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nightly. Those used by large float parties have paths carved into the slopes 

 leading from the water to the camping areas. Most float parties carry large 

 quantities of food and equipment, since weight usually isn't a limiting factor for 

 large rafts. This requires many trips, from the river in the afternoon and to the 

 water in the morning. Vegetation at the campsites is beaten into dust by 

 summer's end. Most floaters spend relatively little time on the water (2.5 -3 

 hrs.) each day, averaging just over 10 miles per day between the dam and 

 Pittsburg Landing. The balance of their time is spent in camp, scouting rapids 

 and taking side trips. 



The vast majority of power boaters are day users who don't camp along the 

 river. The largest group of Hells Canyon boaters are those who take one day 

 power boat tours from Lewiston or Hells canyon Dam. Most of their time is on 

 the water. When they do stop, it is at managed, hardened sites, such as the 

 Cache Creek Administrative Site and the Kirkwood Historic Ranch. The only 

 non-hardened stops are at beaches, naturally hard sites, for swimming. Many 

 tour boats already have onboard toilets; the management plan requires all tour 

 boats to have them in the future. These boaters have no impact on land based 

 resources. 



Power boaters who do camp spend relatively little time on shore. Their 

 activities are largely water based— running rapids, fishing. Parties are small, 

 averaging 3 people per private power boat party vs. 9 per private float party. 

 Many power boaters sleep on their boats and, since weight is critical for power 

 boats, they carry less gear to pack around. 



Most power boaters who camp set up their equipment at one site and stay 

 there for the duration of their visit. This means that less gear is packed up and 

 down the river's slopes; fewer trips equates with less impact. Floaters usually 

 stay one night at each site, setting up a new camp every night. 



In 1990 floaters terminated 47% of their trips at Pittsburg landing. Another 

 24% terminated their trips above Pittsburg and jet boated back to Hells Canyon 

 Dam. Only 19% went all of the way through the HCNRA to the Grande Ronde. 

 As you can see, floating is largely concentrated in the 31.5 miles of wild river 

 above Pittsburg landing, an area where the Forest Service wants to maintain 

 primitive shorelines. To accomplish this they have, incredibly, elected to 

 eliminate the uses with the least impact on the shorelines, one day floats 

 entirely and power boats for 3 days a week in the peak season. 



There can be no question that power boating has much less impact on land- 

 based resources than floating. The "environmentally benign" claim for floating 

 is so much guano. This is not to say that the impact of floating is unacceptable. 

 Any human use of land will have some effect upon it. Hells Canyon's 

 campsites, their sandy soils and vegetation, are quite resilient. 



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