CANTON, Okla. (KOKH) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is shutting down recreational areas at lakes across Oklahoma for the early summer season.
Closures will impact all 38 Tulsa-area lakes, but the most heavily impacted areas of the state include:
- Birch Lake, OK (Twin Coves temporary camping loop closure, sites 3-12)
- Canton Lake, OK (Sandy Cover Day Use swim beach and Fairview Group Camp will be temporarily closed)
- Copan Lake, OK (Copan Point Day Use swim beach and boat ramp temporary closure; Osage Plains temporary closure)
- Eufaula Lake, OK (Gaines Creek temporary closure)
- Ft. Supply Lake, OK (Wolf Creek temporary closure, Beaver Point temporary closure of day use, camping remains open)
- Kaw Lake, OK (McFadden Cove temporary closure camping loop & boat ramp, Sandy Beach, temporary closure of beach)
- Keystone Lake, OK (Appalachia Bay, ORV closed, camping and day use remain open
- Pine Creek Lake, OK (Turkey Creek, temporary closure)
- Oologah Lake, OK (Spencer Creek, temporary closure)
- Sardis Lake, OK (Sardis Cove, temporary closure)
- Skiatook Lake, OK (Bull Creek, temporary closure; Osage Park, temporary closure; Tall Chief Cove, temporary closure)
- Tenkiller Lake, OK (Horseshoe Bend, temporary closure; Standing Rock, temporary closure)
- Webbers Falls, OK (Hopewell Park, temporary closure; Bluff View, temporary closure; Brewers Bend, temporary closure; Overlook, temporary closure)
- Robert S. Kerr, OK (Little San Bois Creek, temporary closure; Cowlington Point, temporary closure)
Rep. Mike Dobrinski (R-Okeene) said the closures at Canton Lake are due to only having one full-time ranger at the moment. The lake is unable to hire additional staff until a federal hiring freeze expires in July, Rep. Dobrinski said.
Another full-time ranger and two seasonal summer rangers are slated to work at the lake when the hiring freeze expires.
The temporary closures, Rep. Dobrinski said, are more about safety concerns since one ranger cannot safely monitor all of those areas. Rep. Dobrinski added that the closures are not a long-term funding issue, and the expectation is that things will be back to normal by next summer.
“I know Canton Lake is important to our area residents and for our local economy that benefits from the number of visitors we receive each summer,” Dobrinski said. “I will stay on top of this issue to ensure this is resolved as quickly as possible.”
Anyone who has made reservations for camping at any of the closed areas will automatically be issued a full refund in four to six weeks. Reservations will be cancelled and fully refunded by May 15.
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