FISHING -- A chronic littering problem has resulted in the closure of the unofficial fishing access site at the north end of West Medical Lake in Spokane County.

Rudy Lopez of the Washington State Veterans Cemetery confirmed that the gate to the access site off Espanola Road has been locked, "no trespassing" signs have been posted and the Sheriff's Department has been asked to cite violators.

“It’s one of those cases of a few people ruining it for the majority,” Randy Osborne, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife district fisheries biologist, said last week in an appeal for anglers to clean up their act.

While Fish and Wildlife owns the public fishing access at the south end of the lake, the informal access at the north end is state land managed by the Veterans Cemetery. The road into the spot serves the pump that irrigates the cemetery.

Lopez said the littering has been persistent for the year and a half that he's worked at the cemetery.

"We're not directing blame on any one individual, but when we've contacted fishermen there they always say it's somebody else doing the littering," he said. "We've hoped that they would support us by chipping in, doing the Boy Scout thing, leaving the place better than they found it.

"We did reach out the the prison at Airway Heights and they've been sending a detail out once a month to pick up. We're out there weekly picking up and Fish and Wildlife people come out regularly, but we can't keep up. It just gets trashed again."

The public access at the south end of the West Medical will continue to be open through the lake's fishing season, which closes Sept. 30. Vehicles must display a Discover Pass or the Fish and Wildlife vehicle access pass that comes with the purchase of a fishing license.