Marine Board Hearing Looks at South Fork Coquille Motor Ban
Oregon State Marine Board staff will hold a public hearing in Coos Bay July 24 to gather public comment on a petition seeking to prohibit the use of motors on the south fork of the Coquille River. The hearing will be at 7 p.m. at SW Oregon Community College, Eden Hall, Room 1.
The petitioner is requesting the Oregon State Marine Board to prohibit the use of boat motors due to alleged conflicts between anglers in motorized craft and anglers fishing from the bank and from manually powered boats.
The public comment period will continue through July 31. Comments may be made in person at the hearing or may be mailed to: Wayne Shuyler, Oregon State Marine Board, PO Box 14145, Salem OR 97309; faxed to (503) 378-4597; or e-mailed to Wayne.Shuyler@state.or.us.
For meeting location directions, contact Nancy Anderson, (541) 888-7213.
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Meeting Seeks Comment on Siuslaw Boating Regulation
Oregon State Marine board staff will hold a public hearing in Florence on July 25 to gather public comment on a petition seeking to establish a 5 mph/slow-no-wake zone for motorboats on five miles of the Siuslaw River. The hearing will be at 7 p.m. at the Florence City Council Chambers, 250 SW Highway 101.
The petitioner is requesting the Oregon State Marine Board to restrict motorboat speed on the portion of the river between Karnowsky Creek and Sweet Creek. The area is downstream of Mapleton in the vicinity of Duncan Island. The petition cites damage to private property due to boat wakes, degradation of water and air quality from boat motors, and degradation of salmon habitat as the justifications for the requested speed limit.
The public comment period will continue through July 31. Comments may be made in person at the hearing or may be mailed to: Wayne Shuyler, Oregon State Marine Board, PO Box 14145, Salem OR 97309; faxed to (503) 378-4597; or e-mailed to Wayne.Shuyler@state.or.us.
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Public Comment Sought on Electric Boat Motor Rule
The Oregon State Marine Board is seeking public comment on a proposed rule change affecting 13 waterbodies in the state in which boats are currently limited to use of electric motors only. The proposed rule will not remove this designation but instead seeks to standardize the designation.
Electric trolling motors are quiet, clean and becoming more and more popular among anglers and boaters. The "electric motor only" designations being reviewed in this process include various thrust limits. Determining thrust limits of these motors is often not readily apparent to the boater or law enforcement. Three of the lakes have rules limiting motor thrust to 25 pounds, nine have a 30-pound limit and a portion of one has a 35-pound limit. "These limits are confusing," said Wayne Shuyler, Deputy Director for the Oregon State Marine Board. "We don't see a downside of simply removing the thrust limits. We would like to encourage use of electric motors. This proposed change would simplify the issue."
The waterbodies in question include: Ben Irving Reservoir in Douglas County; Agate Reservoir in Jackson County; Mission and Goose lakes in Marion County; and Lake Penland and Willow Creek Reservoir in Morrow County.
The public comment period continues through July 31. Comments may be mailed to: Wayne Shuyler, Oregon State Marine Board, PO Box 14145, Salem OR 97309; faxed to (503) 378-4597; or e-mailed to Wayne.Shuyler@state.or.us.
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