Beaver Lake Gains Drought Sightseers

Lack of rain throughout the summer and fall of 2005 has caused Beaver Lake to drop about 15 feet from its normal level.

But despite the lake’s languishing level, area proprietors and officials haven’t seen a noticeable drop in tourism along its 487 miles of shoreline.

Cyd Pitts works at the Prairie Creek Marina in Rogers, the largest marina by available boat stalls on Beaver Lake. She said there was no noticeable drop in the marina’s business, though winter is always slow business-wise.

Prairie Creek Mariana’s owners proactively cancelled rentals on six pontoon boats and two ski boats on Labor Day, she said, because they were afraid of possible damage to the crafts.

But the marina will have to wait until the spring season gets rolling before it will see any change in its business, she said.

Buddy Daggs owns Beaver Lake Lodge in Rogers. The business has diversified offerings not tied directly to the lake and sells golf packages that keep tourist knocking on the door, Daggs said.

He’s booked up through March and most of April and he won’t know if the drought will bite into his business until June or July.

But, “I look for it to break loose and rain any day,” he said.

Ed Chapko operates E&C Striper Guide Service in Rogers. He said the drought hasn’t affected his business at all. In fact, he made six more trips in 2005 than he did in 2004.

As for his boat hitting rocks, he said he knows how to stay in the channel and that for most it’s not a problem.

“Most the people hire me to take them out fishing, so I guess they’re pretty confident in my abilities,” he said.

As for his future bookings, he said April is looking like a good month, and he echoed Daggs in that some rain would be good.

There are some boat ramps that aren’t useable, Chapko said, and he counted six that were built long enough that he could still launch from.

Mike Richards, chief park ranger of recreation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Beaver Lake, said if anything, the drought has brought more attention to the lake.

The now somewhat visible ruins at the site of Monte Ne, a hamlet that was flooded during the creation of the lake, is bringing in between 100 and 200 cars a day most weekends, he said.

Gaye Bland, director of the Rogers Historical Museum, said the museum has seen much more traffic because of interest in Monte Ne.

The museum printed a brochure called “Monte Ne Today” at the end of 2005, and in January officials pulled the Monte Ne exhibit out of storage. The exhibit will be on display until April 15, she said.

One Saturday in January, the museum had 370 visitors, Bland said. The RHM doesn’t charge admission, but there has been a “dramatic increase” in donations and gift shop purchases, she said.

Richards said his office is trying to educate the public about potential dangers on the lake well before the spring season. But all in all, the dangers are limited, he said. Many of the high spots lake officials usually worry about are already exposed, he said.

So far his office has seen a slight increase in permit requests for 2006.