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From: Robert Livingston & Pam Martin <bearboat2_at_comcast.net>
subject: [Paddlewise] Law and Navigation
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 18:43:34 -0700
I am not a lawyer but I thought that the rules about access to navigatable
waters were very strong.

But I do not know the legal definition of navigatable.

An acquaintance of ours, many years ago, was prevented from paddling the
part of the Columbia river that passes through the Hanford Reservation. He
brought the case to court and won. They could prevent people landing on the
shore but they could not prevent paddling the 20 mile length or whatever it
was if they stayed off the shore.
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From: Wayne Smith <wsmith16_at_snet.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Law and Navigation
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 10:02:25 -0700 (PDT)
The definition of "Navigable" varies from state to state, but I read in Paddler Magazine that in New York "Navigable" is any river that a whitewater kayak can be paddled on. 
 
I also know that Colorado is trying to change the law such that it may be possible to prevent people using a river by claiming ownership of the river bottom. I doubt the federal government would let that fly if it were challenged.
 
Here in Connecticut, the law says that the land below the mean high tide line is public property, yet if you go in the intertidal zone in a wealthy community, you'll end up getting arrested.
 
So my point is while the law may say one thing, how it is enforced is what you need to know.
 
Wayne

Robert Livingston & Pam Martin <bearboat2_at_comcast.net> wrote:
I am not a lawyer but I thought that the rules about access to navigatable
waters were very strong.

But I do not know the legal definition of navigatable.

An acquaintance of ours, many years ago, was prevented from paddling the
part of the Columbia river that passes through the Hanford Reservation. He
brought the case to court and won. They could prevent people landing on the
shore but they could not prevent paddling the 20 mile length or whatever it
was if they stayed off the shore.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wayne Smith
wsmith16_at_snet.net

Check out my website!
http://pages.cthome.net/wsmith16/home.html
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From: Erik Sprenne <sprenne_at_netnitco.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Law and Navigation
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 15:32:50 -0500
FWIW
American Whitewater has compiled state-by-state navigability law
summaries - see:
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/18

Play Hard,
Erik


Wayne Smith wrote:

> The definition of "Navigable" varies from state to state <snip>
> So my point is while the law may say one thing, how it is enforced is
what you need to know.
>


> Robert Livingston & Pam Martin wrote:
> I am not a lawyer but I thought that the rules about access to
navigatable
> waters were very strong.
>
> But I do not know the legal definition of navigatable.
>
> An acquaintance of ours, many years ago, was prevented from paddling
the
> part of the Columbia river that passes through the Hanford Reservation.
He
> brought the case to court and won. They could prevent people landing on
the
> shore but they could not prevent paddling the 20 mile length or
whatever it
> was if they stayed off the shore.

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From: Patrick Maun <patrick_at_patrickmaun.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Kayaking in Vietnam
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 09:59:24 -0500
Hello all,

four of us are going to Vietnam and Cambodia for a month this coming 
January. We'd love to get some kayaking in while there. I've done 
some looking around and have been able to find a lot of tours but no 
outfitters. I am not against going on a guided tour, but they are 
beyond our budget at the prices I am seeing out there. Perhaps a 
combination guided day tour to get the feel for the area and then 
equipment rental. The tours also seem geared towards inexperienced 
kayakers - the word "stable" appears in the copy often.

So, anyone have some good links or pointers? Our trip is still in the 
planning stages so we are open to suggestions on places to go and 
things to see. Thanks!

-Patrick
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From: Richard Culpeper <culpeper_at_tbaytel.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Law and Navigation
Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 17:01:34 -0400
The law on navigability differs depending on the jurisdiction.

In Ontario, it used to be that navigability was defined in terms of 
commercial navigation, but more recently, has included recreational 
navigation, i.e. do people paddle down it at some time during the 
season.  In obiter, recreational navigation has included cross-country 
skiing.  We have not had a case involving runnable steep rapids and 
falls.  Contact me if you would like me to email you Ontario's leading 
cases on navigability.

All this presupposes that the landowner does not also have riparian 
rights.  Often riparian rights are privately held on rivers in the 
western USA, so you will find some interesting cases out that way. 
 Track down Scott Weiser of Boulder, Colorado, if you want a list of 
cases that trounce paddlers.

Cheers,
Richard Culpeper

Robert Livingston & Pam Martin wrote:

>I am not a lawyer but I thought that the rules about access to navigatable
>waters were very strong.
>
>But I do not know the legal definition of navigatable.
>
[snip]

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