Here We Go Again!

[jdmidwest]

Mo. senator seeks to dampen river parties

Monday, December 1, 2008

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A state lawmaker is trying to dampen the party scene on some of Missouri's popular floating streams.

Newly proposed legislation would ban beer bongs, Jell-O shots, kegs and beaded Mardi Gras necklaces on Missouri rivers.

The bill by Republican Sen. Delbert Scott, of Lowry City, was among the first filed Monday before the 2009 legislative session.

The Missouri State Water Patrol says lewd behavior has become a major problem on the popular canoeing and rafting streams of the Ozarks. Maj. Tommy Roam estimates that alcohol is involved in well over 75 percent of the complaints the Water Patrol responds to on rivers.

Just what we need, more laws. I have already surpassed this one, we toss out Lei's instead of beads, makes them feel special. So I guess our behavior will not be outlawed. And we still drink our beer one at a time.

[Al Agnew]

I'm just not sure what the answer is. This may sound a bit off the wall, but the real problem is that among most casual river users, there is no reverence for the rivers. They don't realize what a precious resource our rivers are. This morning, while suffering from some kind of flu bug that has kept me from doing much of anything productive for the last couple of days, I got out my collection of topographic maps. I have topo maps of Table Rock and Beaver lakes before the lakes were built. As I do now and then, I traced the White River from the upper end of Beaver to Table Rock Dam, along with the lower Kings River and the James below Galena. You can see all the bluffs and gravel bars and you can tell where a lot of the pools and riffles were. I don't know how many miles of spectacular Ozark rivers are involved--certainly hundreds, buried under hundreds of feet of slack reservoir water, but as always I lamented the loss of this greatest of all Ozark waterways, along with the lower North Fork. Environmental awareness and the realization of the uniqueness of these rivers came too late. Sure, the dams brought prosperity to a region that was sorely lacking in it, but I suspect that prosperity would have come eventually anyway, and maybe it would have been a different and less venal form of prosperity than the Branson tourist traps. Or maybe not. And maybe without the lakes we would have had much more pressure put on the rivers. Maybe the biggest problem is simply too many people, and too many people with no ties whatsoever to the land.

Laws in this case are stopgap measures. They don't solve the problem, but maybe they control some of its worst aspects. People like myself who are fortunate enough to be able to float and fish the rivers on weekdays when the crowds of idiots aren't so bad can still experience a little bit of what they once were. And there are still streams that don't have the hordes of idiots, and those I treasure. But I never get on an Ozark river without feeling profoundly grateful for being there.

[bigredbirdfan]

Here is a novel idea for this incompetent politician. Why don't they just write tickets for the lewd behavior or haul them off to jail for existing laws and not add new restrictions on our freedom? Unbelievable. Banning certain liquors? Sounds like he might be missing a few brain cells himself.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I'm a little confused here JD. According to an earlier post "you will allow" someone to "fish thru my property in a peaceful manner" yet you don't seem to think those rules shouldn't apply to other waterways?

It appears that you think you have the right to restrict what happens on Bear Creek because you happen to own land on both sides, much like any road, but don't think other waterways should have any restrictions that might interfer with your right to booze it up and see bare breast.

Al- great post. I have the same feelings when I am on river. Any chance on getting a copy of those maps? Like you, I can spend hours looking at those.

[jdmidwest]

Greybear, you are beginning to sound like Tadman.

Bear Creek is too small to float, wading only, access can only be made thru private property. I meant peaceful as in no guns or drugs or litter. I will allow all the drunken naked women to come, no questions asked.

I have in the past been violated by drug users and meth makers, poachers, and others that shoot at livestock. Those types have ruined it for all. When I was a kid, our property was open to swimmers, fishing, and camping.

With the exceptions of a few streams and usually on Saturdays during the summer, Mo streams do not have a problem. I would not float them anyway on Saturday if I wanted peace and quiet and good fishing, because the crowd would still be there. It does not matter if they are drinking Coke or Budweiser, they are still bumper to bumper and ruin what I call a peaceful fishing float. If I do not want the company of others, there are plenty of other streams that I can go to and get away, even on a summer holiday.

We really don't need any new laws, just enforcement of the ones we have already.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Or maybe its the other way around. Nice dodge.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Or maybe its the other way around. Nice dodge.

Chief... I will be hookin' up with ya in the future. Wished I could've made it to Capps but R. River was great. Holler at you soon...

[Chief Grey Bear]

Good to hear from you KC. Get a hold of me anytime.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Bear Creek is too small to float, wading only, access can only be made thru private property. I meant peaceful as in no guns or drugs or litter. I will allow all the drunken naked women to come, no questions asked.

I have in the past been violated by drug users and meth makers, poachers, and others that shoot at livestock. Those types have ruined it for all. When I was a kid, our property was open to swimmers, fishing, and camping.

Not sure what 3000 + acre spead is yours, but there is public access. Not much though. A person can legally enter the creek at the Hwy 34 or Hwy C bridge or even at the countny bridge at Faulkner Spring.

Now as for the druggies, poachers and those taking pot shots at your cattle, I will stand be side you. But those people are not guilty of tresspassing but guilty of what you described them of doing. And like you, I have no use for those types of people.

[Kicknbass]

Mo. senator seeks to dampen river parties

Monday, December 1, 2008

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A state lawmaker is trying to dampen the party scene on some of Missouri's popular floating streams.

Newly proposed legislation would ban beer bongs, Jell-O shots, kegs and beaded Mardi Gras necklaces on Missouri rivers.

The bill by Republican Sen. Delbert Scott, of Lowry City, was among the first filed Monday before the 2009 legislative session.

Sometimes I think the lawmaker's create new laws just to make them feel that they are helping the people. I can't believe that there are not law's currently on the books to curb this lewd behavior if the $$$ for the law enforcement was available. Adding more law's w/o adding $$$ for enforcement, is a feel good waste of time. The rivers basically have little or no law enforcement presence. On the areas of the rivers that are serviced heaviest by the canoe outfitters you have the greatest concentration of users and therefore the highest number of occurrences. A heightened presence on the primary weekends at the heaviest use areas, then a task force hitting random locations on the weekends would go along way toward cleaning things up. The revenue from the fines collected from the citations issued would likely pay the cost of the task force.