Who wants a boat ramp?

Who would want to put an improved boat ramp in a designated low impact area of the river? Well, I have the answer. 89 citizens and the NPS. I got the copy of the petition through a FOIA request. The NPS Environmental Assessment (EA) tells that the preferred option is to not put in a boat ramp at Waymeyer but to put one in just below Pin Oak. The EA is rather deceptively named "ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR CHILTON CREEK AREA BOAT RAMP AND PARKING". Since there are 3-4 Chilton areas in the park, Waymeyer and Pin Oak are not the first two places that come to mind.

The good news is the public comment period is open. Go to cool links. Click and Comment.

The bad news is endless.

The park plan is to stop boat launching at Waymeyer and move it UPSTREAM to the Pin Oak Campground. The justification is that some how this will seperate the boats from the tubers on busy summer weekends. What a joke. First the plan is for something like 10 parking spaces.

I'm not too good at math, but I am thinking 10 fewer boats on the Fourth of July weekend isn't going to amount to a spit in the river. Furthermore, the last time I tried to drive to Pin Oak the road is was so bad I turned around--even though I have a 4 wheel drive truck. Sure, I believe that people are going to trailer their boats to Pin Oak--just like they do Gum Hollow (Bay Nothing). I have never seen a boat trailer at Gum Hollow.

Unless, of course, the county road gets "improved". Which opens a whole new can of worms.

This is not about seperating the boats from the tubers, nor is it about public safety. This is all about giving a few people access to the most beautiful part of the river. There is nothing to stop the tubers from deciding that now there is a great boat ramp, good parking, and an improved road to start putting in at Pin Oak--to get away from the congestion at Waymeyer.

I am working on figuring out the best way to make the petition public. You should know.

Luann