Corps of Engineers campgrounds to close by Monday over coronavirus concerns

FILE - Lake Ouachita
FILE - Lake Ouachita

Campgrounds managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Lake Ouachita will temporarily close by Monday due to coronavirus concerns, an agency representative said Thursday.

People who are currently staying at campgrounds in the Vicksburg District have until 4 p.m. Sunday to leave, and the Corps of Engineers is not taking any new reservation before then, Reagan Lauritzen, public affairs chief of Vicksburg District, said Thursday.

Trails will remain open, and will only close if the trailhead is in a campground, Lauritzen said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District said in a news release on Wednesday that it will temporarily close its visitor centers, interpretive centers, field offices and select recreation site attractions across Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas to the public beginning today.

The affected visitor and interpretive centers include the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway Regional Visitor Center in Shreveport, Louisiana; the Grand Ecore Visitor Center in Natchitoches, Louisiana; the Grenada Lake Visitor Center in Grenada, Mississippi; and the DeGray Lake Visitor Center in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. These centers will each close March 19.

The affected field offices include those at Arkabutla, Enid, Sardis and Grenada lakes in Mississippi; Lake Greeson, DeGray Lake and Lake Ouachita in Arkansas; Bayou Bodcau in Louisiana; and the Louisiana Field Office in Monroe, Louisiana. These offices will each close March 19.

The public will be unable to receive in-person customer service or purchase recreation passes from all of the district’s visitor centers, interpretive centers and field offices beginning today.

"The public is encouraged to contact the offices and centers via telephone for customer service and to purchase recreation passes online at the following link: https://store.usgs.gov/pass," the release said.

All scheduled campground reservations after Sunday will be canceled. Refunds will be provided through Recreation One Stop, which is available online at Recreation.gov or via telephone at 877-444-6777.

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