A new group of Clark Lakers has formed.  The goal?  Clean up the lake.  Unlike other efforts, this clean up goes beneath the surface.  Underwater lurks a massive collection of junk – bottles, cans, lawn chairs, and more.  Who hasn’t lost a pair of sunglasses or even a cellphone?  Trash ranges from small to big. Large items include snowmobiles, jet skis, boats of various kinds, boat lifts, poles (utility and otherwise).  One of the volunteers is B.J. Lyons. He’ll launch his monster barge, extend its fangs, and lift the large and/or awkward items to the surface and transport them to a proper burial site.

The weeds have not started growing yet and widespread boat traffic has not stirred sediment.  From the surface, the water remains clear enough to investigate the bottom.  Of course, divers will have a better view.  Divers Mast and others are welcome to join in.

Now is the perfect time to root out these ugly blemishes.  If you find something that requires B.J.’s barge, please leave a comment on this website or email ClarkLakeSpirit@gmail.com.  Along with describing the offending item and its location, be sure to include your contact info.

Restoring Clark Lake’s pristine state requires your help.  Gather items you find and bring them to Eagle Point on Saturday, May 18th, at 2 pm.  Then join your trash-hunting neighbors for the Clark Lake Clean Up Weigh In Party.  The Shipwreck store will be open for snacks and beverage sales.  Weather permitting, the Eagle’s Nest Lakeside Patio will open as well.

Jack Burns, Joe Collins, Bill Vinson, Tucker Boyers, Dan Omo, B.J. Lyons

Is treasure waiting at the end of this project?  Or are there historic artifacts yet to be rescued?

For good reason, this project excludes certain locations.  The Underwater Ghost Village is one of them.   It consists of sailboats, runabouts, and row boats.  Add to that a boat lift, two jet skis, a snowmobile, and sleds.  They are tied up at their own underwater yacht club, near the ghostly dock.  And all of this is 20 feet underwater, located off shore of the Township Park at the west end of the lake.  Check out this video.

Video by Kelly Kohn

Divers use this as a training ground, so the Clean Up will leave this area intact.

This is aerial photo illustrates the location.

For the full story on the Underwater Ghost Village, please click here. 

Another underwater preservation site is located by triangulating two locations in the Kentucky Point Cove to Pleasant View.   In August 2016, brothers Connor and Will Stewart donned scuba gear and restored an underwater monument.  The story of this marker began on Saturday, August 25, 1990.  That’s when Harry Faling, while flying a single-engine plane over the lake, nose dived into the water. Clark Lakers rushed to the scene to rescue Harry.  He had not survived.  So, sadly the effort turned into a recovery.  Left underwater was a debris field of hundreds of parts.  John Koplin, who lived in the Kentucky Point Cove until he passed away in 2020, snorkeled the area over a period of weeks and fished out remnants.  One part was a wheel housing.  John created an underwater monument from it.  He poured concrete into a mold and inscribed Harry Faling’s name with date of birth and death.  He then placed it precisely at the point of impact.  For the complete account of the crash, click here.

To see Connor and Will restoring the monument, watch this video.

Are you ready to help Clean Up Clark Lake?