Re: [Paddlewise] Wild women of the Colorado

In a message dated 12/21/01 5:31:15 PM, mmcnally3_at_prodigy.net writes:

<< The disease is environmentalism.  Environmentalists see the world in a
fragile balance threatened by the cancerous growth of human population.
They believe that without the rapid growth of government control and 
rapid reduction of human liberties our world will soon be permanently
damaged.   >>

Statements like this are unfortunate. It may be that some people generalize 
this broadly but I'd bet just about everyone on this list sees them self as 
some kind of environmentalist. For me the reason I'm in a kayak is 
environmentalism of a kind.
    I really do want to get into some of the places so limited that it takes 
years to get there, like Yellowstone, which I want to do a several day 
horseback trip through. I regret the need to place limits but even a fairly 
mindless glance at the situation is alarming. What alarms me even more is 
that there is no access to the vast a majority of public waterways in the 
Chesapeake Bay area, where I live. This is due to people with the money to 
buy the shore own it and there is no provision made for public access.
    There is no way to get to long portions of the Bay. The Potomac River is 
almost as bad from Washington to the mouth of the river. Parts of the river 
are available only to paddlers willing to do 20 or better mile trips to get 
to some spots and that is after a hugely long drive to the Virginia side of 
the river which has only one crossing below Washington all the way to the 
mouth which is about 100 miles.
    The vast majority of the shore is in private or government hands and not 
accessible to the public. Without the few publicly owned ramps there would be 
no access. Do I resent government intervention to keep the Potomac open to 
boaters?
    I've never done the Grand Canyon and don't intend to. I don't paddle 
places on my own that have the potential for danger that it has. I suspect I 
lack the skills for that. I'm not the slightest be afraid to take a horse 
into the back country of Yellowstone. I have the skills for that trip. I know 
my limitations but I have sure seem folks who don't out on the water and on 
horses.
    I don't want the government "protecting me" but I don't want to see the 
kinds of reactions public pressure can easily result in when people die 
getting in over their skill levels in high profile places like the canyon. 
What can so easily happen is that access is totally withdrawn.
    If permits are by camp site or number of boats, I'd expect more people 
get onto the river with tours than privately simply because tours use fewer 
facilities for a larger number of people at any one time. They also don't 
mess up the facilities and are less likely to need rescues so call on the 
resources of the agencies involved.
    Do I want parks limited? I can answer that only case by case. Any 
sweeping generalization rarely comes close to what I feel. I don't want money 
to buy what little is left of the wild in the world, but I'm not hopeful.

Joan Spinner
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************