Lake Yosemite closed until further notice

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – The Merced County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday the closure of Lake Yosemite on UC Merced’s campus.

“Lake Yosemite will be closed starting today until further notice. We appreciate your cooperation during this time,” wrote the Sheriff’s Office on social media.

On Tuesday, the day after the closure was announced, an area on campus by the UC Merced “Little Lake” was the site of a pro-Palestinian demonstration calling to “end all U.S. funding of Israeli.”

Deputies added that the closure is “a precautionary measure in anticipation of an event happening at UC Merced this week. Planning for large amounts of vehicles and attendees which we would like to remain at the UC out of an abundance of caution.”

The nature of the event was not immediately released.

There have already been groups of protestors at events on campus this year. The lake itself is owned by the Merced Irrigation District and the park at the lake is operated by Merced County.

According to the county, Lake Yosemite is a man-made reservoir owned by Merced Irrigation District . The lake’s water is distributed to local growers to support the region’s strong agriculture industry.

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