Deadline Extended for Scenic Riverways Input (to Sept 11)

[GutIt]

Just got this on the Blower.

I have asked for and been granted permission to re-post this.

I don’t mean to be redundant to the point of being a pain. But we have an extended opportunity.

If we don’t speak, then the fault will be our own. I would much rather be a pain that let that happen. I ask myself if we don’t, then who will? This is happening with the Buffalo as well.

One way or the other, let your voice be heard.


By all means post as far and wide as possible. Rep. Emerson from that district came out against any changes to Management plan from status quo. Very disappointing but not surprising.

Public comment period has been extended for Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Current River and Jacks Fork) until Sept. 11. Click on link below to submit comments online and other link at bottom for article from Springfield News-Leader for info about extension.

I just got off float trip on the Current River from Two Rivers to Van Buren and was fairly shocked and dismayed at some of what I saw. In my opinion there are several issues that need to be addressed.

1. Horse back riding and ATV crossings are everywhere and are being allowed to degrade the river.

2. Illegal access roads have been allowed to become established and seem to allow motorized vehicle access to nearly every gravel bar on the river.

3. Scenic Easements are not being properly enforced and have gotten out of control in regard to development and structures.

4. Outboard motors are becoming the weapon of choice and more restrictive horsepower limits are needed.

The status quo is allowing the rivers to be loved to destruction and unless action is taken more serious degredation will accelerate and continue take place in the next fifteen to twenty years that the new managment plan under consideration must address. Please pass this along to everyone you know that has an interest to submit comments ASAP.

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm ... ntId=27597

--- On Sat, 8/15/09, ----------------------------------- wrote:

From: ------------------------------------------------
Subject: Deadline extended for park input
To: --------------------------------------------
Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 8:58 PM



You have been sent an online news article from david stokely as a courtesy of news-leader.com.


Article Title:
Deadline extended for park input

To view the contents on http://www.news-leader.com, go to:
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... /908150366

[lbaker]

Thanks Terry,
I too paddled the Current River this summer, for the first time, with some MO friends who have paddled these rivers all their lives and as soon as I got back I went online and filled out the survey. What amazing rivers!!! and what a terrible shame they are being so abused. I love horses, and even worked with an equine rescue group, and I know that some of the towns, like Eminence, are economically hanging by a thread, and view the riders as dollar signs, but I saw first hand what too many with little restriction can do. Interesting thing too, my MO friends tell me that they tried to blame the situation on the small band of wild horses (which I was lucky enough to get to photograph) that now have park protection. I agree with your post and I hope more folks will take the extension as an opportunity to research and post their thoughts. We may be preaching to the choir here, but it would be helpful to tell others you know how important these issues are to the future of all ozark rivers. I took the links earlier in the summer for both management plans, Current and Buffalo,and posted them on Paddling.net, a broader forum in hopes of spreading the word. We are blessed to have these beautiful ozark rivers so close to home (ok, it's a 6 and 8 hour drive for me) but that's still relatively close. They need our voices.
Leigh

[Richard]

Thank you Terry for posting this again. I missed the first deadline. I hope you don't mind but I included your comments as a part of mine.

I was on a float of the Current with friends, my daughter and her friend. I was shocked at the behavior allowed on the Current. I expected to see a beautiful river with birds singing. Instead I saw drunks acting the way drunks often do. I heard loud music and loud profanity virtually non-stop. I saw litter. I saw someone cutting down a live tree just for the fun of it.

I would highly recommend entrance to the river be restricted to those who understand and are willing to live by the seven Leave No Trace Principles. Visitors would have to carry with them a Leave No Trace card similar to a driver's, fishing or hunting license requiring a course of instruction and testing on Leave No Trace. This should be required for entry to any of the National Parks and Rivers.

This would not only impact the parks and rivers for the good but the lessons learned would soon show up with less litter on the highways and a greater respect for other human beings and the natural world.

Here are some other issues we are facing which would become less severe with the use of a LNT license system.

1. Horse back riding and ATV crossings degrading the area.

2. Illegal access roads allow motorized vehicle access to nearly every gravel bar on the river.

3. Scenic Easements not properly enforced.

4. Excessive outboard motor horsepower limits.

[Stephanie]

i agree Terry - something needs to be done.

i cannot believe what is being allowed on this river now. i grew up on alot of the Missouri streams, the current being one of them (some time ago). never once was there a problem and the folks that were on that river LOVED that river.
what i saw was absolute crazy (and not in a good way). folks are bringing campers on the the gravel bars!???????
a fisherman wanted to make a point to our group on sunday on the water. acted as though he were going to ram his fishing boat w/motor into our canoes. went as fast as he could and would even circle some of the canoes.
its unfortunate these things are happening but they are. i only hope that things can be made better for the sake of the rivers and the forest.
this river is fed by springs - natural springs. this river deserves to be treated with respect and the greatest of care. as ALL rivers deserve this.
the other sad part to all of this is that i have been involved in horses for many years and there are trail rides in Emmence, MO. it is nothing for these drunk fools to do stupid stuff and do stupid stuff to their horses. and pretty much every year some yea ha ends up killing their horse because they are drunk and doing things someone with intellegence wouldnt do.

[Shark Attack]

Here's a link to a new article from Columbia. It has an "input" feature & many comments.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/200 ... -comments/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wes