Wakeboard boat ban no the Willamette

This lady sounds really nice and a friend of all of ours. Does anyone happen to have her email? I would like to thank her for writing into the Oregonian and saying such pleasant things about my fellow boarders on the Willamette:

http://www.oregonlive.com/metrosouthwest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_southwest_news/1151713531180610.xml&coll=7

wow she was a super nice lady.. sounds like she is really supporting our sport

"I say let the wakeboarders do their thing where conditions are best, like the Pacific Ocean!

No need to weigh your boat down there -- the wake comes naturally."

Classic..

Maybe you should invite her out sometime along with her daughter. Maybe then she will find out what we all know about our sport and next thing you know she will cruise by in a X-star. Speakers Blaring of course.

How about this one by the same lady.

http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/metro_south_news/115120771431770.xml?oregonian?sml&coll=7

isnt that the same article?

I love these type people who move next to an existing dragstrip/airport/waterway and then complain about noise, traffic, etc. What was she thinking about? I have lived near Wilsonville my entire life and the main problem she has is the population increase. What does she want to do? Wipe out half the Portland Metro population so she won't have to see anyone on
"her" river? Granted there are a few jerks blasting stereos or cruising too close to a dock. More boater education will solve that problem though.

I like how people only play the "damaging the environment" card when they think it's in their favor and it will add some weight to their argument.

"These complaints are minor when I consider what is happening to the riverbanks and the effects on the environment and wildlife habitat.

Rivers weren't meant to have such big waves on them, and I have seen the effect of them on fishing blue herons, ospreys, eagles and kingfishers.

I also wonder about the nests of waterfowl and beavers and other wildlife. We have seen erosion along our property in terms of feet every summer."

Isn't building houses, yards, docks, and pilings along the water the worst thing you can do to a river ecosystem? Perhaps artifically-created wakeboarding wakes are the best way to replace the natural erosion to riverbanks that is lost when rivers are dammed to control cyclic flooding.

That really bites....I hate the 'damaging the environment' card. A couple of years ago on Lake Alder (WA), they made the best part of the lake (this canyon like area) no wake zone because of an 'endangered species' that might use that area for nesting.

I haven't been back since they did that.

Wakeboard culture degrades river life and environment
Thursday, July 06, 2006
CINDY JOHNSON MY TURN

I live in the Butteville area and have been increasingly distressed about wakeboard boats, the culture surrounding them and the effects on the river, its banks and property owners.

In speaking with neighbors here, we all agree that our docks, boat lifts, pilings, etc., are becoming so damaged that it seems not worth it to continue to repair them. Our dock seems to degrade and break before our eyes (and ears) on busy wakeboard weekends.

One of my chief complaints about wakeboarders (and some skiers) is the incessant noise they create with motors and blaring music from their giant speakers mounted in the top of the boats. Most summer days this starts at 6 a.m. and continues past sundown.

I would like to get the worst offenders' addresses and park my car in front of their houses and blast my stereo into their homes.

We cannot enjoy being in our yard, on our dock or entertaining friends without having to shout to hear one another.

Forget about letting our 5-year-old daughter swim off the dock on the busiest days. It is far too dangerous with how close some boats and Jet Skis get and how big the waves are. I am afraid she will get tossed back into the dock.

These complaints are minor when I consider what is happening to the riverbanks and the effects on the environment and wildlife habitat.

Rivers weren't meant to have such big waves on them, and I have seen the effect of them on fishing blue herons, ospreys, eagles and kingfishers.

I also wonder about the nests of waterfowl and beavers and other wildlife. We have seen erosion along our property in terms of feet every summer.

I agree we all have a right to enjoy the river and the recreation it provides. Yet, as with any recreation area, we need to respect it and others who use it.

Would it take the river being designated as a natural wildlife area for us to see the effects of what we are doing to it?

Snowboarders and skiers wouldn't want to see Mount Hood closed off to them because of environmental damage. Would wakeboarders and water-skiers want the river closed for the same reason?

I say let the wakeboarders do their thing where conditions are best, like the Pacific Ocean!

No need to weigh your boat down there -- the wake comes naturally.

Cindy Johnson and her family have lived along the Willamette River near Butteville for eight years.


She submitted the exact same letter on June 29th 2006. I know in our local newspaper you can only have one letter published a month.

She is a wacko and taking things to the extreme just to get her point across.
Lyle can we put something together as a rebuttal that you could summit.
ITCH

By chance, does anyone have a picture of the river on a busy day? My guess is that if someone takes a pictures on a busy weekend day, there won't be alot of wakeboarders out there. Too much boat chop to be wakeboarding, right? Probably alot of tubing and cruising going on, would be my thoughts.

The couple of times I have been on the Willamette River the conditions have not been ideal for wakeboarding, usually after work or on the weekend.

what a bunch of crap.This is the same lady who gets in her car that puts poison in the air to aid in global warming,not to mention runs on fuel that is brought over seas by a huge ship,which by the way I would love to ride behind,probably spilling some along the way in the ocean and she screams environmental issues.Its better for young people to be out doing something positive and motivating than sitting around all day playing video games.I hate to break it to her but her 5 year old daughter in 10 years will be flashing and hooking up with every wakeboarder out there.This lady needs to get a life.

If the woman feels so strongly about the environment and wild life habitat, then she should bulldoze down her river cabin and return the property to its original state. Oh yah, she should also place the property in the wildlife conservation classification, as well. Ahhh, the hypocrisy of it all.

Poor little Beavers.....

sounds like shes just jealous of our hot boats..if you dont like it move! and i'm sure if she came in front of my house and played loud music i would call up some friends and throw a party!

what a skank

I think we should all go by her house and show how caring we wakeboarders are by giving a little stroke and tickle to their beloved beavers?
Who's with me?

(Message edited by xesstar on July 14, 2006)

(Message edited by xesstar on July 14, 2006)

Boo Fuc*inngg Hoo! I'm so over litle biatches like this. I would love for her to pull in front of my house and blare her radio (can you imagine what she would play)!

Believe me guys, you can not win with this type of individual. They are totally useless and not worthy of breathing "our" air!