Enjoy Big Bear Lake Safely

Big Bear, Ca April 3, 2011 12:00 pm – Big Bear Lake is open and the early spring is a great time for boating on the lake.  Because the water temperature is quite cold as snow melt runs into the lake, a few extra precautions should be taken to make your trip safe.  Personal flotation devices, also known as PFDs or lifejackets should always be worn and buckled up.  This is particularly important when the lake is cold.  Falling into cold water causes a reflex gasp that can result in swallowed water and drowning.  An inexpensive PFD keeps the mouth and nose above the surface, allowing a second breath to be air instead of more water.  Clothing should be chosen carefully.  Cotton jeans, sweatshirts, and jackets hold cold water next to the body when they get wet.  Polyester fleece and wool, with a nylon shell to protect from the wind are better choices.  They dry quickly and keep the body warm even when damp.  According to the US Coast Guard, the leading causes of boating accidents are inexperience, inattention, and alcohol.  Take a boating class, stay warm and dry, wear a PFD, and wait to party until back on dry land.  Take the time to pay attention to these details and a trip on Big Bear Lake this spring will be safe and fun.

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Big Bear Lake Open for 2011 Season

Big Bear Lake, Ca April 1, 2011 12:00 pm – The 2011 season for Big Bear Lake has begun.  Each year, the Big Bear Municipal Water District officially opens the lake for fishing, boating, and water skiing at the beginning of April.  While there is still snow on the mountain slopes, Stacy, on duty at the MWD’s East Boat Ramp, says she has been busy.  The ramp has already launched at least 25 boats and she has heard reports that fishing is good, especially at the east end of the lake.  Boating permits for motorized craft, sailboats, and paddlers must be obtained prior to launching and all vessels must also be inspected for quagga mussel infestation.  The mussels can live in standing water for several months and are not visible to the eye.  For this reason, the MWD asks that prior to launch, all boats and trailers be clean of debris, all bilges, lockers, and engines be drained and dry.  Boats that are damp or with standing water will require decontamination.  Boats with obvious mussel infestation will require decontamination and may be prohibited from launching.  Boat permits, inspections, and decontamination services are available at the East Ramp from 6:00 am – 6:00 pm Sunday through Thursday and 6:00 am – 7:00 pm Fridays and Saturdays.  Big Bear Lake is at its highest level in years, ready for a full season of fishing and boating, beginning this weekend.

Big Bear Lake Municipal Water District website

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Big Bear Lake Boating Permits Now Available

Big Bear, Ca March 5, 2011 3:00 pm – Big Bear Lake is getting ready to open for the spring season in just a few weeks. The Municipal Water District has mailed renewal forms to boating permit holders, reminding them that last year’s permits expire at the end of this month. To purchase a permit for the 2011 season, forms are available on the MWD website and at the District office.  Launch ramps will be open April 1 and will have permits available as well.  The cost for 2011 permits has increased $10.00 for motorized boats and sailboats over 8’ and includes the quagga mussel prevention surcharge.  Fees for all other boats, including kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and peddle boats remains the same, and requires a signed self inspection certification.  Boaters are reminded that permit holders must know and follow all lake regulations and California boating laws.  Lake levels are currently at 71’7”, just 8” below full according to the MWD website.  Enjoy the full Big Bear Lake boating season and purchase permits early.

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Two boaters rescued from Big Bear Lake

 

Big Bear, Ca, February 12, 2011, 4:00pm - Two boaters were rescued in Big Bear Lake this afternoon.  At approximately 2:45 pm, a canoe carrying a man and a woman swamped near Eagle Point.  The woman attempted to swim to shore and a bystander entered the water to assist.  The man remained with the canoe and was rescued by a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy and another bystander.  The Deputy used a nearby canoe to make the rescue, towing the male paddler to shore when unable to get him back into his boat.  Both paddlers were transported to a local medical facility to be checked for hypothermia and other injuries by Big Bear City Fire ambulance.  Rescuers were uninjured but cold.

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Boat Prop Incident Results in Emergency Situation; MWD Reminds Boaters to Turn Off Boat When Swimmers in Water

Big Bear Lake, CA — A boating incident that took place on Big Bear Lake last week has prompted a safety reminder from the Big Bear Municipal Water District, the agency that oversees recreation activity on the lake. In the evening hours last week, a party of four adults was on a pontoon boat on Big Bear Lake, celebrating the birthday of the boat’s driver, a man in his 40s from Los Angeles. One of the three women on board lost her hat and, in an effort to retrieve it, the man entered the lake at the rear of the vessel—however, he did not turn off the engine and may, too, have inadvertently put the boat in reverse. While he was in the water to retrieve the hat, the prop at the rear of the boat cut open his right leg, calf and foot which, though it did not sever an artery, did result in significant loss of blood. One of the female passengers wrapped his leg in a towel and used a belt as a tourniquet to reduce the bleeding, while 911 was called. Responders to the lakeshore, where the boat docked, included the MWD’s Lake Patrol, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and both the Big Bear Lake and Big Bear City Fire Departments. The victim was then flown to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to undergo surgery and, we’ve since been told, his leg has been saved despite the severity of the injury. The accident investigation is being conducted by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. In a statement to KBHR, MWD’s Lake Operations Supervisor Travis Carroll says, “The Big Bear Municipal Water District would like to remind all boaters of the dangers of props and to remember to make sure your motor is always off when anyone is in the water. The California Department of Boating and Waterways reports several injuries and fatalities each year from prop-related injuries. Boat smart, and boat safe!”

East Boat Launch Ramp Closure to Extend Through June 17 (for Construction Project), Though Launch Access Available This Weekend

Big Bear Valley, CA — In an update from the Big Bear Municipal Water District, the temporary construction-prompted closure of the Carol Morrison East Public Launch Ramp (just west of Stanfield Cutoff on the North Shore) will be extended for an additional five weekdays in order for the contractor to complete two projects. The East Ramp will be open this Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13, but it will be closed Friday, June 11, and next Monday through Thursday, weather permitting. The MWD extends their apologies for this inconvenience, but hopes boaters will enjoy use of the new paved parking lot and vessel Quagga Mussel decontamination station when the project is complete. While the East Ramp is closed, free Quagga Mussel inspection, decontamination and launching are available at Big Bear Marina on the south shore of the Lake. Please call the District offices at 909/866-5796 with any questions. “In the meantime,” notes MWD General Manager Scott Heule, “go out and enjoy the nearly full lake with water clarity that is better than it has been in years!”

Recreation and Park District Opens Swim Beach on June 5; Swim Lessons and Summer Day Camps Also Available

Big Bear Lake, CA — At long last with summer weather upon us, the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District opens Swim Beach, on the lake at the western-most end of Park Avenue, starting this weekend. Swim Beach will be open weekends from noon to 5pm; once school is out (in two weeks), the recreation area will be open Thursdays through Mondays through Labor Day. Swim Beach features white sand, as well as grass, snack bar and lifeguards on duty in the swimming area, which includes the giant Summit Slide and a trampoline, both on the water. The Rec and Park District also offers swim lessons for all ages this summer; to sign up for one of six sessions (the first of which begins June 21st), Super Swim Lesson Sign-Up Day will be held at the district offices on Thursday, June 10, starting at 8am. Summer camps for children are also offered this summer, through the Rainbow Kids Club held at Big Bear Elementary School. Families should have received the park district’s summer brochure, which went home with BVUSD students this week, but details are also available at BigBearParks.com, or by calling the district offices on Park Avenue at 866-9700.

Diligence of Marina Inspector Keeps Big Bear Lake Quagga Mussel Free; All Boats Must Be Clean, Drained and Dry Before Launch

Big Bear Lake, CA — A Quagga mussel-infested boat was prevented from being launched onto Big Bear Lake because of the pre-launch inspection performed by diligent launch ramp attendants, per a press release issued by the Big Bear Municipal Water District: “The boat showed up at Pine Knot Landing after spending three months in Lake Mojave on the Colorado River. Certified Quagga Mussel Inspector John Bishop at the private marina noted water draining from the boat’s outdrive when it was lowered. Because of this, combined with the knowledge that the boat had recently been in mussel-contaminated waters, the inspector refused to allow the boat to be launched and instead sent it to the Carol Morrison East Public Launch Ramp for a more thorough inspection. Big Bear Municipal Water District Launch Ramp Supervisor Tyler Cockrell and Ramp Attendant Stacy Marquardt performed a detailed inspection and observed thousands of tiny, pinhead-sized Quagga Mussels covering the boat. The boat was then quarantined at the District offices.
The District provides Quagga Mussel inspection training annually, free of charge, to all local private marina workers. Private launch ramps at marinas are required to have District-certified inspectors any time boats are being launched or retrieved. When it was discussed at the May 20th MWD Board meeting, Director Skip Suhay noted, ‘This incident highlights the value of local public awareness and the payoff that results when private marinas and the District cooperate to keep Big Bear Lake Quagga Mussel free.’ The District wants to extend a community wide ‘thank you’ to John, Stacy and Tyler for the protection they provided to the lake for many people, both here in Big Bear Valley and throughout Southern California.  Please remember that your boat, float tube, kayak or canoe needs to be ‘Clean, Drained and Dry’ before launching at Big Bear Lake.”

L.A. Man in Wednesday’s Canoeing Incident on Cedar Lake Dies in Loma Linda Hospital

Big Bear Lake, CA — Yesterday afternoon’s police activity, including helicopters, over Cedar Lake Camp in western Big Bear Lake was prompted by a canoe that had capsized at about 1:30pm. Two men had been in the vessel and one, 29-year-old Lashun Curtis Robertson of Los Angeles, at the camp for a retreat with a group from Los Angeles Mission, sank about 15 feet under the water, though was rescued by a Sheriff’s Department team diver in the 3pm hour, who located him about 30 feet from the dock in the frigid water. Robertson was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center for medical treatment where, per a report from the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office this morning, he was pronounced dead at 6:16pm on May 19. Per reports from both the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station and the Coroner’s Office, Robertson did not know how to swim, and yet was not wearing a life jacket while canoeing.
For what it’s worth, National Safe Boating Week launches this Saturday, May 22. As data from the U.S. Coast Guard suggests that 90 percent of drowning victims in recreational boating accidents were not wearing a life jacket, the National Safe Boating Council reminds those recreating on the water to wear a life jacket at all times.

Today’s Dam Inspection Provides “No Concerns Regarding Dam Safety”; MWD Approves Summer Activities on Big Bear Lake

Big Bear Lake, CA – Those in the vicinity of the west end of Big Bear Lake may have noticed divers in the water which, per the Big Bear Municipal Water District, is for an annual inspection of the dam. These inspections were prompted by a crack, discovered three years ago, during a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department dive team training exercise. Since late fall 2008, there has been no indication from these periodic inspections that there are any additional cracks in the dam where two monuments, consisting of two stainless steel bolts, straddle the crack in the upstream side of the Big Bear Dam. As MWD General Manager Scott Heule tells KBHR, “As of noon today [April 19], and after about two hours of dive time, no concerns regarding dam safety or adverse changes in crack dimensions were observed, according to the district’s engineer. The district’s engineer, MWH Americas, indicates that their report of the divers’ inspection findings will be available for the Board of Directors’ review within about four to six weeks.” Heule notes that, provided the weather cooperates, the dive team will move to the site of the old dam tomorrow, to document its condition and accessibility for purposes of possible future lake management activities; they will also attempt to remove some debris that is said to be located on the upstream side of the old dam.
In other news from the MWD, the agency that oversees the lake, a proposal from MWH was approved on Thursday, during the MWD Board’s regular meeting; per Heule, MWH will be asked to provide additional consulting services as the district navigates the growing complexities of local lake management, and state and federal TMDL regulations. The April 15 meeting of the MWD also included lake permit approval for the Big Bear Paddlefest (on July 10 and 11), Jazz Trax (for three days starting June 18), the Big Bear TroutfesT (in October’s first weekend), and lakeshore access from B’s Backyard BBQ for the summer weekday program of the U.S. Adaptive Recreation Center.
Update: Diving will continue as planned today, April 20.

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