Making the Kern River and Lake Isabella glass-free
Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 5:28:39 PM
After outreaching to the public, District Ranger Al Watson (Kern River Ranger District of the Sequoia National Forest) initiated a glass prohibition for areas around Lake Isabella and the Kern River. The Forest Order defining the glass prohibition will go into effect today, May 16, 2016. It bans glass food and beverage containers along the Upper Kern, the Lower Kern, all of Isabella Lake’s shorelines (to surrounding roadways), and for a circumference of 500 feet around the Johnsondale Bridge. Along the shorelines of the Kern River and Isabella Lake, broken glass has been a hazard and an eyesore for many years. Broken glass can be tough to pick up, can be unsightly, and can cause injury to people and animals. Volunteers and recreation staff have spent considerable time carefully removing sharp glass shards from campgrounds and shorelines and sifting through fire pits for pieces of broken glass bottles.
“We appreciate the incredible amount of public support for this much-needed glass prohibition,” stated District Recreation Officer Tricia Maki. She continued, “Through our outreach, however, we did hear that this change may pose an inconvenience to some people. We are available to help anyone with concerns about the glass prohibition by offering ideas for alternative products that may be used and brought to the river and lake.” The new glass ban is another way the Kern River Ranger District will continue to improve the recreation experience for visitors to our beautiful Wild and Scenic Kern River and the shorelines of Lake Isabella.
“We expect this prohibition to have a positive effect on the ecosystem and the aesthetic experience of visitors; but the main goal of the glass ban is public safety—something we hold as our number one priority,” said District Ranger Watson.
The Forest Order with maps and specific descriptions of areas included in the glass ban can be found online at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/Kern_Glass_Ban, or can be found at any of the Sequoia National Forest’s offices. For more information, or if you have questions about the ban, please call Tricia Maki, Kern River Recreation Officer, at760-376-3781 extension 630.
