This Is Why Launches Are Shut Down

[ÜberFly]

This afternoon at Mac. Called F & W and the RCMP. Both returned my call and are investigating...

 

 

[ÜberFly]

Both RCMP and F & W just called me back. I guess they didn't catch the guy in the water, but talked to him as he was coming up the road. Warned him and took his info, etc... Educational opportunity, which is better then nothing... The F & W officer also informed me that they ended up writing a bunch of no fishing license tickets so not a bust in the end!

[Tungsten]

Was he there long or something?I have to backup that far to load my boat and its not easy so it takes me a good 5 -10 minutes to load.

[ÜberFly]

Mike they were having a "picnic" (had the kids tubes and rubber rafts tied to the bumper). We pulled in and were there for 1/2 an hour (trailered boat in 5 min and pulled out and packed gear up on the bank), he was there at least that long most likely longer prior to and the RCMP/F & W called me an hour and a half after I called them (when we left) and he had just pulled out! So at least 2 hours.

[lad]

Why would it cause the launch to be shut down?

[ÜberFly]

http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=23774&hl=graves

 

Why would it cause the launch to be shut down?

[bcubed]

Fish and Wildlife is also keen to get off the management of Mac... Let's not give them reasons

[Dangus]

Parking there for 2 hours does more damage than an in/out launch?

Sorry, just trolling again.

[kritofr]

Don't ever go up to Devon and see the vehicles parked on the North Saskatchewan River.

 

Your example pales in comparison for what occurs up North

[BigFoamy]

this pics are nothing compared to what I saw down there that day. actually was exactly like the pic just about 1000 more people and vehicles. brutal this is a boat launch, not a day use recreation area

[jpinkster]

I posted this on the thread about Graves, but I'll leave it here too. This is something the river access community needs to be really aware of:

 

Since the floods of 2013 the Graves launch is not an approved launch. The original permissions applied to the pre-flood conditions where boats were able to launch directly off the cement pad into the river on the west side of the channel. Needless to say, the flood has changed everything. With today's conditions the only places in and around Graves that would be appropriate for a permanent launch would be at the south side of the parking lot into that back eddy or on the east side of the river. Everything else requires users to cross far too much of the river bed in order to get to the water.

 

Water Resources with The City had comprehensive data about the river bed channel and sensitive fish habitat along the Bow. Since the flood this information is no longer up to date and they are working towards an update. Until that information is obtained, it will be very difficult for additional access to be considered. Building a new launch (or even updating an existing launch) requires approvals from the province as well as the federal government. That process alone can take between 4-8 months.

 

From an official stand point anyone who has launched a boat at Graves since the floods has done so illegally. Enforcement against trailer access isn't happening right now, and I suspect that is somewhat intentional. We need to be aware of the power of an example. If Graves had remained quiet and vehicles hadn't made their way out onto the gravel bar on a routine basis, I doubt we'd be in the position we are in today. Unfortunately a lot more attention has been brought to this site, and instead of addressing the root of the problem, I suspect the approach will be to permanently shut that access down. That may be punishing the wrong stakeholder group, but wholesale shut downs seems to be the preferred government response to these types of issues (think about mass scale OHV trail closures).

 

This should send a very strong message to river users that currently access at Police or McKinnon. Post flood those launches have many of the same issues that are currently being faced at Graves. If users keep a low profile and don't draw unnecessary attention to themselves, I suspect these access points will remain open. If users choose to do things like drive through sensitive habitat, cut the chained gate when McKinnon is closed and any number of other offense...we run the risk of losing these access points as well.

[bcubed]

Parking there for 2 hours does more damage than an in/out launch?

Sorry, just trolling again.

in/out launch is legal.. parking there isn't

[troutlover]

This is going to get everything shut down. I would just leave it alone. Soon the launches will be 22, legacy, carsland. That makes for some really long or short floats. It would make a jet boat a real option for many.

[Dangus]

in/out launch is legal.. parking there isn't

All I can find is that you have to keep your wheels out of the streambed. Where is the parking/launching distinction made?

[jdangler]

A question. Who does or is suppose to take care of MacKinnon? Is it Provincial or the MD? I ask because yes seems to becoming a day use area, with some weird stuff happening & nothing I would call detrimental to the river but just weird, but also the so called garbage container & washrooms look like they haven't been touched or maintained in a long time. If a volunteer thing them I'm all in, but will require a Hazmat suit & someone else's vehicle to haul to the appropriate facility.

[bcubed]

From what I've gathered, its managed/owned by Fish and Wildlife as part of Alberta Environment and Parks. I think they've tried to offload it before, and no one wants to take responsibility for it (hard to blame them) Really, it should be turned into a provincial recreation area, and have someone paid to clean out that washroom and garbage.

 

Bron, there is an exemption for launching watercraft in the public land regulation.

[Dangus]

Interesting.

 

 

Here's the link if anyone wants a read.

 

http://healthyshorelines.com/media/The_Law_and_the_Lake.pdf

[troutlover]

A friend of mine used to have the garbage contract for there but he sold his company and the contract was terminated. Pretty much they cant find a contractor willing to do it because the bin is not accessible by truck and you have to hand balm it to empty the bin. If they made it so a truck could come and tip a bin, It wouldn't be a problem. It is managed by Fish and Wildlife.

[sldrose]

This is going to get everything shut down. I would just leave it alone.

 

 

Are you suggesting that we don't call this in?

 

I know its a tough decision not to call F&W, but when the bureaucracy shuts the launch down as per graves we all suffer.

 

thoughts?

[troutlover]

If people don't stop making a big deal out of this then it will all get shut down. So I guess you have to ask yourself what you are going to do. The way I see it going down is, people wont leave it alone. The offices that currently manage theses areas and would love to see them shut down use the out cry as justification to close the areas. Next everyone who took the time to complain lose their F'ing minds because of the closure and then its 2 years of planning and negotiation from user groups to get them re-opened. Next everyone is driving in the River again because there is still no enforcement and the offices who manage them could really care less until people start to complain again.

[BurningChrome]

I'm just waiting for the day someone gets to Mac and can't take out or put in because there's no room. Maybe this highlights the need for some sort of public "beach" on the river separate from the launch.

[jpinkster]

I don't think turning a blind idea to this is the right approach. Suggesting that this isn't making a big enough impact for us to care sets a very troubling precedent. If we just give up and let access privilege trump the well being of habitat (as minor as the damage may be) we all lose. There is a tremendous amount of work that all three orders of government need to do to better regulate more responsible public land use. We are decades behind where we should be on this. I get everyone is concerned about losing access at these spots, but that is kind of a selfish approach to take. Collectively we need to work together to raise the bar on public land use instead of just suggesting "that's the way it is always going to be". Access shouldn't be a right, it should be a responsibility.

[TroutPanther]

This makes me super jealous of properly managed river access (I.e. Like the Missouri in Montana)...

They have far less people, probably less license revenue, but they do a fantastic job providing launches, access, camping, facilities etc... So where are we dropping the ball?

 

Absolutely crazy for a premier fishery like the bow.

[BigFoamy]

A question. Who does or is suppose to take care of MacKinnon? Is it Provincial or the MD? I ask because yes seems to becoming a day use area, with some weird stuff happening & nothing I would call detrimental to the river but just weird, but also the so called garbage container & washrooms look like they haven't been touched or maintained in a long time. If a volunteer thing them I'm all in, but will require a Hazmat suit & someone else's vehicle to haul to the appropriate facility.

Last time I was there, the garbage bin was over flowing with spent needles I've never seen anything like that before in my life Its makes me sad that this is just, kinda the way things are now.

 

Be careful where you step down there

 

Anyways, I took my garbage home with me that day and would be hard pressed to go back down there. Its dangerous and I wouldn't want to be labelled as a complainer...

 

good grief

[fishteck]

There seems to be some miss information being expressed on this post. If you go back before the 2013 flood the only access to the river at Graves Bridge, Policeman's and MacKinnons and Legacy Island were by way of a parking lot and / restricted lane to the river. MacKinnons has always been abused by those individuals who believed it was their right to cut down cables to access parts unknown!

 

The 2013 changed the river bank at all the above launch sites. But it did not change the DFO disposition of the boat launches. It is probably fair to say that access out of the parking lot to the nearest accessible rivers edge would be deemed to be acceptable. Nothing else! Just about everyone who launches a boat at MacKinnons would seem to be in violation of provincial and federal regulations. Obviously, the guys in the photo are in violation of the laws, but also are a large number of the boat launchers.