156 



1994 (May) Forest Service releases the river plan Final EIS for public 



review, which also proposes to control the use and number of motorized 

 rivercraft. 



1994 (June) Forest Service publishes special regulations to implement the 



provision of Public Law 94-199 that requires a provision for the control of the 

 use and number of motorized and nonmotorized rivercraft. The rule defers 

 actual provisions for controls to the CMP. 



1994 (October) Forest Service releases Record of Decision for the river plan Final 

 EIS. Implementation of the plan is scheduled for January 1995. A second 

 survey on user perceptions is published. 



1995 (February) Deputy Regional Forester Richard Ferarro delays implementation 

 of the new plan until September 15, 1995 the date after which seasonal 

 regulations controlling the use and number of motorized rivercraft in the 

 new plan would expire for the year. 



1995 (July) Final decision on appeals of the river plan is rendered. Regional 



Forester declares that the agency must do a study to determine the impact of 

 the plan on commercial motorized rivercraft operators and that the 

 provisions of the plan that would control the use and number of motorized 

 rivercraft cannot be implemented unril after the commercial use study is 

 completed. 



1995 (August) Hells Canyon Nahonal Recreation Area river ranger states that the 

 commercial motorized rivercraft impact study may take more than a year to 

 complete which mear\s the plan would not be implemented in 1996. 



1996 (February) The Forest Service releases a scoping notice for the commercial 

 motorized rivercraft impact study indicating that it will not be completed, and 

 controls on motorized rivercraft use will not be implemented, until after the 

 1996 summer season. 



During this more than 20 year period wherein the use and number of motorized 

 rivercraft was uncontrolled, the number of jet boat launches has escalated fivefold. 

 (See, Exhibit U.) The degree of this escalation was determined by comparing recent 

 use figures with documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act that 

 provide a rough sketch of what jet boat use numbers were in the mid 1970's. (See, 

 Exhibit V.) 



This long history of controls on nonmotorized floating, and uncontrolled 

 motorized use, has led to jet boat dominahon of the Snake River and an expectation 

 on the part of the motorized public of continued special privileges including 

 unregulated use. 



Testimony of HCPC on River Management 4 



