28 



ice had a study done to analyze the recreation use capacity of the 

 Green River which Harold referred to and which has been referred 

 to earlier. 



I would like to quickly read a couple statements in the conclusion 

 part of that study. One thing is something other than the number 

 of people seen explains most of the crowding. Existing conditions 

 of crowding appear to be fairly well accepted by a substantial por- 

 tion of the current user population. Also, it says, "Caution is there- 

 fore counseled in departing too much or too rapidly from existing 

 conditions." 



The most recent attempt by the Forest Service to complete the 

 Green River management plan was begun in March of *95. There 

 were five proposed alternatives, of which alternative B was the pro- 

 posed action. You have that in your handouts. 



Alternative B, the part that I will address, is the restriction of 

 public use. Just briefly, it is basically 600 persons in the Spring 

 Vol. Section A, which is a 7.2-mile section in the spring; during the 

 summer, there would be 750 maximum persons in that section at 

 one time; in the fall, 350. 



My concerns about this proposal were stated in my letter to the 

 Forest Service in April 25, 1995, and you have a copy of that. As 

 a business that depends on visitors for our livelihood, we are con- 

 cerned about public restrictions or even the perception of restric- 

 tions on the Green River. 



News releases and publicity about possible restrictions have al- 

 ready begun circulating. I am convinced that because of this, some 

 people have already decided not to come to the Green River. We 

 have phone calls all the time from people calling and sa5dng, I un- 

 derstand there are restrictions, and we say no, there aren't any; 

 they are just proposed. We wonder how many people don't bother 

 to call and just don't come. 



The Forest Service has stated that they can deal with the envi- 

 ronmental and safety concerns created by more people on the river. 

 Therefore, my question is, does the Forest Service have the right 

 to restrict public use of public lands and public water because of 

 perceived overcrowding? 



I say perceived, because I am not convinced that the actual prob- 

 lem exists. The public is intelligent enough to decide for themselves 

 if the river is too crowded. The choice then is theirs, to choose if 

 and when they will come. 



On the Fourth of July weekend, crowding is fun; the more the 

 merrier. For a tranquil fishing experience, coming during the week, 

 early morning, early or late season would be best. 



People don't like to be told what they can and can't do. Use of 

 the Green River hasn't significantly changed since 1991; that has 

 been stated. It has gone down from 114,000 visitors per year to 

 97,000. It has been pretty even since that time. 



It therefore appears to me that people are already deciding for 

 themselves if the river is too crowded. Let the people continue to 

 make their own choice. 



My philosophy is, if it is not broken, don't fix it, and make sure 

 that the solution isn't worse than the problem. Thank you. 



[The prepared statement of Craig W. Collett may be found at the 

 end of hearing.] 



