Posted: 8/14/2008 7:05:57 PM EDT
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The Fudds/Fisherman want to keep us out of the Headwaters of the Upper Chattooga so they can fish for stocked Non-Native Fish. I know how much everyone on Ar15.com hates Fudds so please help out by at least posting a comment supporting Alternative 8, or use the Fudds own form against them as instructed below. In a nutshell, the Forest Service banned boating on the headwaters of the Chattooga (where part of Deliverance was filmed) in the early 70's. The Wild and Scenic River act does not prohibit boating, but the Forest Service has made up their own interpretation of the law (Kind of like the BATF). They have banned boating and stock the headwaters of the Chattooga with Non-Native fish for fisherman. American Whitewater dropped their lawsuit against the Forest Service, because they said they would work with us, and just like the BATF, you will see their idea of working with us below. send comments supporting Alternative 8 to: [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some backgound info: I think you're going to need to sit down for this one….. Are you ready?? For those of you who thought, "Well at least we'll have 6 boatable days on average in the headwaters", you are sadly mistaken. Have you read the EA closely? In the FS Environmental Assessment – Managing Recreation Uses on the Upper Chattooga River, at the bottom of page 8, it states: "In this and other alternatives that consider boating at specific flow levels, the term "boatable day" is based on a PREDICTABLE 24- hour flow average rather than on a PREDICTION that the river may reach a certain flow level for a limited amount of time on a given day. For example, in Alternative 4, the corresponding number of "boatable days" is the estimated number of days when the water level would be PREDICTED to average 450 cfs over the course of a 24- hour period, not simply when the flow level is expected to hit 450 cfs for a limited time." Furthermore, the FS thinks there will be an average number of 6 (a range of 0 to 11) boatable days for its alternative, #4. From the Macon County News, July 14 2008: ""How is that (450cfs daily mean) going to be measured? Well, I don't know if all of that has been worked out yet," Seyden said. Sumter National Forest Public Affairs Officer Michelle Burnette said, "Currently, the agency is exploring a variety of ways to predict a `boatable' day. If the preferred alternative is implemented, the agency will declare a `boatable' day and will most likely post this information on the Forest Service Web site." She said a self-registering system would be put in place similar to the type used on lower portions of the river." Read the full article at: www.maconnews.com/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=2915& What does that all mean?? The word you need to pay close attention to is "PREDICTED". The FS is not going to drive by its gage on Burrels Ford to KNOW it's a boatable day, instead they will use PREDICTED rainfall totals. The FS used several years' worth of Real-Time water level data from the FS Burrels Ford water gage to know the river would reach a daily mean flow of 450 cfs 6 times a year on average. With that, they also know the average amount of rain it takes to make the headwaters reach a daily mean of 450cfs. In Alternative #4, they will use PREDICTIONED rainfall totals. When the rainfall totals are equal to the average amount of rain it takes to reach the 450cfs daily mean, the FS will declare a day "boatable". They won't use an actual river gage readings!! Anyone who's done river correlations knows this is absurd! Here's where the problem lies: We have 6 boatable days on average. For argument's sake, let's say the headwaters will run after an average of 1.5" of rain. That means 50% of the time it will run when less than 1.5" of rain has fallen and 50% of the time it will reach runnable levels only when more rain has fallen. Right away you loose 50% of your boating days. Now we are down to 3 boatable days! Let's look at the 3 boatable days left --- Just because 1.5" of rain fell doesn't mean the river came up to runnable levels. The rain PREDICTIONS are frequently wrong. Even though the FS declares a day boatable and legal to run, that doesn't mean there will be enough water in the river! The converse is also true, if 1" is PREDICTED, but 1.5" falls, its not a boatable day because it was not PREDICTED. In other words you loose two PREDICTED days because of the natural margin of error in this type of PREDICTION. Remember, rain PREDICTIONS are frequently wrong. Therefore, there is only 1" of rain PREDICTED, but 1.5" falls. Since it wasn't PREDICTED, you loose that day too, because they weren't PREDICTED! Let's now look at the timing issue. The FS estimated 6 days would be runnable. They never said what time of day that was. How often have you seen your favorite river become runnable too late in the day? Yep! You loose that PREDICTED day too! Remember, Chauga River only runs at night and on Wednesdays. How rain effects a river also depends on how much fell how fast. A long soaking rain affects a river differently than a hard short rain of the same amount. So, now the FS PREDICTS the river will run, however the rain came down in a single massive storm and not a slow soaking rain. The headwaters are declared boatable by their PREDICTIONS, but is in fact too high to run and will drop to below runnable levels the next day. You loose that PREDICTED day too!! Of all the PREDICTED runnable days 71% will be on weekdays when, real people, with real jobs, and real lives won't be able to drop everything and head for the river. So, if that describes you, you loose those PREDICTED days too!! Remember in the Macon Times article it said that when the headwaters are PREDICTED to be runnable the FS "will most likely post this information on the Forest Service Web site." This was the message I got off the FS website on 7/13/08 and 7/14/08: "We are experiencing technical difficulties with our web site at this time. Visitors to the site may find that some information is outdated or unavailable. We are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you cannot find the information you need, please call (803) 561-4000 or e-mail cforney@.... We apologize for any inconvenience." You guessed it, you loose that PREDICTED day too!! And I assume the Sumter National Forest Staff isn't well versed in HTML and is unable to post something on their web site at the drop of a hat because their web geek has gone home for the day. Yes, you guessed it, you loose those PREDICTED days too!! Now let's do the math: 6 average boatable days -3 because they fall below the average rain totals -2 because of natural margin of error in rainfall predictions -1 because runnable water levels happened at night (think Chauga) -1 because the water level is too high -1 because you have a life -1 because the FS web site is frequently "experiencing technical difficulties" -1 because the FS is too busy fishing the headwaters to learn HTML and update their own website. -1 because the FS is too busy attending another non-native aquatic species fish fry thrown by TU. Am I starting to sound bitter??? Now let's add things up………. Thanks to PREDICTIONS you now have NEGATIVE 5 days to boat the headwaters every year!! And I'm sure they are looking at a way to restrict us from enjoying those too!! Alternative #4 does not allow boating in the headwaters. It is in FACT a continuation of the 30 year-old boating ban. Write your letters: Have you sent your comments in yet? Send it to: [email protected] Send a copy to the Chief of the Forest Service at: [email protected] Did you send a copy to your Senator and Representative? Find your Rep here: www.house.gov/ Find your Senator here: www.senate.gov/ Need to know the facts? Forest Service: www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms American Whitewater's view: www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article_view_articleid_30112 _display_full_ FAQ: www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/do- op/id/aw:chattooga_faq Thank-you Broncobisley1 edited because Someone squealed to the camo coalition that we were using their forms against them, just like how we use the Brady Camps forms against them. Fisherman are just as bad as the Fudd hunters who think everything is just about them. |