Oregonian Editorial Board Calls for No Wake Zone at Ross Island
July 30, 2008
Oregonian Editorial Board Calls for No Wake
Zone at Ross
Island!
Letters needed to support this position
The Oregonian
Editorial Board published an outstanding editorial this morning calling for Portland
Parks and Portland Bureau of Environmental Services to petition the State Marine
Board to create a no-wake zone in the Ross Island Lagoon and the Holgate Channel
(between Ross Island and Oaks Bottom). Read the Editorial
We urge you to write both the Oregonian and the Portland City Council in support of a modified version of this proposal that would make the Holgate no-wake and the Ross Island Lagoon non-motorized (except for activities associated with Ross Island Sand and Gravel operations and restoration activities).
Water skiers, jet boats, jet skis and wake boarders have the entire Willamette to enjoy their sports. It is entirely reasonable to set aside a small area between Ross Island and Oaks Bottom for quiet enjoyment of nature. Establishing a no-wake zone in the Holgate Channel and a non-motorized zone in the Ross Island Lagoon would:
· Increase safety in an area that is very heavily utilized by canoes, kayaks and other non-motorized boats
· Create a rare oasis of relative calm and quiet on an otherwise very busy river---a place where people can hear the birds… see an otter… have an intimate experience with nature
· Protect in-water and riparian restoration efforts along the channel and in the lagoon
· Protect sensitive nesting avian species such as bald eagles and great blue herons from disturbance
· Reduce a serious erosion problem on Ross Island which is largely a result of wave action from boat wakes
We urge you to write the Oregonian and Portland City Council today to support making Ross Island Lagoon Non-Motorized and the Holgate Channel No-Wake.
Oregonian Letters to the Editor
City Council E-mail Addresses
