Appliance Repair in Shaver Lake, CA

SHAVER LAKE, Calif. (KGPE/KSEE) – Saturday marks one year since the Creek Fire scorched the valley foothills. This Labor Day weekend, the Shaver Lake community is hosting several events with music, food and fun activities to help the area heal.

“A lot of people are interested in having a good time and enjoying the day, and celebrating the growth from the tragedy that we’ve had,” said Kyle Lee, board member of the Rebuild Our Sierra grassroots recovery organization.

The One Year Stronger event begins at 10:00 a.m. for survivors and is open to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The “One Year Stronger” event begins at 10am for survivors and is open to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., tickets are $5.

Proceeds will benefit the Creek Fire Recovery Collaboration, Rebuild Our Sierra, The Artourage and The Art Silva Foundation, who helps artists, and young people struggling with mental health in the mountain community.

“A tight-knit community like ours, when something like this happens, we all just kind of band together and make sure that the people who lost the most and who were at the greatest need have everything they need to keep moving forward in life and get back on their properties,” said Lee.

In the evening, the Rock to Rebuild concert will kick off from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., featuring local and national touring bands.

“It’s been a challenging process for sure. We started six months ago, teamed up with another org who specializes in mental health awareness, as well as music production. Through the last six months we made all the calls, [and] got all the vendors in line,” said Lee, adding that the event was put into question earlier this week after the U.S Forest Service announced the closure of all National Forest in California due to wildfire threats.

However, because Shaver Lake is owned by Southern California Edison and not the U.S. Forest Service, it will be open to the public along with all the businesses, Airbnbs and Camp Edison.

Rebuild Our Sierra is also looking for volunteers to lend a hand during the Rock to Rebuild concert. For those interested, visit the Rebuild Our Sierra Facebook and Instagram pages or email them at rebuildoursierra@gmail.com.

The U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday closed 20 million acres of California’s national forests to public access for at least the next two weeks.

The order was called to mitigate the extreme fire conditions seen throughout the state at a time when national firefighting resources are strained. While it applies only to U.S. Forest Service land, road and trails, news of the order has left many in the Fresno area wondering about weekend recreation plans in the Sierra National Forest in advance of the Labor Day holiday weekend.

State and national park land and private property in the area will be able to set their own rules during the closure and there are several exemptions within the order, but the U.S. Forest Service’s goal is to have fewer people in the area.

So, while some area lakes are still operating normally, “we are not encouraging people to bring boats up or be recreating out in the forest,” Sierra National Forest Supervisor Dean Gould said during a news conference Tuesday.

Shaver Lake will remain open during the closure, though Southern California Edison continues to monitor the safety of the lake area, according to Gabriela Ornelas, a media relations advisor with SCE, which owns the lake.

The lake is open for day use during its normal business hours, Ornelas said.

In a post on its Facebook page, the Shaver Lake Visitors Bureau confirmed the lake will be open to visitors, including Airbnb rentals, businesses and marinas.

Included are two events Saturday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the devastating Creek Fire igniting Sept. 4, 2020.

The Creek Fire Recovery Collaborative is hosting its One Year Stronger event beginning at 11 a.m. at the Shaver Lake Community Center Baseball Field. There will be opening comments from Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, Sheriff Margaret Mims and state assemblyman Jim Patterson, plus live music and food and vendors.

The celebration continues at the community center ball field with the Rock to Rebuild concert with performances from Law, the Play List, Dying Suns, MKC and Sun Umbra.

Proceeds from both events go to support Creek Fire survivors.

Bass Lake south of Yosemite and Hume Lake inside Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park will also remain open during the closure.

The Pines Resort at Bass Lake is open and not impacted by the order, as there are no road closures that would prevent access.

Bass Lake is owned by PG&E and will also remain open for recreation, though day-use areas around the lake (parking areas, bathrooms, public boat ramp) will be affected, as will campsites, hiking, biking and any other recreational activities within the forest.

The order will affect some aspect of Hume Lake, the a year-round youth camp and adult retreat center. The campground by the lake, the Hume Lake trail and Hume Lake aquatics are closed.

But the center’s 75th anniversary and Country Fair weekend is still happening. The two-day family event runs Sept. 4-5 and features a movie night, Sunday service on the lawn and live music from Matt Redman.

Sunday was supposed to be the last day of summer operations at China Peak Mountain Resort. Those plans changed on Thursday, when the resort announced it will not be open for mountain biking this weekend because of the forest closures.

“We appreciate your patience as we fought hard to stay open, and are thankful for your understanding as this is not the closing day we anticipated.”

On Tuesday, the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau sent out a reminder that Yosemite National Park will not be impacted by the closure and that the park is still operating under its temporary day-use reservation system. Guests without a pass will be turned away at the gate.

“The Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau urges all visitors to public lands throughout California to recreate responsibly, be aware of posted closures before setting out to recreate and keep fire safety in mind when out this Labor Day weekend and at all other times that they may be in areas with high fire risk.”

There are currently no plans to have gate or road closures, the U.S. Forest Service said. It will have staff patrolling the area, but the agency is looking for enforce the order mostly through education, Gould said.

Those caught entering closed Forest Service lands — including developed campgrounds, hiking trails and recreation sites — could face fines of up to $5,000. But fines are potential and not likely, he said.

“We really want people to be aware.”

The closures will run two weeks at which time they will be reassessed.

This story was originally published August 31, 2021 2:55 PM.

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)- With the first significant snowstorm of the season riding along with a freeze warning for the San Joaquin Valley, temperatures dipped below freezing and even below the zero-degree mark in Huntington Lake.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures will continue to be below normal in the Sierra Nevada mountains through Friday. Freezing low temperatures are expected until Saturday afternoon when conditions begin to normalize.

Temperatures dipped down to -9°F in Huntington Lake early Thursday morning, with high temperatures only reaching -4°F in the afternoon.

With the winter storm bringing several inches of snow to the Sierras, many residents may want to head to the mountains for some fun in the snow.

However, beware of any tire restrictions that may be in place along the way.

Caltrans offers real-time updates on chain controls on all roads.

If you are headed to either Shaver Lake, Huntington Lake or China Peak- you most likely will be passing through the 168.

According to Caltrans, following the recent snow replenishment, chain restrictions have been lifted after the majority of the 168 has been cleared.

Here are the different levels of chain controls when they are enforced, according to Caltrans:

Requirement 1 (R-1): Chains are required on all vehicles except passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks under 6,000 pounds gross weight and equipped with snow tires on at least two drive wheels. Chains must be carried by vehicles using snow tires. All vehicles towing trailers must have chains on one drive axle. Trailers with brakes must have chains on at least one axle.

Requirement 2 (R2): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four wheels.NOTE: (Four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles must carry traction devices in chain control areas.)

Requirement 3 (R3): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles, no exceptions.

Under the state Sno-Park program, there are designated areas where visitors can park and play in the snow. Permits need to be purchased prior to parking. Day permits are $5.00, season passes are $25.

For additional information regarding these locations, call the Sierra National Forest at (559) 855-5360.

Here are Sno-Park locations between Shaver Lake and China Peak.

Tamarack – south side of Highway 168, 60 miles east of Fresno in Fresno County.

Amenities: Snowmobile trails, cross country skiing and limited snow play.

Coyote – north side of Highway 168, 61 miles east of Fresno in Fresno County.

Amenities: Cross-country ski area with limited snow play. No snowmobiles.

Eastwood – east side of Highway 168 at Huntington Lake, 75 miles east of Fresno in Fresno County.

Amenities: Snowmobile trails, cross-country ski trails with limited snow play.

Huntington Lake – west side of Huntington Lake Road, and three miles from Eastwood.

Amenities: Sno-Park Snowmobile trails, cross-country ski trails with limited snow play.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The storm rolling through the Central Valley Monday caused concerns about flooding and mudslides in the Sierra Nevada mountains Monday, especially in burn scar areas from the Creek Fire.

Extra crews were on hand from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office to Caltrans, So Cal Edison, and Fresno County Public Works.

All of them were working to ensure things were running properly as rain and snow fell on Shaver Lake and the foothills.

Certain areas of concern like Camp Sierra and the Big Creek Bridge saw water moving quickly, but functioning well and flowing into the right channels to prevent flooding.

Boulders and rocks fell onto the roadways as water rushed from the hillside.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office has extra deputies on patrol, including a couple of search and rescue deputies.

Monday night, officials were asking anyone who lived in the Creek Fire burn scar to be ready to go at a moment's notice as deputies monitored the hillsides for any signs of movement.

"There's a ton of different factors that go into it and different factors contribute differently throughout the entire burn scare area, and so we look at those different areas and try to figure out our areas of concern and then mitigate it from there," said Fresno County

Sheriff's Office Lt. Kathy Curtice.

Officials said the snowfall Monday morning and afternoon helped hold things in place, but if it started to melt to quickly, it could cause flooding and debris flow.

Two school districts, Sierra Unified and Pine Ridge Elementary, canceled classes because of the flash flood advisory that was in effect.

They'll be monitoring the storm throughout the evening to see what, if any, damage it causes.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office will also be watching closely to see if there are any changes along the most at-risk areas of the Creek Fire burn scar.

The sheriff's office has two maps available for residents.

One shows the areas most at risk for mudslides. You can find it here.

The second map shows where evacuation warnings and evacuation orders are in place.

You can find a link to that map here.

Residents of Shaker Lake have a kind of social media celebrity on their hands — a young bear that’s been wandering around cabins for the past few weeks, going from trash can to trash can and deck to deck looking for food.

Photos and videos of the bear have been widely shared among neighbors and in online community groups.

“You’ve probably seen the bear by now,” says Dan Fidler, a wildlife biologist with the California Department and Fish and Wildlife out of Fresno.

“This one is particularly cute. It’s got that cute and sad thing going,” he says.

Fidler says he has received 40 or so calls from residents about the yearling. Some are sacred to have the wild animal in the area. Others are worried about the animal’s safety and well being.

“The other people just want to feed it a lot,” Fidler says.

Do not do that, he says.

Having bears wander into campsites and wildness communities like Shaver Lake isn’t unique. Fidler says he gets reports of one or two bears around Shaver Lake every year.

“They cause some trouble, but for the most part they’re just looking for food,” he says.

And right now, the bear is just taking advantage of the resources in the area. But the more accustomed the bear gets to being in the area, the more bold he may get with people. That’s when a bear goes from looking for food to actually causing damage by breaking into cars and cabins and the like.

That’s when the department has to come in to either remove the bear, which it would rather not do with a bear this young, or move to the lethal option.

“We don’t want to get there,” Fidler says.

The hope is the department can get the word out so the bear won’t become food conditioned before the end of the summer season, and that the bear will move back into the woods as winter comes.

On Friday, the department put fliers out in the area to remind people to not feed bears and to redouble efforts to keep trash locked up and out of the way.

Fidler also suggests people scare this bear away whenever they see it.

“Draw that line where the bear knows it is not welcomed,” he says.

Loud noises work well, he says.

This bear spooks easily, says Jan Akins, who has had a cabin at Shaver since the 1970s and has lived there full time since 2015. She’s posted several videos of the bear on social media as a way to share fish and wildlife department’s old refrain.

“Do not feed the bears,” she says.

Akins believes there might be more than one yearling making its away around the community from the pictures she’s seen shared on social media. The one she spotted was climbing a tree outside her cabin last week. He was trying to get at a feeder she’d put out for the birds.

She saw him again on Tuesday just walking outside the kitchen window. She started keeping rocks nearby to throw at the bear, but didn’t have to go that far with things.

“I yelled ‘git’ and he took off up the hill,” she says.