News Release Archive

Labor Day Weekend Activities at New Melones Lake

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, MP Region Public Affairs Officer, 916 978-5100, plucero@usbr.gov
Park Ranger Tracy Neal, 209-536-9094 ext 215, tneal@usbr.gov

For Release: August 15, 2011

The Bureau of Reclamation's Central California Area Office announces several interpretive programs for visitors to enjoy at New Melones Lake over the Labor Day weekend, September 3-4, 2011. With lake levels near capacity, Reclamation suggests that individuals who plan to visit the lake over the holiday weekend keep the following in mind:

• Expect delays entering the park due to the high water levels which limit available parking spaces.
• All campsites have been reserved.
• Boat ramp and day use parking should fill up quickly in the Glory Hole and Tuttletown Recreation Areas.
• Boaters should be careful of floating debris caused by the high water levels.

All interpretive programs are free of charge, suitable for all ages and require no reservations. Please contact the New Melones Visitor Center at 209-536-9543 for additional information:

Saturday, September 3, 2011:

• 9 a.m. - Join us for a hike along the Cougar Point trail. We will identify plants, animals and insects as we hike along one of the new trails in the Tuttletown Recreation Area. Attendees will meet at the Tuttletown Entrance Station and caravan down to the trailhead.
  
  
• 6 p.m. - Come celebrate the end of summer with us! The Calaveras Community Band will be playing all your favorites until the sun goes down. Bring the family and enjoy one last summer night at the Amphitheatre in the Glory Hole Recreation Area.

Sunday, September 4, 2011:

• 9 a.m. - Wander down the Natural Bridges trail to discover the geologic and cultural history of the area. Participants will meet at the Natural Bridges trailhead off of Parrott's Ferry Road at 9 a.m.
  
  
• 7 p.m. - Mountains, Rivers and Gold! This evening program will discuss the geologic formations of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Table Mountain, Natural Bridges and gold! All of these geologic processes helped make New Melones unique in California. Join us at 7 p.m. at the Amphitheatre in the Glory Hole Recreation Area.

New Melones interpretive programs tie into President Barack Obama's America's Great Outdoors initiative which seeks to empower Americans to share in the responsibility to conserve, restore and provide better access to our lands and waters and leave a healthy, vibrant outdoor legacy for generations to come.

Ranger-led hikes at New Melones also follow First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative which is dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. And where better for the public to appreciate and enjoy the great outdoors than at a Reclamation facility such as New Melones Lake?

If you would like to participate in a program and need accommodation, please contact Park Ranger Tracy Neal at 209-536-9094 ext 215 or e-mail tneal@usbr.gov at least 14 days in advance.

The New Melones Visitor Center and Museum, managed by Reclamation's Central California Area Office, is open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For additional information on activities or for directions, pet restrictions or other questions, please call 209-536-9543 (TTY 800-877-8339) or visit the New Melones Lake website.

Interactive pictures - Click on each for a larger view

 

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.