Additional Information About Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area
Lake Webb
Located approximately 25 miles southwest of Bakersfield, Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area (BVARA) was created in 1973 for irrigation and recreation purposes on a portion of the old Buena Vista Lake bed. It consists of two man-made lakes (Lake Webb and Lake Evans) and is regarded as the San Joaquin Valley's top spot for water recreation: fishing (catfish, striped bass, black bass and crappie, and trout in Lake Evans), boating (sail and power boats), and jet and water skiing. In addition, swimming is allowed in separate swimming lagoons. And I'm delighted to share with you that BVARA is regarded as one of the premier birding locations of the southern San Joaquin Valley (more about that later!).
Here are some specifics for our caravan...
We will have use of our area of the campground (check this map to see exactly where) at our group rate of $14.00 per night for hook-ups or $10.00 per night in the dry camping area from February 20th - February 24th.
Each campsite with utilities has an electrical post with 30 or 50 amp plugs, a water spigot and a sewer drain (there is also a dump station at the campground). Here's a photo of a typical waterfront campsite, courtesy of Rosemary and Don:
A Waterfront BVARA Campsite
Click here for a photo of a typical non-waterfront campsite.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE #1: Each campsite with hook-ups MUST hold two rigs in order for us to get the $14.00/night rate. So folks wishing to have hook-ups will need to bring a 50 amp adaptor and be willing to share water and the sewer drain.
We will have room for a total of approximately 178 rigs: 138 with hook-ups and 30-40 in the dry camping area.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE #2: Folks arriving BEFORE Tuesday, February 19th, will have to pay the regular camping rates of $23.00/night for a waterfront site with hook-ups and $21.00/night for a non-waterfront site with hook-ups. In addition, there will be a $5.00 per night charge for towed or hauled vehicles AND a $4.00 per dog per night charge, with a limit of two dogs per motorhome. And there will be NO dry camping allowed for early arrivals. These fees and restrictions only apply to folks arriving BEFORE Tuesday, February 19th.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE #3: Please note that campsite #1 is reserved for the Wagonmaster, the Assistant Wagonmaster, and the Host Tent.
Some Very Special Information About Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area
Attention all you Lazy Daze birders out there!
White Pelicans |
Remember when I mentioned earlier that BVARA is regarded as one of the premier birding locations of the southern San Joaquin Valley? If you're a birder, you might be interested to hear that over 150 bird species have been observed at BVARA and include the following (in no particular order): black-crowned night herons, geese (snow and Canada!), quail, loons, white pelicans, egrets, osprey, hawks, golden eagles, sandpipers, gulls, terns, roadrunners, owls, kingfishers, flickers, warblers, cedar waxwings, orioles, hummingbirds, and pheasants. A tundra swan has even been observed! |
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| The story behind why the area is a birder's paradise is very interesting. When California was admitted to the Union in 1850, the southern San Joaquin Valley had the largest freshwater marsh and lake system west of the Mississippi River. Geologically known as the Tulare Lake basin, the area originally consisted of an extensive slough system and three large lakes: Tulare, Kern, and Buena Vista Lakes, which encompassed over 1/2 million acres. Tulare Lake was actually the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River. The Kern River emptied into Kern and Buena Vista lakes. |
Black-Crowned Night Heron |
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| In 1863, Colonel Thomas Baker (Bakersfield's namesake) began the task of reclaiming swamp land that the government had deemed to be of no value. Channelization of the Kern River eliminated the natural lakes and marshes and as a result, the entire 34,000 acre Buena Vista lakebed is now cultivated farmland. This activity and human encroachment into what had been a very unique ecosystem led to the loss of many once common species of birds and mammals, including grizzly bears. |
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Great Horned Owl |
The original Buena Vista Lake had been one of the most productive nesting areas for many kinds of waterfowl and shorebirds. With the resurrection of a small but permanent water source (the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area), this area is seeing the return of species thought lost forever. Click here for a birding checklist for BVARA. |
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Good Places To Know About
PLEASE NOTE: All mileages are approximate from the BVARA campground.
Mercy Southwest Hospital and Medical Center (11.5 miles from the campground)
400 Old River Road
Bakersfield, CA 93311
661-663-6000
Rite Aid (11 miles)
8000 White Lane
Bakersfield, CA 93309
661-837-2198
At The Oaks Pet Hospital (11.25 miles)
9887 Camino Media
Bakersfield, CA 93311
661-665-8950
Albertson's (11 miles)
7900 White Lane
Bakersfield, CA 93309
661-836-9691
J.R. Food Mart and Gas Station (2.5 miles)
9741 S. Enos Lane
Bakersfield, CA 93311
661-763-1616
Stockdale Mobil (10.5 miles)
13001 Stockdale Highway
Bakersfield, CA 93314
661-588-2861
Be still, my beating heart!
There are not one, not two, but 14 - yes, 14! - Starbucks within 25 miles of the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area! WOO HOO!
Here's the closest one:
Starbucks (10.7 miles)
5041 Gosford Road
Bakersfield, CA 93313
661-664-9589
And for something tasty to go with that latte, how about a Cinnabon cinnamon roll?
Cinnabon (14.6 miles)
2701 Ming Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93304
661-835-8012
Good Things To Know
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For All You Weather Buffs... |
Thanks to the wonderful world of technology - and our weatherman Steve Tivy - click here for the current conditions and forecast for Buena Vista. |
If you're interested in reading what's happening in the towns around the BVARA,
we offer the following:
The Bakersfield Californian and The Taft Midway Driller.
City-Data.com is a fascinating website featuring profiles of U.S. cities, big and small. Photos, maps, statistics, geographical data, housing info, weather, schools, airports, radio and TV stations, zip codes, area codes...the list goes on and on.
There are also "top 100" lists of the cities that have the least crime, highest income, most females, best educated residents, highest elevation...if you like facts and figures, this is the site for you!
Click here for their Bakersfield data.
Today's (Very Brief) History Lesson: Kern County, California
(Home to the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area)
The history of Kern County is the story of gold, oil and agriculture.
Here are some of its earliest highlights...
• The area now known as Kern County was first claimed by the Spanish in 1769. In 1772, Commander Don Pedro Fages (who would later govern the Californias, from 1782-1791) became the first European in the area. His expedition entered the area via Grapevine Canyon (later the site of the Ridge Route and now Interstate 5).
• In 1822, the area came under the flag of the Republic of Mexico.
• In 1827, an expedition led by Jedediah Smith entered the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, marking the first entry to the area by American explorers.
• In 1848, the Kern area was ceded to the United States as part of the transfer of California, Nevada, and Utah and other lands under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
• In 1849, the now-famous Death Valley emigrant families passed through what is now eastern Kern County.
• The first recorded discovery of gold in Kern County was in 1851 in Greenhorn Gulch, about a mile northwest of the upper Kern River. A total of 1,777,000 ounces of gold came out of Kern County between 1851 and 1959.
• In 1866, Kern County was formed from parts of Los Angeles and Tulare Counties. The county derives its name from the Kern River which was named for Edward Kern, topographer for General John C. Fremont's 1845 expedition which passed through the area.
• In 1872, the first commercial oil activity began. In 1899, the Kern River oil field, later to become one of the top producing fields in the nation, was developed. Kern County now has four of the nation's ten largest oil fields and the southwestern corner of the county is home to the largest oil field in the lower 48 states. As of 2004, Kern County remains California's top oil-producing county, with over 85% of the state's 43,000 oil wells. The county accounts for one-tenth of overall U.S. oil production.
While many pioneers first came to Kern County in search of gold and then "black gold," many others came because of the Southern San Joaquin Valley's rich alluvial soil. Today, over 80 crops are grown in the county (the leading commodities are grapes, cotton, almonds and citrus), and agricultural production is valued at over $2 billion per year.
A couple of interesting items that you might like to discuss at your next Happy Hour...
In the 1930s, Kern County saw a huge influx of immigrants, folks seeking to escape the misery of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Their very real plight was the focus of John Steinbeck's great novel "The Grapes of Wrath." In 1939, this book was banned by the Kern County Board of Supervisors because they alleged it "misrepresented conditions in the county and the whole San Joaquin Valley and blamed the local farmers for the plight of the indigent farmers." The ban was overturned in 1941, however, the book wasn't allowed to be used in the Kern County High School District until 1972.
Kern County is California’s third-largest county in land area, and at 8,073 square miles, is larger than the land area of Massachusetts, New Jersey or Hawaii. It is also larger than the areas of Delaware, Rhode Island and Connecticut combined!
Kern County pays homage to its heritage with several museums, which brings us to...Good Things To Do Around BVARA!
Good Things To Do
Okay, I admit it. When I first began my research for this month's caravan, I didn't really think I would come up with much to do around BVARA. Bakersfield? Taft? What is there to do there?
Well, as it turns out, there's LOTS to do!
West Kern Oil Museum
Picture this, dear Caravaners: over 7,000 wooden oil derricks covering the landscape in southwest Kern County...a veritable forest of oil derricks. That was in the 1920s, and by the late 1960s, all those derricks save two had been torn down. In 1974, one of those was scheduled to be torn down as well, but many dedicated folks banded together and the West Kern Oil Museum was born, constructed around that doomed derrick (which is still there!).
This museum sits on the Midway Sunset oil field, the top oil producing field in the contiguous United States. It is run entirely by volunteers and is dedicated to collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting artifacts, books, and equipment that tell the story of oil in California, particularly in Kern County.
The West Kern Oil Museum is located at 1168 Wood Street in Taft. It's open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and on Sundays from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Tours may be arranged by calling 661-765-6664. Admission is free, though donations are accepted.
The museum has a terrific website...you can see it by clicking here.
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Kern County Museum
The Kern County Museum (formerly known as Pioneer Village) offers over 50 historic structures and exhibits depicting the history of Kern County, California, and the West set amid 16-acres of beautiful grounds.
The museum is located at 3801 Chester Avenue in Bakersfield. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and on Sunday from 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. (tickets for admittance to the museum are sold until 3:00 P.M. each day). Admission prices are $8.00 for adults, $7.00 for seniors (60+ years of age), $7.00 for children 13 -17 years old, $6.00 for children 6 - 12 years old, $5.00 for children ages 3 - 5, with children under 3 admitted free.
Please call the museum at 661-852-5000 for more information, or click here for their website.
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Buck Owens' Crystal Palace
Are you a country music fan? Then you might want to visit Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, a museum, theater, restaurant and gift shop devoted to the history and sounds of country music. It's located at 2800 Buck Owens Boulevard in Bakersfield.
The hours vary, so it's highly recommended that you call (661- 328-7560) before you visit. You can also check the Crystal Palace website for more information (although I could not find admission prices or museum hours listed on the website).
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The California Living Museum
The California Living Museum is a zoo, garden and natural history museum devoted to displaying and interpreting native California animals, plants, fossils and artifacts.
Established in 1980 and opened in 1983, CALM is located on 14 park-like acres and features over 80 species of animals that are deemed "medically unreleaseable". These are animals that have been injured in the past and would not be able to survive in their native environment on their own and include black bear, birds of prey (eagles, hawks and owls), bobcats, foxes, deer, waterfowl, and reptiles. There are also butterfly and hummingbird gardens and a special exhibit on California trees.
The California Living Museum is located at 10500 Alfred Harrell Highway in Bakersfield. It's open daily from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. (winter hours). Admission is $6.50 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, $3.50 for children 3 - 17 years old, and free for children under 3.
Call 661-872-2256 for more information or click here for their very excellent website.
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The Tule Elk State Reserve
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"At times we saw bands of elk, deer, and antelope in such numbers that they actually darkened the plains for miles..."
The above quote is a description of the San Joaquin Valley in 1850 by the pioneer printer Edward Bosqui. The elk that Bosqui refers to are tule elk, once the predominant form of animal life in the Central Valley (an area stretching 400 miles, from the Sacramento Valley to the San Joaquin Valley). Historians compare their numbers to the bison of the Great Plains.
But habitat loss and hunting had a drastic effect on these animals, bringing the tule elk nearly to extinction. In 1873, California lawmakers banned all elk hunting in the state, but there was doubt that any tule elk still existed at that point.
But in 1874, a single pair of elk was observed in the tule marshes near Buena Vista Lake. These elk found a friend in Henry Miller of the mighty Miller and Lux cattle empire. The elk were on his land and Miller issued orders to his employees to protect them, even offering a $500 reward for information on anyone disturbing them. |
Tule elk numbers increased rapidly. By 1924, they were doing significant damage to feed crops on Miller and Lux lands. However, Miller continued to protect the elk, although he sought to limit the numbers on his land to 400. With the help of the U.S. Biological Survey and he California Academy of Sciences, Miller attempted to relocate the remaining elk to public parks and zoos. Miller's efforts also led to the creation of two wild, free-ranging herds - the Cache Creek and Owens Valley herds.
In 1932, the tule elk herd under Miller's unofficial protection was given permanent protection in what is now known as the Tule Elk State Reserve. Thanks to successful transplantation efforts from the reserve, more than 3,700 elk now range in some 20 herds across California.
The Tule Elk State Reserve is open daily, 8:00 A.M. until sunset. It's located only about 12 miles north of BVARA, north of Gorman, south of Buttonwillow, and west of I-5 via the Stockdale Highway. For more information, call 661-764-6881
I've listed only a few of the many attractions in the area. Click here to investigate some others on your own. |
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