By The Friends of Finnon
In November of 2011, the new Finnon dam was completed. Finnon Lake is certified to the level of the spillway and is now a source of almost limitless water for fire protection. Finnon Lake has always played a valuable role in support of the Mosquito Fire Department, and is a valuable resource for the department. The property is used for weekly training by our firefighters. In the event of a fire, the lake is used to fill the water tenders and engines, and is the safest place for helicopters to pull water. Finnon Lake Recreation Area (FLRA) continues to be used as venue for wildfire training by MFPD and other fire departments. During the King Fire, Finnon Lake campground was used as a safety zone – secondary to the airport – and many fire fighters were camped there. Due to the foresight of Lois Pearson and the former MVFD, the long-range plan for Finnon Lake is now a reality.
With a restaurant, a campground, a twenty-seven basket disc golf course, day-use activities like fishing, picnicking, boating and swimming all operating at increasing levels, Finnon is self-sustaining. MVFA incurs over $20,000 in annual dam fees, taxes, insurance and maintenance costs, but with increased participation in its events and fund-raisers, and a renewed relationship with the Fire Department, it hopes to return to its former level of community support. Note also that most of FLRA’s income is derived from outside the Mosquito community.
MVFA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and donations may be tax deductible. A letter stating your donation will be provided to you upon request. Thank you for supporting MVFA and Finnon Lake Recreation Area.
For more information, visit http://www.GoMVFA.org or http://www.finnonrecreationarea.com and click the “About” button at the top of the page.
Thanks to long-time residents and volunteers Neil Matheny and Ralph & Sharon Hern for contributions to this article.
Note: The Friends of Finnon are composed of hikers, mountain bikers, pet walkers, campers, disc golfers, fishermen, Boy Scouts, church groups, wildlife enthusiasts, bird watchers, motorcyclists, canoeists and kayakers, and others seeking a safe place to find peace and quiet.
Below is a brief summary of the history of MVFA. Most of this information is contained on the GoMVFA.org website under “Who Are We” in the left column of the Home page. Some of the information is in the first few pages of the MVFA Phone Book.
1972 – Mosquito Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) begins officially as 501c4 organized by our founder, Lois Pearson (whose memorial is placed in the garden area of the café patio to the right of the pavilion).
1978 – Mosquito voters pass a voter’s initiative forming the autonomous tax district – Mosquito Fire Protection District (MFPD), and work together with the volunteer fire fighters (MVFD)
1997 – Finnon Lake property is purchased by MVFD from the state of California for $1. The dam is condemned, and the lake level is lowered to below half capacity.
2006 – MVFD changes its name to Mosquito Volunteer Fire Association (MVFA)
2007 – The deed to the Finnon property is transferred to MVFA on April 17*.
2007 – MVFA reorganizes as a 501c3 and is granted non-profit status by the IRS on 10/20/2007. The MVFA Board of Directors meeting is held on the first Thursday of each month at 3:00pm at the Finnon Lake Pavilion, and is open to the public.
2011 – November, the dam restoration is complete thanks to Veerkamp construction, the MVFA Dam Restoration Committee, the Resource Conservation District (RCD) whose grants made the project possible – under Mark Egbert, the Sacrament Metropolitan Fire Department whose bulldozer created the two parking lots and boat ramp, and the many volunteers who gave their time and money to clear the lake shoreline up to the high-water mark, reorganize the campground and bring electricity to the bathrooms, create the Day Use area, and create the Disc Golf course.
* The attorney for MFPD at the time required a financial separation between MFPD and MVFA in order to separate the financial liability associated with the Finnon property and district taxpayers. As a result, MVFA acquired its own liability insurance.
Community Blog 