Campers Limited By High Waters

Some young campers have had part of their summer fun flooded out.  High water on Fort Gibson Lake is causing problems at Camp Tulakogee near Wagoner.  The News On 6's Emory Bryan reports a lot of children are at camp, but very few of them are out on the water.

Lake Fort Gibson is 20 feet above normal and when it's that high, campers are kept away.

You can't tell it by looking at the surface of Lake Fort Gibson, but look at the shoreline and you'll notice the boat houses are inaccessible islands.  The water is rising at Camp Tulakogee, a Baptist church camp where 480 children are enjoying the week.  But, they can't go fishing or canoeing.

"Between wind and rain, it's been a challenge this year," said camp director Don Burns.

Burns points out the boat dock is inaccessible from the land, and the fishing area has too much water.   It's up into the woods where it's hard to cast a line.

"Canoeing and fishing is all part of the summer experience and when they can't do that, it's a disappointment, but we try to find other things to make it fun," said camp director Don Burns.

During the hottest part of the day, the children go inside for a worship service.  And, there's plenty to do outside, like swimming and volleyball.  But, they can't do anything with the lake except look at it.

"You couldn't really do anything, but you can see how it's flooded and how high," said Landon White from Putnam City.

Camp Tulakogee has faced high water problems before.  Last year it was eight feet deeper than it is now, but even at this level, their canoe dock is halfway underwater.  There are six canoes and six paddleboats trapped inside there. 

Burns says the camp makes the best of it, but regardless, he's not about to put children out on the water with the level this high.

When the water drops, Camp Tulakogee will have a lot of debris to clear away, but otherwise there isn't much damage.  They're hoping the water drops soon because last year it was high all summer.