Boating Rights Threatened - Again!

[Mark Mc]

Between marine reserves, salmon closures, wave energy, and everything else, you'd think we'd have enough to deal with already.

Many of you already heard about issues with invasive species (like Zebra mussels), coming out of ballast water. It is addressed at both the state and the federal level:


http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/pubs/factsheets/cu/ShippingTransportofAquaticInvasiveSpecies.pdf


http://www.seco.noaa.gov/documents/shipSummary.html


Those regulations have been expanded to include hull washing, etc. to prevent trailer boats from passing critters from one body of water to another. This has been a very active topic in Oregon, and some of the public outreach stuff has been revised to include it:

http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/pubs/bmps/marinas.pdf


Well here’s the newest “save Oregon” fad…….. in March there was this gathering called the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference:

http://www.pielc.org/pages/about.html

I had never heard of it but apparently it is a big deal to certain folks. The Eugene Weekly has been following it:

http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/03/06/news3.html

Apparently a group from the conference was on a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Portland (side note: I took my mom on this for her 80th birthday and it was actually quite nice). Quote from article:

“ ……One of the PIELC organizers, Amadan Aibreain, was hosting a group on the dinner cruise. They came upon a boat anchored along the channel. In plain view of Amadan and her guests, one of the fishermen was relieving himself over the side, into the river.

“ I was both ashamed and furious. Here we are, in an important river in the greenest state in America, and right in front of our distinguished visitors we have this kind of pollution happening”

Immediately upon resuming the conference the next day, Ms Aibreain and her colleagues set to work sponsoring a bill to ban all boats, including canoes, kayaks, and PWCs, that don't have working toilets from public waterways in Oregon. When the EW reporter asked if this wasn’t an over-reaction, Ms Aibreain replied:

"Every day hundreds, perhaps thousands of beer-drinking fisherman are using the public's rivers and bays as their personal toilet, and that's just wrong. Anyone who has seen the bathroom lines at Autzen Stadium or the Rose Garden knows these men can't hold it for a couple of hours when they start drinking. They sure as heck aren't holding it all day while they're fishing.”

http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/index.html

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This is yet one more anti-boater regulation that we need to keep our eyes on. As soon as I can find the DEQ committee meeting schedule I'll post it.

[Rubber Boot]

I llove it...does this......person realize how much raw sewage gets flushed into the river every time it rains a little? give me a break. Anyway, I heard all this last year, hopefully it will pass as the assnine idea that it is. In the mean time Boys quit P****** in the river.......at leaste where people can see you.

[willierower]

Amadan Aibreain needs to go back from where she came from!!!

Some people should be............... well you know.

[Freakwater]

This comes up every year around this time. Just foolish!

Freakwater

[Danno]

So I guess that'll leave the rivers for us Arima owners (Arima's come with porta-potties). I'll vote yes!

Okay, just kidding.

Just because I have a porta-pottie doesn't mean I use it. My girls do though.

[1pump]

Urine is sterile. I'd hardly consider it a pollutant.

[fishbait]

Sure glad it is now April 2

Anybody know what mortgage rates are doing?

[JustCallMeDave]

Originally Posted by willierower

Amadan Aibreain needs to go back from where she came from!!!

Ireland?

[Smoked Salmon]

Ya know, quite a few fishermen don't actually mix drinking and boating. That must be the author making assumptions based on her own M.O.


Hah!

Amadan Aibreain = What in Gaelic? April what?

That's it Mark! No tuna for you this year.

[Joe C]

Originally Posted by 1pump

Urine is sterile. I'd hardly consider it a pollutant.

yep, #1 OK, #2 not OK.