We are now again in the midst of a Bear Lake winter. Old timers knew it was coming but we sure
enjoyed the nice days in January and early February. The Lake will not freeze over and hopefully
we can look forward to an early spring and warmer water in the Lake.
During these boring days, I look out over the Bear Lake and
remember summers past. During the
drought, the retreating lake opened opportunities for people to drive out and
enjoy the beaches. Remember all the
reactions of the local governments, Bear Lake Regional Commission, Sovereign
Lands and our Utah legislators? In the
beginning fears of harming the lake led to a program to regulate usage of the
beaches. There were rules, many times
different in Utah and Idaho about parking and driving in the dewatered
areas. Permits were given, sometimes
only to adjacent property owners who were ticked off that people were
obstructing their private views. Later permits
were given to a select few to launch their boats in front of their residences.
The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and Lands then got into
the game. It was their land under the
Lake so they would manage it. This came
with a myriad of regulations concerning parking distances from the water, speed
limits, parallel diving and OHV restrictions.
The beach in front of Garden City was divided into sections with each
having their own rules. Garden City then
started taking over charging a trespass fee to park on the beach. They also provided sanitary facilities. In the meantime, they made a significant
amount of money. One year the Utah State
Legislature passed a law prohibited accessing the beaches for most of the
Lake. A seasonal deputy was hired to
enforce the law and many people were arrested.
The following year the law was repealed but rules and law enforcement
remained. People now believed the
“Beach” was here to stay. They had to
stop littering, oil leaking and peeing on the beach.
Garden City spent a bunch of money getting a wetland
delineation, obtaining a U.S. Corps of Engineers to dig ditches to drain the
water off the beach. The City Fathers
then took down private gates and deemed all accesses open to the public. A law suit filed by homeowners and after the
lawyers made tons of money, the court finally ruled in favor of the
homeowners. Garden City then threatened
Eminent Domain and money kept being wasted.
It was finally settled.
Much to the dismay of many citizens the Lake came up. I had been preaching for years the lake would
rise again but no one believed me. Now
the beaches are gone and the rocky shoreline is back. Did all that activity harm the lake? Biologically, I cannot see any damage. I hope we learn from the past because Bear
Lake will surely go down again. No one
can predict when that will happen so let’s just enjoy our beautiful lake and
learn from our mistakes.
