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.
What To Bring
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 is not able to 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
stationÕs 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 ELFS
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.
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.
Home Page:
http://www.csuchico.edu/biol/EagleLake/eaglelake.html