After nearly 80 years of service at Clear Lake, the Santiam Fish & Game Association plans to disband and sell the rustic cabins, restaurant and boat moorage facilities it has developed and maintained.

"We all feel very sad about this, but there isn't much we can do about it," said board member Bud Barnes of Lebanon. "The majority of the people involved are just too old to get the job done and nobody wants to volunteer anymore."

Barnes has been a member of the association since he moved to the mid-valley in the 1950s. He became actively involved in 1983, after he retired from a career in the particleboard industry.

"I needed some fun things to do after retiring," Barnes said. "I really got involved. I've been through all of the offices and was hands-on active."

According to its Web site, the association was formed in the 1920s when men from Lebanon, Albany, Scio, Brownsville and Sweet Home "discovered this mountain jewel known today as Clear Lake. They also quickly discovered that catching spectacular cut throat trout was a bonus to the beauty and peacefulness of this special lake."

The group's first name was the Santiam Fish and Protective Association.

Today, more than 282 family memberships are sold annually for about $30 per year. Much of the resort's charm is that it is rustic.

There are no landline telephones and electricity is produced by generator. Cabins come with propane heat, cook stoves and lights.

In addition to single or double cabins that rent for $36 to $80 per night for association members or $45 to $90 per night for non-members, there are RV pads with no hookups. A log-style shelter house by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps is popular among day-use visitors.

Osprey and bald eagles can be viewed while hiking on a trail that encircles the entire lake.

According to the Forest Service, Clear Lake was formed 3,000 years ago when lava from Sand Mountain reached the McKenzie River and backed up water, and the original forest that had lined the river banks was submerged below 120 feet of water.

Cutthroat trout are native to the lake, which is also stocked with rainbow and brook trout.

The lake is known for its cold, crystal clear water - no motors of any kind are allowed - that attracts scuba divers and boaters who enjoy viewing fish or the petrified forest on the lake's floor. It is three miles south of the Highway 20 junction with Highway 126.

Tamara Hamilton is the the association board's secretary. Hamilton, 32, says she is the youngest of 10 board members.

"Some people pay for a membership so they can get discounts on the cabin and boat rentals," Hamilton said. "They don't want to be involved in the active care of the resort such as the opening and closing work parties or the fishing derby for kids."

Hamilton said it is also difficult to find employees, in part because the camp is rustic.

"We have a couple things in the works, but we can't really talk about them," Hamilton said. "In a week or so, we should know more."

Hamilton said the resort will be open through the 2007 season. There is a possibility the restaurant will shift away from homecooked meals toward a convenience-store style.

Although the association owns all of the facilities, the property they sit on is leased from the Willamette National Forest. Any sale of the property must be approved by the U.S. Forest Service, Hamilton said.

"There's a lot of history at the resort," Hamilton said. "We have some members who have been involved since they were in high school. It's a sad situation."

If the facilities are sold, proceeds will be donated to Oregon State University and used as an endowment for scholarships, Hamilton said.

Hamilton suggests people watch for regular updates about the association and the resort at their Web site: www.www.clearlakeresort-oregon.org.

Alex Paul can be reached at alex.paul@lee.net or 812-6076.