KERNVILLE, Calif. (KERO) — As part of an effort to prepare for incoming snowmelt, the U.S. Forest Service is fortifying the Old Kernville Historic Cemetery by placing sandbags on the bank that faces Lake Isabella to protect the landmark and the dignity of the interred.
"Half this cemetery is on federal land, so it's part of our obligation to protect this, and because it is a cemetery and because we have people resting here, we want to protect that," said Richard Baker, U.S. Forest Service firefighter and director for the flood restoration.
According to Baker, the Forest Service was using chainsaws to clear the brush on the slope facing Lake Isabella.
"So we are clearing all the brush," said Baker. "So we are going to lay a thick black Visqueen down the slopes to protect the slopes from any further erosion, and lay sandbags on top of that to keep everything stabilized."
Baker says that the cemetery is at an especially vulnerable location.
"It's a really windy lake. This area is very unsheltered, and with those winds, we get a lot of those waves crashing up against the borders along the cemetery, and a lot of that will undertow the shoreline and get underneath the graves," said Baker.
Randy Kyt, district manager for the Kern River Valley Cemetery District said the Old Kernville Historic Cemetery holds historical significance to the area.
"It goes back to the early 1800s and there's a lot of history in it, and there's still people that get interred into that cemetery," said Kyt.
As a longtime resident, Kyt remembers times when the lake's water has been both high and low.
"Well, you know, I have lived here for over 50 years, and I have seen the lake high and I've seen it low, and I've seen it here it's come close to where the cemetery is, but it's never encroached into it," said Kyt.
Kyt says the U.S. Corps of Engineers is doing a good job of monitoring the dam and regulating releases from the lake to prevent more flooding, but he still says he's not sure whether the water will start affecting the old cemetery.
"It's hard to say. We just have to watch and pray and hope it doesn't do that, and take every precaution we can to prevent it from happening," said Kyt.
Over the past 2 days, Baker says the Forest Service has filled and put down nearly 1,000 sandbags.
"Everything will be cleared out," said Baker. "Once we roll everything down, we'll put another one thousand, thousand-plus sandbags in place."
According to Baker, the U.S. Forest Service is looking at all the areas around Lake Isabella that may be susceptible to flooding to see what they can do to protect those sites as well.
