Post by Steve King (Admin) on Apr 15, 2004 10:37:59 GMT -6
March 27, 2004
Glass barred from part of Eleven Point
Containers not permitted in portion that flows through Mark Twain forest.
By Mike Penprase
News-Leader
With the arrival of warm weather, floaters will be returning to the Eleven Point River.
But glass containers will not, thanks to an order by the U.S. Forest Service to help keep one of Missouri's most pristine streams clean.
The order bars glass containers from the portion of river that flows through the Mark Twain National Forest.
Karen Richards, co-owner of Richard's Canoe Rental near Alton, and others who care about the southern Missouri river are hoping a similar ban could cover all of the Eleven Point — and the rest of Missouri's float streams.
"I don't think there's a problem with glass being banned," Richards said of proposed legislation expected to get a hearing when the General Assembly reconvenes next week.
Rep. Randy Angst, R-Lebanon, said he hopes his colleagues will share Richards' view when a proposed glass ban he is sponsoring is heard.
Previous proposals have sunk because the distinction between canoes, kayaks and other small vessels used for floating and larger, stable boats used on lakes wasn't clear enough. His bill and a companion bill by Sen. Sarah Steelman, R-Rolla, make that distinction, Angst said.
This session, objections have been raised over proposing to make the penalty for violating the ban a Class A misdemeanor with a penalty of up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in jail, he said. He's willing to see violations be reduced to a Class C misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $300 and up to 15 days in jail to ensure passage, Angst said.
Canoe outfitters on the Niangua River near Lebanon raised safety concerns when they asked him to sponsor a glass container ban, he said, but there are other benefits to the ban.
His bill would address rivers like the Eleven Point, where glass containers are banned on the river as it flows through the national forest, but not in stretches outside the forest.
With headwaters in Howell County near Willow Springs, the Eleven Point becomes floatable in adjoining Oregon County about 100 miles east of Springfield before entering the national forest. Farther south, the river leaves the forest boundary about 10 miles north of the Arkansas line.
The National Park Service also has a glass container ban on sections of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers that are part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
The same is true for the Buffalo National Scenic River in Arkansas, and Arkansas has had a glass container ban for several years.
Although the Forest Service enacted an informal ban on the Eleven Point in 2000, it recently was formally adopted as a forest order.
Local outfitters proposed the ban, said Ben Wyatt, who at the time was involved in forest recreation issues.
"It was a local idea, it made sense and there wasn't a lot of objection to it," he said.
The ban isn't in effect in Forest Service campgrounds or on private property along the river, he said.
There have been few objections to the ban among floaters he's talked to, Wyatt said.
"I've talked to very few people who can't support it," he said. "Most people say 'I don't want glass to get broken and my kids feet to get cut.'"
While there are no plans to extend the glass container ban to other rivers flowing through other areas of the Mark Twain National Forest, adoption of Angst and Steelman's proposals would accomplish the same thing.
Along with banning glass, both proposals reinforce current statutes requiring floaters to secure items in coolers or other containers and to strap containers to the watercraft to prevent littering, Angst said.
While safety is the primary aim of the legislation, Angst sees other benefits.
"As a byproduct of this, I think it tends to be environmentally responsible, as well as encouraging tourism," he said.
Glass barred from part of Eleven Point
Containers not permitted in portion that flows through Mark Twain forest.
By Mike Penprase
News-Leader
With the arrival of warm weather, floaters will be returning to the Eleven Point River.
But glass containers will not, thanks to an order by the U.S. Forest Service to help keep one of Missouri's most pristine streams clean.
The order bars glass containers from the portion of river that flows through the Mark Twain National Forest.
Karen Richards, co-owner of Richard's Canoe Rental near Alton, and others who care about the southern Missouri river are hoping a similar ban could cover all of the Eleven Point — and the rest of Missouri's float streams.
"I don't think there's a problem with glass being banned," Richards said of proposed legislation expected to get a hearing when the General Assembly reconvenes next week.
Rep. Randy Angst, R-Lebanon, said he hopes his colleagues will share Richards' view when a proposed glass ban he is sponsoring is heard.
Previous proposals have sunk because the distinction between canoes, kayaks and other small vessels used for floating and larger, stable boats used on lakes wasn't clear enough. His bill and a companion bill by Sen. Sarah Steelman, R-Rolla, make that distinction, Angst said.
This session, objections have been raised over proposing to make the penalty for violating the ban a Class A misdemeanor with a penalty of up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in jail, he said. He's willing to see violations be reduced to a Class C misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $300 and up to 15 days in jail to ensure passage, Angst said.
Canoe outfitters on the Niangua River near Lebanon raised safety concerns when they asked him to sponsor a glass container ban, he said, but there are other benefits to the ban.
His bill would address rivers like the Eleven Point, where glass containers are banned on the river as it flows through the national forest, but not in stretches outside the forest.
With headwaters in Howell County near Willow Springs, the Eleven Point becomes floatable in adjoining Oregon County about 100 miles east of Springfield before entering the national forest. Farther south, the river leaves the forest boundary about 10 miles north of the Arkansas line.
The National Park Service also has a glass container ban on sections of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers that are part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
The same is true for the Buffalo National Scenic River in Arkansas, and Arkansas has had a glass container ban for several years.
Although the Forest Service enacted an informal ban on the Eleven Point in 2000, it recently was formally adopted as a forest order.
Local outfitters proposed the ban, said Ben Wyatt, who at the time was involved in forest recreation issues.
"It was a local idea, it made sense and there wasn't a lot of objection to it," he said.
The ban isn't in effect in Forest Service campgrounds or on private property along the river, he said.
There have been few objections to the ban among floaters he's talked to, Wyatt said.
"I've talked to very few people who can't support it," he said. "Most people say 'I don't want glass to get broken and my kids feet to get cut.'"
While there are no plans to extend the glass container ban to other rivers flowing through other areas of the Mark Twain National Forest, adoption of Angst and Steelman's proposals would accomplish the same thing.
Along with banning glass, both proposals reinforce current statutes requiring floaters to secure items in coolers or other containers and to strap containers to the watercraft to prevent littering, Angst said.
While safety is the primary aim of the legislation, Angst sees other benefits.
"As a byproduct of this, I think it tends to be environmentally responsible, as well as encouraging tourism," he said.
