Re: [Paddlewise] Saturation Point

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Unger <unger_at_tumtum.com>
<SNIP.
>
>Increase of use by new users looks inevitable to me.  Population is
>growing AND awareness of outdoor persuits is growing.  There are going
>to be more kayakers paddling around, how can the resources accomodate
>them?  Well:

Very uncomfortably
>
>
>1. Different levels of development.  Users spread themselves over a
>continum of how much isolation they seak.  Those that want more are
>often willing to

Should read: "must now" or "desparate enough" rather than "often willing"

>go to greater effort to find it.  Let the near by
>places be developed to handle a larger number and let the remotness of a
>place keep it's numbers low.  Resist improving access to remote places:
>once they stop being remote, they will be more visited.

The arguement could (and probably will) be made that improving access to
remoter areas will help to disperse the crowds more widely that are damaging
nearby ones.

>Those that
>don't mind crowds (and have less time) will go to the places that are
>easy to get to.  Those that do mind crowds will make the effort to get
>away from them.

Those who do mind crowds and don't have time are SOOL.
>
>2. Quota (permit) systems.  Each area has an appropriate level of use
>that it can sustain, weather it be intended as high or low use.
>Limiting factors are number of camp sites, ability to dispose of human
>waste, and environmental impact.  Each area has a natural carring
>capaciy based on those factors.  When the demand for an area is higher
>than the area can sustain then you either have to develop it more or
>restrict access by a quota system.  Usually a combination of both.  This
>is very contentious, but failure to do so results in areas being
>trampled to death.

Bring on the beaurocrats!
So the crowds kill it one way or the other, maybe if we all tried to
restrain ourselves when (or from) describing our sport to the uninitiated
less of them would get sold on it (and end up loving it to death).
>
>3. Creation of new areas.  This is what is going to save us.  As more
>people join sport the demand increases.  Both easy access/high use and
>remote/low use areas must be added.

Just where are these new areas that are going to save us coming from? Maybe
we should pray to the Creator to create some more new areas for us. Or we
could improve access to more remote areas. That's it! That will save us.

We're Toast!
>
>
>
>There are water trails associations in Washington State and Brittish
>Columbia.  The little I know about them gives me a positive impression
>about what they are doing.

Learn more and your impession may change like mine has. It looks to me that
they are selling out the WILDerness that once existed and advertising it as
a destination to travel to around the whole damn country. Rather than create
new campsites (the promise) they have searched out and publicized the old
ones some of which had been "underutilized". I sure miss those formerly
"underutilized" campsites. Thanks Washington Watertrails. A (reformed)
former president of that organization once apologized to me for what he had
helped to do. I feel guilty for giving them $100 seed money to get started.
The original idea that suckered me in was to discover new campsite
possibilities and work to create them. So far mostly the obscure old sites
have just been given national publicity, attracting a far wider
participation to love it to death. The Eagles sang it: "Call someplace
paradise and kiss it goodbye."

 >The new guide to Pacific North West
>destinations does an execlent job of encouraging proper use of areas.


And so did all the hiking guides that helped ruin backpacking for me 20
years ago. There used to be freedom in the once empty WILDerness now there
are permit systems and user fees. I escaped to the sea and found the
WILDerness again kayaking. Now its Deja vu time.
>
>
>As always our world is the product of individual actions.  Things that
>individuals can do:
>
>1. Join your local water trails association and support their work.

Subvert them and let them know the damage they are causing. Refuse to buy
their annual permit--that they would like to make you think is required for
all sights when (I think) it is required only in State Park watertrails
sites.
>
>2. Be a friendly kayaker so that private land owners don't start
>restricting access.

A little late for that around here. It used to be you could launch a kayak
from near all four ferry terminals in the San Juans and the locals viewed
you as an interesting curiousity. Friday Harbor is the only access left and
I'm sure there are groups of  locals trying to get it closed to launching
kayaks too just like they did with the other three. The public beach you
have every right to land on they have treated as their private beaches for
years. They are not likely to welcome your intrusion however friendly you
are. Say can I use your toilet my bladder is about to burst?
>
>3. Pratice low impact camping.  Leave no trace of fires, leave no trash,
>clean up your tent site, etc.
>Leave places looking less visited than when you arrived.

Arrive after dark and leave before dawn and maybe the AUTHORITIES will never
figure out where you stayed:~)
>
>4. Contact athorities and understand how to use an area well.

I prefer to avoid contact with the AUTHORITIES.

>5. Educate others.

Tell them kayaking sucks and you are most likely going to give it up because
the risks to your life, pocketbook, health, bladder and joints are just too
great.
>
>
>I think that crowding and quota systems are an inevitable part of our
>future.  It is not the end of the world:

Just the end of one of the major reasons I go kayaking.

 >those places I visit with good
>quota systems really have been preserved.  I don't get to go there as
>often, but when i do is much more special.

Sanitized, ranger infested, ex-WILDerness is not particularly what I want to
visit.

"We have met the enemy and it is us".

To those into recuiting more environmentalists by introducing them to
paddling I'm reminded of the logic of "we had to destroy the village to save
it" (from communism I imagine) in Vietnam.


My advise to kayakers in areas that haven't suffered the above fates yet is
to SHUT UP about the joys of  kayaking or even actively discourage
participation by others. Whatever you do don't advertise your favorite
places and if you do take a special friend swear them to secrecy. Treat
kayaking like you should treat a tiny mountain lake with great fishing for
huge trout (that you would like to see stay that way). SHUT UP ABOUT IT!

Yes, I design and sell kayaks to earn a living but before you call me a
hypocrite you should know that we do not  promote the sport (as one might
reasonably assume it would be in our interest to do). This is one reason we
were not at the Symposium in Port Townsend (some on this list complained
about that). We refuse to join the Trade Association (TAPS) and thereby
support their "promotion of the sport to sell more kayaks, classes and
tours" agenda. Ironically I helped start the Trade Association of Sea
Kayaking as it seemed we had mutual interests in improving access to
insurance and improving the kayak shipping situation. I originally wrote our
"Kayak Safety" manual for the trade association but quickly learned the
majority were not as interested in promoting safety as in getting a short
handout to help them limit their liability should an accident happen. Not
only did the issues I was interested in not get resolved by organizing but
the focus of the group became almost exclusively on "Promoting the Sport",
an agenda I didn't share even then--having seen close up what happened to
backpacking. They certainly have succeeded at promotion. We quickly lost
interest and eventually withdrew our name (with great difficulty) as a
member even though we had to pay the association dues and other fees to be
able to demo kayaks at the symposium (but we were refused any of the
benefits of membership to try to force us to again be listed as a member).
Later we refused to support their agenda financially as well and so have had
to give up our companies commercial participation in their symposiums.

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com



***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************