Shoreline Use Permits
(Information for property owners adjoining government lands)
Introduction
Lakeshore
use permits
Real
Estate Instruments
Project
Boundary line
Hunting
Flowage
easement
Applications
Introduction:
The developed and
natural resources at Oologah Lake are the public property of both present and
future generations. Management by
the Corps of Engineers is directed toward the continued enjoyment and maximum
sustained use of these resources by the public.
This brochure has been compiled in an effort to
provide the public with general information concerning activities located on
government owned land around Oologah Lake.
It outlines the procedures required to obtain permits, leases, or
licenses for various activities conducted on government-owned lands.
Complete rules and regulations governing public use of Corps of Engineers
projects are contained in Title-36, Chapter III, Part 327 of the Code of Federal
Regulations. Copies of these rules
and regulations are available at
the Oologah Lake Office, and on-line by clicking here.
Lakeshore
Use Permits: Government-owned
lands surrounding Oologah Lake are available to the general public for
pedestrian access to the lake, for hiking, picnicking, fishing along the
shoreline; camping in designated camping areas; and for hunting in many areas
around the lake. Ownership of
private land near the lake or adjoining government property does not convey any
exclusive rights to the use of the lake or adjoining lands.
Any activities or rights other than those listed
above, require a lease, license, or a permit from the Corps of Engineers.
A written application for a permit must be made to the Lake Manager prior
to any alteration to government land or modification to vegetation found there.
At Oologah Lake, Lakeshore Permits are issued for mowing, clearing, and
woodcutting, and are considered on a case-by-case basis.
As in the case of all property, any activity that the owner does not
authorize is considered trespassing.
Mowing
Permits: A Lakeshore Management Permit issued by the Lake Manager may
authorize mowing. A permit will
require compliance with the following conditions:
Clearing
Permits: A Lakeshore Management Permit, issued by the Lake Manager,
may authorize clearing of brush and small trees on government property adjacent
to private property. Any clearing
of brush will require compliance with the following conditions:
Woodcutting Permits:
A
Lakeshore Management Permit issued by the Lake Manager may authorize
woodcutting. These permits will be
issued sporadically and only in order to meet management objectives set by the
Corps of Engineers.
Real
Estate Instruments: Real Estate
Instruments refer to leases, licenses, or other legal grants issued for
commercial or individual activities, which are not covered under Lakeshore Use
Permits and involve grade, cut or fill, and construction of structures including
masonry walkways, boat launching ramps and parking areas, roads, waterlines, and
power lines. A written request must
be submitted to the Lake Manager who will make a recommendation to the District
Office. Each request will be
considered on a case-by-case basis. Assistance
in preparing applications for Real Estate Instruments is available at the
Oologah Lake Office.
Project
Boundary Line: Most
of the boundary line on Oologah Lake has been surveyed and monumented.
Survey monuments placed at ground level define the boundary.
The survey markers are 3-½ inch diameter, round, brass caps and are
stamped to show the monument number, the year surveyed, and the agency Tulsa
District Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army. Frequently,
steel fence posts are set approximately 1 foot from the survey marker or
monument as an aid in location. Normally,
the project boundary is a straight line between survey markers.
The elevation and distance between these survey markers varies.
Rangers from the Lake Office are available to assist in location of the
boundary line.
Hunting:
Hunting,
fishing, and trapping are permitted on public lands in accordance with State and
Federal Hunting and Fishing Regulations. Hunting
is prohibited in the developed portions of all recreation areas, concession
area, and near the dam or other structures.
Public lands out-leased for private use are also open to public hunting
and fishing. The lessee, in order
to protect personal property, may be authorized to lock gates or prohibit
unofficial vehicles. However, this
action in no way prohibits the use of the area or prevents pedestrian access
across the leased area. Although
the public has the right of free use and foot access across public lands, the
lessee or licensee is entitled to collect compensation from persons causing
damage to crops or facilities belonging to the lessee.
Copies of Hunting and Fishing Regulations are available at the Oologah
Lake Office.
Flowage
Easement:
Perpetual flowage easement interests,
which the Government holds on property owned by others, grant to the government
full, complete, and perpetual right, power, and privilege to occasionally
overflow, flood, and submerge lands in conjunction with the operation and
maintenance of the water resource project.
A similar description should be found in the deed to
all flowage easement land, or cited for reference in the appropriate county deed
records. In some instances, the
reference to a flowage easement restriction is omitted during the preparation of
new deeds with changes in property ownership.
This omission does not diminish the legality or validity of flowage
easement restrictions over the property involved.
When proposing to purchase land that you think may be subject to a
Corps’ flowage easement, you should contact the Oologah Lake Office.
As an owner of land containing flowage easements,
you may not construct or maintain any structure for human habitation, permanent
or temporary, on the flowage easement land.
Also, you may not place or raise a structure within the easement area by
use of piling or other type of foundation or raise the site through use of fill.
Owners of land containing flowage easements may request, in writing, permission
to build any structure, other than those designed or intended for human
habitation. These structures
include, but are not limited to, buildings, ramps, ditches, channels, dams,
dikes, wells, ponds, roads, and utility lines.
Owners of land containing easements may clear, plant vegetation, or
otherwise use the flowage easement property as desired, if not in conflict with
the terms or rights acquired by the government.
Owners also have the right to sell or lease the flowage easement land to
others, subject to all the restrictions contained in the flowage easement
instrument.
Applications:
The first step in submitting an
application for any acceptable activity is to contact a ranger at the Oologah
Lake Office. The office is located
at the north end of the dam. Office
hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
For more information contact the Lake Manager at:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Oologah Lake Office
8400 E. Hwy 88
Oologah, Oklahoma 74053
Phone: 918-443-2250
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