The BLM has issued new summer time boating rules for the John Day that will greatly restrict the number of boats allowed on the most popular stretches from late May to early July. Under the rules released on Thursday afternoon, which go into effect for the 2011 boating season, the BLM will allow a total of just nine boat trips to launch in the popular Clarno to Cottonwood section of the lower John Day between May 20 and July 1. Upstream, the BLM will limit access to 19 boat trips per day between May 20 and July 10, on the so called Segment 3 between Service Creek and Clarno.
Using some back of the napkin math that would amount to about 1140 total possible trips during the peak season next summer on Segment 3. By way of contrast, the BLM recorded almost 10,000 boater launches last year on Seg. 3 during the peak season.
The new rules which have been in the works for several years are an attempt by the BLM to enhance the wilderness experience for users on the popular John Day River, which has been designated by Congress as Wild and Scenic waterway, allowing the BLM special management authority. Under the proposed rules, the BLM estimates that boaters will see fewer other groups during their floats, reducing competition for campsites as well as degradation of the natural environment that accompanies over-use. To help enforce the rules, the BLM will require all boaters to register and obtain a pass before launching.
The pass may be available next year at no cost, but boaters should check with the BLM and make their boating plans early if they want to get on the river this summer.
This article appears in Dec 30, 2010 – Jan 5, 2011.
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Ahhh yes…..more administrative tyranny from our government masters!
F2ck them,they dont own the rivers,we do.
yes, lets remove all regulations and rules. i thought anarchy was great when i was 17 too… and to all of those out there with the F the govt on every single move, how much civic volunteering and public service are you donating of your precious time dealing with this kind of thing?
oh, and nobody owns rivers and land. oh, finally, the people in the govt are also citizens. so, they also ‘own’ them by your logic. wow.
This another perfect example of government announcing a so called problem, so they can control a public resource, and create income from the imaginary problem.
How many rafters in the past have written or called the BLM complaining of the terrible experience they had while floating the John Day???
Will BLM, ODFW, U.S Forest service employees be required to get permits before floating this river, of course not. Will they be included in the 9 raft count for the day, of course not. This tactic has been used many times in the past by government agencies. They basically are creating their own private little playground. Of course we all know now that the BLM will have to hire more people to regulate, patrol and manage the permit system. This is government bureacracy at its worst. When will the PEOPLE finally say “We have had enough”???
Please call or write your representative and get this BLM takeover of a public resource stopped!!
Neuman, I was up to 243 hours in 2010 volunteering on public land near or on the John Day. I have put in the time to ensure that I, and everyone else can enjoy a “wild and scenic” experience. Allowing 11% of people to use the river that normally do is unacceptable.
Neuman you are an ignorant slave who embraces tyranny.
Please look up the State of Jefferson. This was an attempt to make a state of eastern oregon,southern oregon and northern california. All the paperwork was in place until WW1 started. A new state needs to be made so that Eastern Oregonians can make their own laws and not be governed by western oregon or Washington DC.
how will this affect guides on the river will they get first chance at permits
hey Bruno, what do you know about me to make that statement? the case that an embarrasingly small number of people are getting involved in voluntary public service- especially getting involved in setting public policy through the hard work it takes- is well documented. and i am not talking about just writing a letter to legislators, i mean devoting meaningful time to understand the current federal policies in place and going from there. also, creating a new state will not take you out of the ‘tyrannical’ federal govt, that is why is is called the united states. one of the primary reasons we have such beautiful wide open spaces and stunning wilidlife compared to other places with an economy/population like we have is in large part due to govt regulation. and to SN, thank you for your time. you are in a very small club with the work you have done. pleae post further info on your position. i would respectfully listen to you.
West Starr, I and many other Eastern Oregonians are in favor of a state split. Is it still possible?? How do we get the ball rolling??
i found and am reading the eis, it is here:
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/johndayriverstudy/files/pdo_eafonsi_08_0159_08252010.pdf
Neuman, You may be a citizen that needs your life MICRO-MANAGED by government bureaucrats, but the majority of us do not.
Just like the lower Deschutes… Now we can at least watch the river on nat.geo!
neuman, there is already a link to the eis in the story. It’s in the first paragraph at “boating rules.” fyi. Easier than pasting into the browser for anyone else that’s interested. There’s a lot of interesting information in the doc. My post only scratched the surface of the issue. For all the secessionists out there, the SOJ never extended to John Day as far as I know. You’ll have to form your own Confederacy. I suggest you contact Idaho.
The John Day is a special river with one of the last stable runs of native summer steelhead and the third longest undammed freestone river in the US. Unfortunately there are a lot of idiots who use the river. There are limited number of camp spots and during the peak season not enough to go around. People just tear down the riparian area to find a place to camp when there are no designated spots left sometimes camping on private property. They build open ring fires in the summer with no thought of wildfires and leave half burned plastic, cans, and glass behind. They crap on trails and in campsites. I’ve spent a lot of time on the John Day and it’s littered with TP… disgusting. The use of the JD continues to climb and is becoming more difficult for the BLM to patrol and ensure people are being responsible. I'm not sure if 19 is the magic number or not without reading the EIS… but regulating the number of people is critical.
The anonymous poster nailed it..
you ruined it, you now lose access to it…
Too many ass clowns, that think about only themselves ruined it for the rest.
lets do the math shall we?
Lets say, there are only “10 campsites” Why let 30 float it?
the other 20 are gonna destroy someones private property, crap, and litter.
And dont use the “I am an american, and its my right” card.
I am an american too, and you toothless, white trash rednecks, just ruined it for everyone.
Serves you right.. now all of us “law abiding citizens” have to suffer…
nice work tools.
Doesn’t seem as if the columnist received a good grade in math. The new rules allow 19 permit launches per day in Segment three with up to 16 persons in a group covered by each launch permit. That equals more than 15,000 user days from May 20 to July 10. One permit does not cover only one person.
That being said, I am not in support of the number of launches allocated to Segment 2 per day (9) Clarno to Cottonwood. The real camp site limitation is in the first 15 miles. The BLM could have easily went with a reservation system for the first night to equal the total number of camps in the first 15 miles to eliminate campsite conflicts, which means they could have allocated more than 9 launches per day.
I have floated the John Day for more than 20 years. The only time I have ever run into the issue of “too many” people, is on the holiday weekends. I was completley in favor of limiting the numbers on high use days, but for the rest of the summer it is bullshit.
I have also floated the JD river for well over 20 years. I have seen it busy and I have seen it slow. I really dont care either way. If someone is camped next to me, I will still have a good time, because my good time is not dependent upon what someone else is doing. I have even had groups camped right next door and we got together and had a great time. There will be good and bad in what ever group you let go down the river, even with this regulation, people will still crap where you dont want them to.