THE EAGLE LAKE
FIELD STATION
NOTES TO USERS
The Eagle Lake Field Station (ELFS), located 26 miles (by road) northwest
of Susanville in Lassen County, California, is a ten building facility on
the eastern shore of Eagle Lake. The field station
is administered by California State University, Chico (CSUC) and the CSUC
Foundation, with support from the University of California Natural Reserve
System and UC Davis. The ELFS is open to any
individual or group whose purpose is primarily academic, and whose activities
are consistent with the isolation and natural setting of the station.
The ELFS can comfortably accommodate about 35 people in cabins and
dormitories. Most housing has wood heating, indoor
plumbing, hot water, and showers. Food service
is provided although individuals or very small groups (2-3) may prefer to
provide their own. Cabins are limited and their
use is restricted to ELFS staff, faculty, group leaders, and long-term researchers.
Reservations for use of the facility should be made by contacting
the Director through the California State University, Chico, Department of
Biological Sciences at (530) 898-4490 or -5356). Reservations
for courses, research space/lodging and other long-term usage should be made
by the end of December. Reservations for other
types of short-term usage should be made at least one month in advance.
A map is available to guide users to the field station from Susanville. The last ten miles of travel are over rather rough
and rocky road. Travel over this road in good
weather (no standing water or snow) is bumpy but passable for all but low
clearance vehicles such as sports cars. During
the winter and early spring, standing puddles can exceed two feet in depth,
and heavy snow cover can make travel to the ELFS impossible for all but 4-wheel
drive vehicles.
The field station is located at an elevation of 5100 feet, so dress
appropriately for mountain weather. In the spring
and fall, weather is very unpredictable and rain is likely. Summers are mild and winters, although cold, are
not unduly harsh and accumulated snow is typically less than 24 inches. Warm clothes, a hat, rugged shoes, waterproof boots
and rainwear, sunscreen, and a flashlight are always appropriate.
There is no bedding other than a mattress, so sheets and blankets
or a sleeping bag are necessary. Users must also
provide towels, soap, and other personal items. No
personal items are available at the field station and the nearest town is
26 miles away, so come prepared.
What Not
To Bring
Pets; Weapons of
any kind; Illicit Drugs.
A varied menu is provided and meals are served at appropriate times
adjusted to the schedule of the visiting group. Given
the time and effort required to provide food service, there can be no significant
last minute changes to the menu.
Groups with more than two
individuals below the reservation number will be charged for those meals; the ELFS can not and will not absorb these
sorts of financial losses.
There
are no refunds for missed meals due to oversleeping, leaving earlier or arriving
later than scheduled, or simply deciding not to take a particular meal. Meals additional to those scheduled for (due to arriving
early or leaving late) will be charged at a per-meal rate (see ELFS brochure
for meal fee rates).
We ask that all groups please assist the cook(s) by providing 2 helpers
for clean-up duties in the dining hall after each dinner.
Coffee and hot water for tea and hot chocolate will be available all
day long. Student and Staff refrigerators are
available for personal food items.
The ELFS Steward is there to see that your stay at the field station
is an enjoyable one. If you have questions or
problems, he/she will assist you. The Steward
will accommodate every reasonable request and provide you with facilities,
equipment, and supplies (No personal items can be provided, however).
The ELFS staff is there to facilitate your activities and to promote
a healthy, safe environment for those activities. Things
work most smoothly when you let us know in advance what your needs will be
as last-minute requests cannot be easily fulfilled due to the station’s isolation.
One of our primary concerns is that users behave in a manner consistent
with the nature of the facility and its natural environment. Off-road vehicle driving, loud and boisterous activities,
destructive behavior, loud stereos, etc. are all inappropriate. Smoking is a dangerous and unhealthy activity that
we ask you to keep confined to designated areas. Open
fires are prohibited except for an occasional outside barbecue or campfire
when conditions allow.
Alcohol use (in moderation) is not prohibited at ELFS. However, bringing several cases of beer or
a keg is not appropriate, as that indicates a questionable use of the station. It should be noted and well understood that consumption
of alcohol is for the most part restricted to one's living quarters, although
a beer or glass of wine at meal times or out by the campfire ring is permissible. There will be no alcoholic beverages in the
lab or library at any time. Storage of small
quantities of alcoholic beverages (beer and wine only) within dining hall
refrigerators is permissible.
Group leaders are expected to check in with the resident Steward,
Cook, or the Station Manager upon arrival. Each
group will be given a brief orientation to the ELFS facilities as well as
station procedures shortly after arrival. Leaders
should then pick up one ELFS Information Sheet for each member of the group; Information sheets are kept in the dining hall. Completed
information sheets should be submitted by the group leader to either the
Steward, Cook, or Station Manager upon or soon after departure.
Motorized
Boats: The use of motorized
ELFS boats is restricted to faculty/group leaders/researchers who have been
adequately trained and then checked out by the Steward or Station Manager; Students and other group members are NOT to operate ELFS
boats without a trained faculty/group leader on board.
We at the
ELFS expect users of our boats to assume full financial responsibility should
their activities result in any significant damages to our boats and/or motors.
Canoe: The ELFS canoe
is considered a recreational vessel, and therefore,
we make it available to users of the ELFS. However,
do ask that you please notify the Steward, Station Manager, or your Group
Coordinator prior to taking it out onto the lake. As
Eagle Lake is often quite rough, it is advisable that at least someone on
board have experience with a canoe.
Other
ELBFS Equipment:
As most of the equipment and materials at the ELFS are the property
of either the field station or CSUC, it is expected that those wishing to
use ELFS equipment, etc. check with the staff for permission. Most of the gear in the lab has been transported
to the station from campus for use by researchers or those involved with
university courses. We therefore ask that
groups please
(1) return all equipment in good working order prior to departure;
(2) replace or repair any destroyed or damaged equipment; and
(3) notify the Steward or Director of materials used in order that
we may replace them.
Each group is expected to conduct a thorough clean-up detail on the
ELFS grounds. The Station Manager and resident
staff expect the station to look the way it did upon arrival. Therefore, we
ask that groups please allow enough time to complete the following tasks (Any
of the following facilities not utilized by a group will be cleaned by staff):
(1) Dormitories -
Sweep out all rooms thoroughly.
Remove
empty toiletry containers.
Bag up all trash (the Steward or Cook can provide you with trash bags).
Hauling trash out of the ELFS would be appreciated, although not expected.
(2) Cabins
-
Sweep out and vacuum thoroughly.
Remove
empty toiletry containers.
Bag
up all trash (see Dormitories).
(3) Dining
Hall -
Pick up any personal items, magazines, etc.
Thoroughly
clean group refrigerator and remove any personal items from both the refrigerator and freezer.
(4) Library -
Clean blackboard.
Remove
any personal items.
Sweep
out thoroughly and bag up trash from can.
(5) Lab -
Sweep out all rooms thoroughly.
Bag
up contents of all trash cans.
Return
all lab equipment to proper location.
(6) Boats
-
Refuel for next group (see Steward for assistance).
Clean
out trash, and bring all life vests, oars, etc. up to the
boat shed.
The Station Manager, or the Steward in the Manager’s absence, has
the authority to restrict inappropriate activity on the ELFS grounds and
to remove any individuals or groups whose conduct is questionable.
Mail can be received c/o Eagle Lake Field Station, 692-225 Merrillville
Road, Susanville, CA 96130. There are no public
telephones at the ELFS, but an on-site telephone is available in case of an
emergency. The ELFS can be reached in case of
emergency by contacting the Lassen County Sheriff.
Available upon request are various handouts for the ELFS and its environs,
including a brochure, a map to the station, an informative guide for users
of the station and its surroundings, and a taxonomic key to the identification
of Eagle Lake flora. Check out our web site (see
below) for updated lists of local vertebrate taxa as well as other field
staton information.
For additional
information and reservations call or write to:
Raymond
J. Bogiatto, Manager
Eagle
Lake Field Station
Department
of Biological Sciences
California
State University,
Chico, CA 95929-0515
(530)
898-4490 or 898-5356
E-Mail
address: rbogiatto@csuchico.edu
Home
Page: http://www.csuchico.edu/biol/EagleLake/eaglelake.html