Locals clean up Lake Success

The grounds surrounding Lake Success are more refined now thanks to lots of local manpower.

Hundreds came out to the lake Saturday morning to participate in an annual volunteer day taking place at 1,900 public lands and recreation areas. Kids and adults alike got down and dirty at the Porterville site, using shovels, rakes, push brooms and paint brushes to beautify the landscape.

“They are taking ownership in the public properties for a sense of pride in America,” Lake Success Park Ranger George Hanson said.

In the largest nationwide single-day volunteer effort to improve America’s public lands, eight federal agencies and many state and local lands participated in the 16th annual Public Lands Day to honor the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps that worked from 1933 - 1942 to preserve and protect America’s natural habitats by educating Americans about environmental and natural resources and improving public lands for outdoor recreation.

About 90 projects across California took place this year, with many volunteers working in Los Angeles to rehabilitate the 250 square miles of forest that burned in the past few weeks as a result of the Station Fire.

“Organizers have seen growth every year as a matter of persistence —  holding this celebration each year and continuing to work with the numerous federal partners,” Vanessa C. Kauffman, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said.

More than 130,000 people were expected to turn out nationally this year.

About 300 hundred South County residents gave up their Saturday morning cartoons and household chores to work on irrigation projects, plant 15 trees, pick up litter and repair some structures at the lake that was built along with a dam in 1961 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding.

There are also boat ramps, a playground, swimming areas, trails and two campgrounds.

The event started at 7 a.m. and concluded at noon with a tri tip lunch and live band.

“I was not expecting to get all sweaty and dirty,” Porterville College student Stevie Lopez said.

She was one of at least 50 students from the community college who turned out either with a campus club or enticed by the opportunity of getting extra credit in classes like Earth Science.

The Anthropology Club removed rocks from the North and South Tule Ramps, and painted their curbs red for drivers to spot when maneuvering their trucks.

“We came out to help the community we’re living in,” President Cynthia Smith said.

While the Anthropology Club members convened on the boat ramps, kids with the Burton 4H club filled in dirt trenches to cover a new sprinkler systems.

Their work is connected to $2 million renovations to campsites and irrigation systems going on at the lake with recently awarded federal stimulus dollars.

“We’re just getting rolling,” Park Manager Adam Durando said.

-- Contact Jenna Chandler at 784-5000, Ext. 1050, or jchandler@portervillerecorder.com.