Concessionaire Services for Tulloch Reservoir Public Fishing Access

The County of Tuolumne is seeking proposals from qualified and experienced parties to provide long-term operation, management, and maintenance of the Tulloch Reservoir Public Fishing Access project area. The County intends to select a concessionaire capable of maintaining reliable public access to the site while providing safe, financially sustainable, and high-quality recreational services.

Required operations will include, but are not limited to, operation of the boat launch and vessel decontamination station, campground and campsite reservation services, marina operations, maintenance of the facilities and grounds, and day-to-day oversight of the project area. Proposers will be expected to describe how they would staff, operate, maintain, and manage the site; serve visitors; comply with applicable requirements; and support the continued availability of public recreational access to Tulloch Reservoir.

In addition to operating and maintaining the site, the successful proposer will be expected to implement improvements to the project area. Rather than prescribing specific improvements in this RFP, the County will require each proposer to identify and describe its proposed improvements as part of its proposal. The improvements ultimately required under the concession agreement will be determined through negotiations with the selected proposer.

Through this RFP, the County seeks an operator with the experience, organizational capacity, and operational approach necessary to manage the project area as a coordinated recreational facility and sustain its long-term use by residents and visitors.

The Tulloch Reservoir Public Fishing Access project area consists of approximately 62 acres of lakefront property located on the south shore of Tulloch Reservoir in Tuolumne County. The property, identified as Assessor’s Parcel Number 063-100-014, was acquired by the State of California for the purpose of providing public access for fishing and appropriate associated recreational activities.

The existing facility inventory includes:

The project area also includes parking, boat-launch, marina, and other facilities supporting public access and recreational use. The inventory above describes the existing facilities and does not include additional facilities that may be proposed through future improvements.

The property has been operated and maintained for public fishing access through an agreement between the State of California and the County of Tuolumne since May 15, 1961. Under the current Operating and Maintenance Agreement with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the County continues to be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Tulloch Reservoir Public Fishing Access project area and the preservation of long-term public recreational access to the site.

The County has historically fulfilled much of its operational responsibility through agreements with private concessionaires. These concessionaires have provided on-site management and services associated with the campground, marina, boat launch, public lake access, and related recreational facilities. A concession agreement established in 1992, as subsequently amended, continued through March 2023. A new concession agreement commenced on April 1, 2023; however, operations at the campground and marina ceased in December 2025, resulting in the closure of the South Shore recreation area and the loss of regular on-site management.

The County subsequently began restoring public access and site oversight while preparing this formal procurement for long-term operations. The resulting concession is intended to continue the project area’s historic recreational function while addressing current operational needs, including vessel decontamination requirements, reservation management, facility maintenance, marina and boat-launch operations, responsible stewardship of the property, and improvements proposed by the selected concessionaire.