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Dear Congressman Hansen, 



I am writing in response to your letter asking me to testify before the 

 Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands. The Forest Service's river 

 management policy for the Green River tries to put restrictions on its use that aire 

 unnecessary. 



I have been an avid user of the Green River for over twenty years, using it both 

 for recreational river running and fishing. I have my own raft and float the river 

 ten to fifteen times a year. I have gone down the river with many scout groups, 

 family reunions and civic organizations consisting of ten to over a hundred people. 



The Forest Service's plan to limit the number of people allowed on the river on 

 any given day raises several concerns. They say one major reason for this is to 

 avoid congestion. They would do this by only letting people launch their rafts 

 between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. How this would avoid congestion is beyond me. 

 Currently when we go fishing, we usually launch about 5:30 a.m. to avoid the 

 recreational rafters who tjrpically get on the river after 9:00 in the morning. 

 Under the proposed plan they would force us all into a much tighter time frame 

 that would greatly add to the congestion, not to mention that the best fishing is 

 early in the morning not during the middle of the day. 



I agree that environmental concerns need to be watched closely. A second rest 

 room is needed on the "A" section of the river as well as making sure that safety 

 rules are followed. However, only allowing a limited number of people on the river 

 at a time will not affect these concerns at all. It's impossible to wear out the 

 water in the river. A thousand rafts can float the river a day and they don't leave 

 any sign of their passing. We do need to be sure to educate river users of the 

 importance of taking only pictures (and maybe a fish or two) and leaving only 

 footprints. This is best accomplished through proper education and a few 

 well-placed signs, not by limiting the number of people allowed to enjoy our public 

 lands. 



The Forest Service also plans to only let a limited number of people launch per 

 hour. I have floated the river with groups as large as a himdred people. I wonder 

 how much greater the congestion will be when a large group is forced to launch 

 over a two to three hour time slot. This will result in long lines at the laimch 

 ramp not to mention the problem it will cause at the take-out ramp with people 

 waiting for several hours for the remainder of their group to arrive. 



I am greatly concerned about the government telling us when we are having fun 

 and when we aren't. For the Forest Service to say that if there are over "X" 

 number of people on the river then no one is having fun is an overstepping of their 

 duties and an inftingement on citizens right to use public lands. 



When I take my family on vacation I know that whether we go to Yellowstone 



