POWELL (AP) - Area citizens have formed a group to seek changes in the way Bighorn Lake is managed, because they say the low lake level has reduced recreation and hurt tourism.

Bob Croft of Powell said Friends of Bighorn Lake was formed recently to address reduced access to the upper end of the lake, particularly the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's failure to maintain adequate water levels and the absence of efforts to address silt buildup in the lake, which straddles the Wyoming-Montana state line.

As a result, Croft said people have been unable to launch boats at Horseshoe Bend, the nearest launching site to Wyoming communities, for much of the summer in recent years.

While boats can still be launched at Barry's Landing in Montana, that site does not have the facilities available at Horseshoe Bend and is farther away.

Croft's complaints are echoed by Big Horn County Commissioner Keith Grant and others in the Lovell area.

Grant said the root of the problem is that the bureau is releasing excessive water from the reservoir to maintain trout fishing in the river below the dam at the expense of water levels in the reservoir.

"All the literature says they'll sacrifice lake levels for fishing," Grant said. "Montana hasn't suffered any ill effects from the drought. All they've gotten is a plus, while we've suffered."

Croft said his group is asking the bureau to lower releases from the lake.

Darrell Cook, area superintendent of the Bighorn Canyon Recreation area, said the National Park Service wants higher lake levels, too, but the drought has limited the ability to keep the lake full and still meet water demands downstream from the dam.

Dick Long, manager of facilities operation and maintenance for the Bureau of Reclamation, said the agency manages the lake for multiple uses, including irrigation and fisheries as well as recreation on the lake.

Long said the bureau is releasing the bare minimum of water needed to keep a downstream fishery in Montana in operation.

Grant said the bureau released too much water last winter and should have done a better job of adjusting for the drought.

"They tell us we have to adjust for the drought, but they aren't adjusting. That won't work," Grant said.

Cook said the Park Service will continue to seek solutions and work with the communities to manage the lake for recreation activities.

Plans are being explored for improving facilities at Barry's Landing and for providing other points of access to deep water at the upper end of the reservoir.