To the Stanford Community,

Lake Lag used to be majestic. Bonfires, sail boats, water skis, boat parties, zip lines, and even giant sand islands were integral to campus life. This was the “Wild West” the hub for the crazy, entrepreneurial spirit that made us Stanford. 

Today our lake is empty, legally restricted to supposedly protect two federally threatened species. This is a myth. We can refill to recreational levels without harming any species. This is why the 2013 Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) between Stanford and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must be amended.

Science

The 2013 HCP requires an empty Lake Lag until 2063 to protect the steelhead trout from water withdrawals from San Francisquito Creek, something impossible since Lagunita Diversion Dam was dismantled. Today, Lake Lag can be filled using the Felt Reservoir, the Searsville Dam, and natural campus runoff, entirely protecting the trout.

Surprisingly, a full lake never posed a threat to the California tiger salamander: according to the HCP itself, recreational use was beneficial to the species for reproduction, which was clear when rains naturally filled the lake in 2023 and 2024. 

Call to Action

We refuse to believe that Stanford can be defined as some derivative of Silicon Valley, or even worse, an Ivy-adjacent playground for the elite. We are defined by an audacity to challenge, to create, and to be contrarian. Lake Lag was a physical embodiment of this spirit, and we can get it back. 

We call upon FWS Director Brian Nesvik to review and amend the HCP to remove the requirement to keep Lake Lagunita below recreational levels.

Our ask to our fellow Stanford community members is simple. 

Sign to refill Lake Lag.

From Stanford PBJ (Project for Biome Juvenation)