38 



Mr. CoOLEY. Ms. Mitchell, we hear or at least you implied that 

 powerboaters cause no more resource damage than maybe the 

 floaters. Could you elaborate on that, that sort of a general state- 

 ment has been made? 



Ms. Mitchell. Yes. I think there are those who would like that 

 to be true. However, the Forest Service has looked at it and studied 

 it and they have found that in fact, there is no more impact. 



I suspect that you could make a case that floaters have more im- 

 pact because they spend more time on the beaches. But of the float- 

 ers and the powerboaters, neither have any negative impact. It is 

 really, truly a recreationally benign sport. 



Mr. CoOLEY. Thank you. Some of the Statements made by some 

 of the testimony submitted to us claim that guides and outfitters 

 will probably suffer under the Forest Service's latest plan, amend- 

 ment plan. What real harm comes to either group if this plan is 

 implemented? What do you see as a person who is involved in this 

 process? 



Mr. Bentz. I think that the Forest Service regulations as they 

 are probably won't put all the outfitters out of business. They will 

 definitely put some of the outfitters out of business, depending on 

 that particular outfitter's economic status, whether he has other 

 businesses to supplement. It is going to be potentially devastating. 



Mr. CoOLEY. Will it be adversely on others as equal to the 

 powerboaters, or is it going to be more devastating to one group 

 than the other as it is proposed? 



Mr. Bentz. The commercial powerboaters are going to be the 

 ones that will be hurt the worst. Private powerboaters will be 

 harmed, certainly not to the degree that commercial powerboaters 

 will be. 



I think even more important than the commercial powerboaters 

 who will be harmed are their clients. Physically handicapped peo- 

 ple, elderly people who cannot visit the canyon in any other man- 

 ner would be prevented from seeing the true heart of Hells Canyon 

 three days a week during the heart of the season. 



Mr. CoOLEY. Mr. Sherwin, what do you think is motivating the 

 elimination of the powerboats? What has started this? 



When you read the law and you look at '95, and you look at this 

 with such a — and a little bipartisan effort by a lot of — on both sides 

 of the aisle, a lot of people. If you look at the vote, with a lot of 

 support, and we look at Section 6 and we read that, and sort of, 

 to me, it is pretty specific and defined, and now all of a sudden we 

 find that in 1996 we have what seems to be a different opinion on 

 the way the law was intended. 



In your opinion, what is motivating the elimination of 

 powerboaters system? Apparently, the one thing we have heard, 

 there has been a lot of compatibility between people on the river 

 using power and people who are using floats or whatever else. 



Mr. Sherwin. I really believe that the motivation is basically 

 economic. I think that private people, floaters and boaters alike, 

 have been pulled into an economic battle between commercial in- 

 terests that has expanded to the point to where it has frankly just 

 gotten out of hand. 



I think that there are certain outfitters on the river that would 

 benefit greatly by elimination of powerboats. I know the alliance, 



