California Storms

Lake Shasta behind Shasta Dam in Lake Shasta, Calif., is seen Sunday, March 13, 2016. The lake is a popular recreation spot for an annual fraternity and sorority trip (Nathan Solis/The Record Searchlight via AP)

Park rangers on a routine patrol Sunday discovered an "incredible amount of trash" left at a popular Lake Shasta island campsite that included a number of University of Oregon-related items.

Photos of the trash left on Slaughterhouse Island at the Northern California lake went viral Monday -- and work crews are still cleaning up the remnants.

Phyllis Swanson, a spokeswoman for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest said about 60 houseboats were docked at the site this weekend. It's an annual, and unsanctioned trip for fraternity and sorority members along the West Coast. It's not out of the norm to have upwards of 1,000 college students on the lake, she said.

"What was different about this one," Swanson said, "is they left behind an incredible amount of trash."

Crews discovered about 90 tents, some of them brand new, sleeping bags, ice chests filled with food and alcohol, personal items and a lot of trash along the lake's edge. The island doesn't have a restroom or garbage area -- lake users typically carry their belongings in -- then out of the area. But that didn't happen this year, and the photos of the refuse went viral.

Here is what a group of University of Oregon students left (they are gone) on Slaughterhouse Island on Lake Shasta. Way to represent your school... Please feel free to share this post. Posted by Jennifer Cox on Sunday, May 22, 2016

Pictures posted to Facebook show a UO shopping bag and sandals.

While the trip is not sanctioned by the university or the school's fraternity and sorority system, that didn't stop school leaders from blasting the behavior.

The University of Oregon took the rare stance of commenting on the situation.

"The manner in which the forest was left was absolutely unacceptable and disgraceful," said Robin Holmes, the vice president for student life.

While the university can't confirm that UO students were at the site, Holmes acknowledged that Duck gear was strewn across the landscape. She added the school could discipline students who are involved in the situation, adding those students would have violated the school's code of conduct.

In a statement, Holmes said national fraternity Zeta Omicron Zeta was suspending all of its chapters' activities until the "situation is addressed."

One photo showed a cooler emblazoned with one of that fraternity's chapters, Lambda Chi Alpha's Greek lettering and the phrase, "Do you wanna do some blow man?"

UO has roughly 4,000 students who participate in about 30 different sororities and fraternities in Eugene.

Evan Anderson, the inter-fraternity council president, said he couldn't say whether any fraternities from UO were at Lake Shasta. But Anderson said he had been speaking with chapter presidents to see what they knew, and they were considering putting together a trip to Shasta to do some community service or help clean up the area.

Swanson said she and other forest rangers "can't point a finger at anybody" or any particular school regarding the trash left at the lake.

But, she noted, it's illegal to abandon property in a national forest. "And it's illegal to litter," she added.

Three rangers spent all day Sunday cleaning up the mess, and they collected about 10 yards of garbage thus far.

She added that crews believe they spotted a potential other site Monday where more trash was left.

"It's going to be days until it's cleaned up," she added. "We hope to have it done by Memorial Day."



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen