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Thread: DAVIS LAKE Car Top Boat launching area closures, Jenkins/CowCreek etc.

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  1. #1
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    Default DAVIS LAKE Car Top Boat launching area closures, Jenkins/CowCreek etc.

    Hello All,

    I have made some progress regarding the closure of car top small boat launching closures at Davis Lake. The recent closure of Jenkins point and the scheduled closure of Cow Creek to car top launching by pram, canoe, pontoon boat, kayak etc is still in place and underway. I have been able to communicate through email and miraculously received an email response from the USFS Forest Supervisor Christopher Carlton and we will soon be scheduling a conference call/Zoom with the USFS Beckwourth District Ranger Keli Ward.

    I explained in my email to Christopher Carlton the need for these access points to remain open for car toppers that try and launch various types of watercraft and the need to off load these boats from close to the shoreline such as a 100 pound pram for instance. I tried to explain the need and the use by a large portion of users that are car toppers that launch craft that do not lend themselves to launching from a concrete boat ramp as it takes too much time to offload the water craft and then to unload and load up gear etc.

    If you are a car topper that fishes this lake that launches a watercraft that requires you to pop it off your roof close to the waters edge now is the time for you to contact the USFS and let them know your needs and WHY a spot like Jenkins point and Cow Creek point (or Lightning Tree etc) is important to your safe boating and ability to launch your craft to reach various fishing areas safely.

    USFS Forest Supervisor Christopher Carlton Plumas National Forest has designated USFS Kelli Ward to take input and research the issue. She is the current acting District Ranger for the USFS Beckwourth Ranger District. She and I will be discussing the closures next week. So these are the two people you should be emailing and/or calling. I would strongly suggest a written email. It can be brief. I would suggest you include in your letter.....The type of boat you are launching such as a pram, small john boat or row boat, larger pontoon boat, canoe, kayak and why you need to be able to get your vehicle close to the shoreline to offload your boat (ie my PRAM weighs 100 pounds and I can't drag it 150+ feet to the waters edge....or I am 70 years old and I can not carry my canoe 150+ feet to the shoreline. I would state how these closures impact you directly such as your age ( I am 70 years old and still try to fish but can't drag/carry my pram/canoe/pontoon far, any disability or mobility issues such as knee or hip replacement as an example, I use a cane, I can't walk far, I can't lift or carry a pram/pontoon/canoe very far etc. Also indicate the length of time you have been using Jenkins point and Cow Creek etc and launching at these spots. You can be as brief or as lengthy in your email as you see fit just let them know your view point. Don't be shy, don't be scared to send an email.
    I have received an email response from both CHristopher Carlton and Keli Ward (we are in the process of setting up a day and time to talk/Zoom) and as I stated she has been delegated the assignment of researching this issue on behalf of the USFS and will in turn provide her findings to Christopher Carlton for I assume his final decision. Also make sure you email *both* CHristopher Carlton USFS Supervisor and Keli Ward USFS District Ranger.

    I also would encourage anyone that in general cares about USFS access to make your voice heard even if these closures don't impact you directly such as if you are a float tuber or a power boater for instance. USFS has a bad lengthy pattern of closing off more and more access and areas and opportunities without regard for users this is the chance you get to voice your opinion and let them know your needs and why Jenkins and Cow Creek needs to remain open for use.
    Also please feel free to pass along the below emails and phone contact information to anyone you think may have an interest in access at Davis Lake.

    I think we have a chance here to stop the bleeding before it's too late.....

    GOOD LUCK!!!!
    GOOD FISHING!!!!

    Here is USFS Plumas National Forest, Forest Supervisor Christopher Carlton email and phone number....
    Christopher.Carlton@usda.gov
    p:530-283-7810
    c:530-927-7713

    Keli Ward District Ranger, Beckwourth Ranger District, Plumas National Forest
    Keli.Ward@usda.gov
    p:530-836-7157

  2. #2
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    180 views as of 8/24 8:54 am!!!! That's a lot!. I hope all you flyfishermen/women are sending out those emails to the USFS on behalf of your fellow flyfishermen/women in need. Don't be shy!!!!!

    I know it takes a few minutes of your time to type an email and click the send button but we need all your help and all the help we can get on this because your fellow flyfishermen/women are losing what little access remains for car toppers. Jenkin's/Cow Creek are vital launch areas that need to remain in use as they have been for the last 54 years.

    Think of all those wonderful prizes you can win for the persons that send out the most emails and makes the most phone calls after we win this battle. Prams, pontoon boats, canoes, kayaks, rods, reels, flylines, float tubes, flyboxes, and the top prizes, the deadliest flies ever created for Davis AND guided flyfishing trips on Davis Lake with Tri Tip BBQ's and all the fixins, Beers too!........WOW!

    So start typing and sending those emails and for the brave and courageous use that cell phone you carry around, put it to use for your fellow flyfishermen/women and make a call voicing your support.....leave USFS Keli Ward and Christopher Carlton a voice mail message. I've done it! It's really not that scary. You can do it! Give it a try......
    Last edited by FREEDOM-FLYFISHER; 08-24-2021 at 09:19 AM.

  3. #3
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    Done. I hope it helps. Best of luck to us all!

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by OceanSunfish View Post
    Done. I hope it helps. Best of luck to us all!
    THANK YOU!
    Thank you for very much your effort.
    Right now miraculously the USFS is actually listening to the lakes users and we have their ear regarding car topper launching access on Davis so the more people that respond to them all the better. They haven't cared about all the flyfishermen/women that choose to fish from small craft such as prams, canoes, kayaks, pontoon boats, rafts that fish the lake in favor of power boaters putting in parking lots and boats ramps for those users, which is great but they should leave a few spots for the other users car toppers and not close off the last sheltered safe west side launching spots like Jenkins and Cow Creek.

    The more people that shoot them an email or leave a voice mail the better. I will be doing a zoom/phone conference call later this week with Kelli Ward USFS Plumas County District Ranger speaking directly regarding the issue. I will try and explain it to her on our behalf as best I can. Christopher Carlton USFS Forest Supervisor for Plumas County has directed her to take feedback I am assuming for him so that he/they can make a decision.

    Now is the time to act for anyone willing to support your flyfishing community.
    GOOD LUCK to all on this.
    Once again....thanks for the effort, OceanSunfish!

  5. #5
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    A little heads up for people interested in the loss of launching access areas around Davis lake. I have a scheduled phone conference with the Plumas County USFS District Ranger this morning where we will be discussing the Jenkins closure and I will present our case. Hopefully they are actually interested in what we have to say and willing to consider our case. We shall see. All we can do is try.

    So now is the time to make our voices heard. Don't be shy, scared, lazy to email or voicemail Kelli Ward District Ranger and Christopher Carlton Forest Supervisor. The more people that contacted them the better. If only one two people email or leave a voice message it makes it all the more easier to blow us off and close down the entire lake to car topping. The USFS Plumas COunty doesn't seem to understand the large user base of flyfishermen/women that choose to fish the lake from small craft. So support your fellow flyfishermen/women and flyfishing community and write a brief email or as long as you choose expressing your perspective or leave a voicemail on the need for launching areas for pram, raft, canoe, kayak, float tube etc users.
    Last edited by FREEDOM-FLYFISHER; 08-26-2021 at 07:05 AM. Reason: correct misspellings

  6. #6
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    Done. The practical solution is to make a rock sided pathway to the lake where we can drive to the shoreline, launch our prams then park in a designated area.

  7. #7
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    Just got off the phone after a lengthy conversation with District Ranger Kelli Ward of the Plumas County USFS. I did my best advocating on behalf of all car top users of the access launching areas on Davis Lake that use Jenkins, COw Creek etc.

    There is GOOD and BAD NEWS to report. I will try and give you a synopsis of the conversation and the points being brought up by both sides.
    First of all their plan (the BAD NEWS) that has been in place and was being implemented (as you know the recent closure of Jenkins) is to close off all shoreline access to vehicles thereby eliminating all car topping at Davis Lake. Part of their reason as she stated is protecting the environment which I knew they she would try and argue but it is BS and doesn't hold water as the environment is being damaged by cows crapping and wizzing all around the lake trampling the shoreline, development of all kinds, pavement, parking lots, concrete boat ramps, vehicles backing into the lake washing off brake dust, axle grease, road grime into the lake etc. So parking on hard dirt by a car topper is far less damaging to the environment. So I made that point.

    I stated that car toppers do not drive into the water whereas power boats on trailers back their vehicles into the lake with axle grease, brake dust, road grime from the vehicle, vehicle exhaust etc and asked why this isn't environmentally damaging? SO basically from my view point I have no issue from the USFS preventing idiots offroading or driving in environmentally sensitive areas but that can be accomplished with a few signs and hefty fines $1000 for driving in non designated areas and some strategically placed boulders that do not prevent users from getting to the end of a point Like Jenkins/Cow Creek. So preventing people from parking on dirt at Jenkins/Cow Creek etc is not an environmental issue at all in my opinion.
    We also talked about access at Mosquito Slough and how that parking area has shrunk and Lightning Tree and how users were able to drive on hard packed dirt to launch at Lightning Tree to access Grizzly Arm and what can be done to create better access on the north east side of the lake for safe access to Grizzly arm.

    On behalf of disabled persons/disabled veterans/myself and all car toppers I discussed the northside of Camp 5 one of my favorite launching spots which was closed off a few years ago with logs and boulders and why that was closed and if it was designated environmentally sensitive why would that area be designated environmentally sensitive while the rest of the point isn't and why can cows crap and destroy the shoreline 100 yards away? She had no answer and agreed and questioned the logic and expressed that she would research that further and see what could be done.
    I asked why hundreds of heads of cattle are allowed to graze freely all around the lake but users can't park on hard dirt close to the shoreline? I brought up how the cows tear up the shoreline sinking into the mud leaving behind deep hoof prints, urinating leaving behind cow patties etc and why isn't this considered environmentally damaging to the lake shoreline? So all that right there pretty much blows a hole in that entire USFS argument.

    Just to be clear, I am not against the cattle grazing around the lake. Just keep them out of the actually environmentally sensitive areas the creeks like Cow/Freeman/Grizzly creek (which Battling Bob Baiocchhi fought for) the rest of the shoreline as I see it isn't environmentally sensitive. The grazing has been going on for forever and I like my tri tip.
    Also I am not against development and improvements such as paved roads, parking lots, concrete boat ramps etc....I just believe access should remain for all users and parking 20 feet from the shoreline in a designated area should not be closed off.

    That's about the gist of it really. So the (GOOD NEWS) is they are currently reviewing the issues and contemplating what is going on. She (they....USFS) admittedly had no clue of the lakes use and car topper flyfishermen/women so I also explained that car top users need these areas to safely access fishing areas at different times of the year to get to where the hatches are going off and the fish are.

    So basically I took away from the conversation that the USFS is willing to consider car top users and our needs. She is going to further research the issue and stated she will bring it up for review by USFS personnel and Christopher Carlton Forest supervisor and the powers that be.

    Once again I want to emphasize that now is the time to make your voice heard while they are listening and we have their ear, before it's too late and car topping at Davis is gone for good.
    Send an email.....make a call. In the time you type a post on here you could have written an email on behalf of yourself or your fellow flyfishermen/women and done something good for the flyfishing community.

    GOOD LUCK to ALL!
    GOOD FISHING!
    Last edited by FREEDOM-FLYFISHER; 08-26-2021 at 12:21 PM.

  8. #8
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    Hello my fellow flyfishermen/women.

    Here are some additional contacts at the Plumas County USFS that I had been in contact with and I forgot to provide that are responsible for recreational opportunities in Plumas County. I would recommend including them in any emails you send to the USFS as they have input into decisions as this access issue at Davis/Frenchman's will be decided by committee. If you have sent emails to Christopher Carlton, Keli Ward or Rachel Bauer simply forward to these emails as these individuals are responsible for seeing that all users are considered in USFS policy.

    It has come to my attention today 9/15 after speaking with the USFS acting District Ranger Rachel Bauer that Kaitlyn McGlamery is responsible for enacting the Jenkins closure so I suggest making sure she hears your voice and particularly Forest Supervisor Christopher Carlton as he is ultimately responsible for what takes place in Plumas County National Forest.
    GOOD LUCK!



    Kaitlyn McGlamery
    Public Services Staff
    Plumas National Forest
    p:530-836-7120
    kaitlyn.mcglamery@usda.gov

    Erika Brenzovich
    Recreation and Lands Program Manager
    Plumas National Forest,
    Supervisor's Office
    p:530-283-7798
    c:530-927-8532
    erika.brenzovich@usda.gov

    Evelyn Breedlove
    Lead Recreation Technician
    Plumas National Forest
    Beckwourth Ranger District
    p:530-836-7123
    f:530-836-0493
    evelyn.breedlove@usda.gov
    Last edited by FREEDOM-FLYFISHER; 09-15-2021 at 02:12 PM.

  9. #9
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    I spoke with Acting District Ranger Rachel Bauer, Beckwourth Office Plumas National Forest yesterday 9/15 for a half hour discussing various issues related to the ongoing closures at Davis Lake, Jenkins/Cow Creek etc.

    This is what I learned....

    First off, they are rotating District Rangers on a monthly basis and will be doing so for the next 6 months plus until they decide on an individual hire. This is irrelevant to our cause. The effort and your voice emails/calls need to be directed to the USFS FOREST SUPERVISOR Plumas National Forest Christopher Carlton Christopher.Carlton@usda.gov p:530-283-7810 c:530-927-7713 as he is the big cheese and ultimately the one who signs off on everything as far as I have gathered although there is definitely input from a variety of individuals. This is a federal government bureaucracy of the worst kind and they can screw over users with any excuse and bull reason as they choose but it is done by committee and there is input from the individuals I have listed on this thread and others I am unaware of.

    Second, It appears this individual Kaitlyn McGlamery
    Public Services Staff
    Plumas National Forest
    p:530-836-7120
    kaitlyn.mcglamery@usda.gov is entrusted and responsible for pushing forward on the closure of Jenkins Point to car topping and closing off the parking and access and launching. She is following USFS policy and decisions as to what the Plumas County USFS wants done with the lake. From what Rachel Bauer told me this Kaitlyn is the one planning where the boulders will go and how much area there will be for parking so I strongly suggest you email and call her and leave messages and let her know that we as car toppers need launching on the end and all around Jenkins point and plenty of parking as Jenkins has historically seen a dozen-30 plus cars on any given weekend when the fishing is good.

    Third, They can claim any BS as to why they are closing off access. I have heard all kinds of excuses and bull reasons such as it isn't a "designated USFS road" meaning the area around a point such as Camp 5 northside or Jenkins isn't a designated access road so therefore we can close it off by throwing logs and boulders. But of course the rest of the point they can do as they see fit and put in a paved parking lot and boat ramp etc. They can also BS claim they are doing it in the interest of "environmental protection". This is laughable and I have challenged them on this and both Keli Ward and Rachel Bauer have acknowledge the lunacy of their position but once again it is done as a bureaucracy. For instance they have closed off Camp 5 northside for "non designated road" and then tried to claim it was in the interest of environmental protection. I showed them pictures of the cattle trampling the shoreline a hundred yards away from Camp 5 in the cove(pictures on this thread) but the hard packed dirt we park on is in their bs claim environmentally sensitive. What about the entire shoreline the cattle are free to roam and trample?. So basically they can lie right to your face and make up any claim and lie and do as they see fit.

    One thing I have learned dealing with this bloated federal bureaucracy is that everyone at the USFS tries to pass the buck to someone else and not take responsibility. BUT,,,,Ultimately the Forest Supervisor Christopher Carlton is responsible for what takes place in Plumas County so I strongly recommend directing your #1 focus and voice to him as he can't shuck responsibility. Email/call everyone I have listed include them in your email address for any letters you send and forward your emails to all of them.

    It's crunch time.
    They are hell bent on closing off access all around the lake and don't give much of a damn but your voice does count and does have an impact. The problem has been we as flyfisherman/car toppers have been silent for too long and they have been chipping away and chipping away at access because we haven't spoken up and made our voices heard. Now is the time to put the pressure on them otherwise they are going to boulder off Jenkins Point and Cow creek to car topping and once that happens it is game over and impossible to get things reversed.

    GOOD LUCK! Keep fighting the good fight!
    Last edited by FREEDOM-FLYFISHER; 09-16-2021 at 09:29 AM.

  10. #10
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    UPDATE DAVIS LAKE ACCESS CLOSURES
    The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.......

    Hello my fellow flyfishermen and women!
    I hope all of you are enjoying this fall/winter weather we are experiencing and getting out there and into the fish with these cooler temperatures.

    First of all I would like to thank everyone that took the time to email and/or call the USFS on behalf of yourself, your fellow flyfishermen/women, disabled veterans/persons, car toppers etc regarding the access closures at Davis Lake.
    So, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!.....it's GREATLY APPRECIATED.....and is actually helping the cause! The more voices the better!

    I wanted to give an update on what has transpired between myself and the USFS Plumas County regarding my ongoing efforts to negotiate a result on behalf of all "car toppers" interested in fishing Davis Lake. Sadly, the closure at Jenkins Point remains so if you have plans to fish the lake and need to offload close to the lake shore it is a no go at Jenkins. In the past when the lake was fishing well at the top of its game there would be 30+ cars parked on Jenkins point. That has been reduced to room for maybe 8-10 vehicles squeezed together at best. They created a tiny gravel parking area and have placed signs stating that you must be parked in that parking area and can not drive anywhere close to the water to offload.

    I recently contacted Christopher Carlton the Forest Supervisor and he informed me that a new acting district ranger has been appointed, Rachel Bauer is no longer in the position and that person now is Matthew Waterston matthew.waterston@usda.gov. So if you want to type up your first email or forward an email you have already sent to Rachel Bauer or Kelli Ward that is a person to contact as well as Forest Supervisor Christopher Carlton christopher.carlton@usda.gov. They are rotating in new acting District Rangers on a monthly basis until they hire a person on a permanent basis. This has been their excuse for inaction regarding addressing Jenkins Point and other access areas that the NEW District Ranger will be making a decision. It appears Carlton the Forest Supervisor has passed the responsibility downward for whatever reasons which I do not understand. Why he refuses to make a decision is beyond me. Christopher Carlton also stated that in addition to Matthew Waterston, Erika Brenzovich Recreation Program Manager erika.brenzovich@usda.gov will be reviewing and working on the issue. My question becomes why can't the current acting District Ranger address the situation or the Forest Supervisor? A former acting District Ranger this past summer enacted the closure so why can't that be reversed or addressed by the current acting district ranger? It is a lot of BS and run around and excuses but when dealing with government bureaucracies this is what must be dealt with if you want a change. Christopher Carlton also informed me that he is instructing "Outdoors in Plumas" the USFS contracted concessionaire to look into the matter. I am curious to what role exactly they are playing in this.

    I was hoping to get this resolved prior to this years Veteran's Day of Remembrance November 11, 2021 on behalf of our severely disabled veterans that need any access they can find but sadly that appears will not happen. You would think that the USFS would want to preserve, restore, create access and welcome disabled veterans to Plumas County area lakes like Davis or Frenchman's but that is not the case at all. In fact, they could careless as they have made Frenchman's completely inaccessible for a severely disabled person/veteran as far as an area to launch where in the past there were areas all around the lake where one could drive down to the water and park and offload and leave your wheelchair sitting at the waters edge waiting for your return. They are doing to Davis what they have done to Frenchman's. I feel bad for the newly injured young man or woman veteran that becomes severely disabled that loses their legs at the hip to an IED or suffers a spinal cord injury and will be using a wheelchair or is severely mobility impaired and wants to kayak fish either of these lakes independently. That freedom and independence I and others have enjoyed for decades is fading fast in Plumas County. I will be sending off many emails this coming week on behalf of our disabled veterans but so far it has fallen on deaf ears of the USFS Plumas county personnel.

    I'd also like to mention that if any of you know of any disabled veterans (severely mobility impaired/wheelchair user) or anyone severely disabled in northern California or Nevada that might be interested in getting into fishing from a kayak or where they might find some access at a lake please have them contact me through this website and I would be more than happy to give them all my decades of knowledge and information on where and how and the few spots at lakes that I know have access or to personally take them out fishing and guide them.

    .....anyway keep the faith....we shall triumph..... and GOOD FISHING to my fellow flyfishermen and women!
    Last edited by FREEDOM-FLYFISHER; 10-30-2021 at 02:43 PM.

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