University of Oregon students help trash lake in N. California

SHASTA LAKE, Calif. (KPTV) – University of Oregon (UO) students along with students from other schools trashed a lake in northern California over Memorial Day Weekend, even after being instructed by officials to clean up after themselves, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Slaughterhouse Island sits in Lake Shasta, a reservoir near Mt. Shasta. It’s about a two-hour drive from Medford, Oregon and a five-hour drive from the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Forest rangers said they interacted with the students during the Memorial Day Weekend to encourage them to leave Slaughterhouse Island better than they found it.

“USFS employees provided the students with trash bags and coached them on leave no trace ethics,” wrote the Forest Service in a statement. “After the students left, USFS employees spent six hours collecting 17 bags of trash on Slaughterhouse Island. There is still more trash that will need to be collected once the water levels drop, such as cups, bottles, cans, plastic food wrappers, and other materials that sank below the house boats.”

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The Forest Service went on to say that they understand this gathering was not sanctioned or sponsored by the university and encourages students to use this as a learning opportunity.

“Upon future visits to public lands, we ask that the students the same we ask of all visitors, to leave the recreational areas in better condition to support the stewardship of the land for future generations,” they said.

Photos taken by the Forest Service and shared with the media, show trash like cups, beer can, inflatable toys, plates, food packaging, and more floating on the lake.

FOX 12 has reached out to UO for comment and more details.

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