lake as a "serene and pristine environment," said David Edelson of the
Conservancy. "This plan balances our conservation commitments and goals
while also allowing public access, boating, camping, hiking, kayaking and
fishing."
Independence was originally two smaller lakes named Loon Lakes. After a
forest fire in 1945, the surrounding slopes were logged and a new dam was
built. As the water rose, the land bridge (now about 15 feet underwater)
between the two lakes was submerged and a single, 2-mile-long lake was
created. Some of the original logging equipment is still underwater.
Anglers will discover huge trout and crystal-clear water that requires
using light, near-invisible line. I verified a 14-pound cutthroat trout
and heard of a 25-pound brown trout netted and released in a Department of
Fish and Game survey. Yet these huge fish are hypersensitive to light in
the clear water, and in addition, when hooked, can break the line by
wrapping around the submerged logging booms. They can seem impossible to
catch from shore, and the new ability to rent a boat, kayak or float tube
provides a better chance.
On my visits, the friendly caretakers told me that several visitors had
seen a ghost that wears a plaid shirt, who looks out a window of a
150-year-old, boarded-up structure (once a historic resort) located near
the boat ramp. Some have even said the ghost is the specter of a
photographer who drowned in the 1940s when his boat capsized in the wind,
or maybe the pilot who crashed into a towering slope above the lake in a
snowstorm in 1950. Neither body was found.
There are other sights you won't see anywhere else in California. When the
cutthroat trout head from the lake into the entrance stream to spawn,
black bears arrive in significant numbers to catch them and many bald
eagles then show up for leftovers.
Viewed from the air, Independence Lake is one of the prettiest lakes in
the Sierra, with azure water contrasted against the rising walls of the
rich, forested canyon. For 60 years, that was pretty much all most could
do - look from a distance, that is, not touch.
In a few weeks, a new day is at hand. If you want to go
Opening dates: Lake and boat rentals are projected to open July 2, pending
snow melt; campsites are projected to open in mid-July.
Camping: Seven primitive walk-in campsites, with bear-proof food storage
box, picnic table and fire ring provided; no developed, piped water or
garbage service (pack it in, pack it out); first-come, first-served; $10
per night, maximum of six people per site.
Boat rentals available: Three 14-foot aluminum boats with 10-horsepower
4-cycle outboards, $50 day, $25 half-day; eight kayaks, including two
tandems, four pontoon float tubes, $20, $10.
Fishing regulations: No live bait, use of artificials required; all
cutthroat trout must be released; limit five kokanee salmon or brook
trout.
Dogs: OK on trails and in campsites, must be leashed.
Restrictions: No watercraft permitted except for rentals, no hunting or
firing guns, no campfires outside of designated rings at campsites, no
smoking, firewood cutting, felt-soled waders or live bait.
How to get there: From Truckee, take Highway 89 north for 15 miles to
turnoff marked "Independence Lake, Webber Lake, Jackson Meadow Reservoir."
Turn left and go 1.5 miles (on paved road) to junction (signed
"Independence Lake - 5 miles"). Turn left and drive 2 miles (becomes dirt,
rough for some vehicles) to a fork (signed "Independence Lake - miles").
Take right fork and go 0.5 of a mile to another fork. Bear left and drive
across a stream (if you do not drive across a stream just after taking
this fork, you have taken the wrong fork), and continue to signed entrance
road for Independence Lake Preserve. High-clearance vehicles required.
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