New regulations for boaters on the Current

[snap]

If you want to party on the river, I suggest you go to the huzzah near steelville. Seems like anything goes there!!!

Except me!!

[Gavin]

I dont have a problem with any of the directives. I talked with the Park Super and the Parks head enforcement officer a couple times last year and they really want to crack down on the bad actors.

I think the jello shot ban was because most folks pack their jello shots in individual serving size plastic containers so they can distribute them like Mardi Gras beads. The containers are a pretty common litter item.

As for the decibel meters...I've got no problem with folks who want to bring a radio and listen to the ball game or some music in camp, but there are folks who like to blare them all day long. I guess that NPS wants to be able to substantiate the level of noise in court.

I dont really think that it will change all that much. Most of the bad actors are drunken young men between the ages of 15-25 and they are going to do just about anything they want to do anyway. Cheers.

[Forsythian]

Ahh, Gavin has foiled me again... darn digital photography evidence of fun and frivolity...

6 beers apiece wouldn't get this fleshy group 2 miles down the river...

[Phil Lilley]

My first thought on any new regulation is enforcement... I'm sure they've thought through it (hope so) cause there are ramifications to any new regs. I'd think they'd have to have an agent at the put-ins every morning or at least on busy days to monitor what people take on the river.

It could look like KCI or Lambert's security gate... wouldn't that be a sight!

[Gavin]

Take away our beer? Like heck! Your gonna have to fight us for it!

[catman70]

FYI: No more foam coolers either. Don't know why you would buy a foam cooler for a float. Maybe some folks get to the river only to find out that their cooler has to have a latch of some sort and go for the easiest/quickest option.

[jdmidwest]

What is going to happen is the drunks will abandon the NPS rivers and go back to other streams. That will probably be the ones I like to fish on the weekends that used to get floated alot years ago. I always floated the Jacks Fork and the Current River when I wanted titties and beer and fishing was just an excuse. Oh well, theres always Spring River in Ark......

[ollie]

I don't know how much of this will be accomplished but, I am all for people like the outfitters and NPS getting together and trying to resolve some issues that have gone on waaaaaayy too long on many of a river.

[davekeim]

Nothing wrong with a good party and some drinking as long as it's in good taste! If you respect the nature and others around you it should not be an issue. As a party dude, I can not stand people who get out of control. Get a good buzz, enjoy the day, and enjoy those around you. Life is too short to spend your time messing with someone else's good time.

Signed,

Cardiac

[Al Agnew]

There are some streams where alcohol is totally banned from any watercraft. For one, the Withlacoochee in Florida. The ban was protested when it was first instituted, but with decent enforcement and time, it now works pretty well.

It's right that enforcement is the key. Supposedly, the Park Service is really going to concentrate on enforcing their new rules. However, it will probably come down to manpower or lack of it.

Thing is, if we really want to take back our rivers, it's going to take enforcement of laws against public drunkenness and other bad behaviors, enforcement on a strong and continuing basis. With time and diligence, I think you can curtail this stuff on all the popular rivers, but I don't know that our politicians have the will and our law enforcement people have the time and manpower to make the concentrated, long term effort it will take.