Taylor Creek Visitor Center and Kiva Beach closed for week due to positive plague tests

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Taylor Creek Visitor Center and Kiva Beach will be closed for the week after plague tests on wildlife in the area came back positive.

El Dorado County Vector Control will be conducting treatments in the area through Friday, August 6 so the parking lots at both areas will be closed as well as the surrounding areas. They should complete eradication treatments on Thursday, and the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit anticipates having the two areas open by the weekend.

The Tallac Site and Kiva Picnic parking area will remain open. Visitor Center staff and volunteers will be located at the Tallac Historic Site.

According to the El Dorado County Public Health office, plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including higher elevation (mountainous areas) of El Dorado County, so we all need to be cautious around animals that can carry it. It is found annually at some South Shore beaches.

Plague is an infectious bacterial disease that is spread by squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents and their fleas. People can become infected through close contact with infected animals or the bite of an infected flea. Plague can be prevented by avoiding contact with these rodents and their fleas, and by keeping pets away from rodents and their burrows. Human cases of plague are rare.