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caught a ride with one of the jet boat tours to Lewiston for treatment in the 

 emergency room and rejoined to his family's float group the next day. Many 

 people recreating on the river have similar experiences every year. 



The Snake is a big river with room for all to use it safely, provided they 

 exercise common sense and treat each other with respect. Of course, some 

 boaters fall short of both counts. You'll find that with any group of people, 

 regardless of their choice of watercraft. We can, however, change attitudes and 

 correct shortfalls of know-how with education. 



In the 1995 Hells Canyon boating season the stage was set for conflict by the 

 1994 Forest Service River Management Plan which pitted one user group 

 against the other. Instead, according to Forest Service River Manager Mike 

 Cole, we had one of safest and most tranquil seasons ever, with each group on 

 their best behavior. The same was true for the Wild and Scenic Salmon River. 

 This was likely due in no small part to "Guidelines for Float/Power Boat 

 Interaction on Idaho Rivers" (see Attachment 3), an educational brochure 

 produced by the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association in cooperation with 

 managing agencies and several organizations, including ours. We helped to 

 write the guidelines and our member organizations purchased enough copies to 

 mail to each member and for the Forest Service to hand out at Hells Canyon's 

 river portals. The organization responsible for most of the tales of Hells 

 Canyon woe was invited to participate, but didn't, electing to be part of the 

 problem rather than part of the solution. 

 Wildlife 



To listen to the opponents of jet boats you would expect to find wildlife 

 fleeing in terror every time a jet boat passed. That isn't what happens, however. 

 The way wildlife responds to power boats on the Snake River is little short of 

 amazing and certainly puzzling. 



Waterfowl passing through the area will fly when power boats approach 

 closely; they respond the same way to float craft. Local birds, however, will sit 

 quietly or move just far enough to avoid being hit if they are in the boat's path. 

 They have learned that power boats under way are of no threat to their safety . 



Larger animals, such as deer, elk and bighom sheep, pay little attention to 

 power boats unless they pull into the bank or shut down their engines. They 

 also have leamed that power boats under way pose no threat. Big hom sheep 

 will come within a few feet of a boat full of tourists and drink from the river , 

 looking upstream, downstream, up slope, anywhere but at the power boat, 

 which seems to be of no concem to them--almost invisible. However, their 

 entire demeanor changes if the boat tums into shore and a person steps on the 

 bank. 



Power boaters have been blessed with opportunities to observe many real- 



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