[tmatlack]

Howdy, From American Whitewater: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/articleid/32138/ This one seems sorta small, mean, and axe grinding. Tom

[treeswarper]

That sounds like it would also ban fishing from the bank! What a crock!

[Malachai Constant]

Sounds like one land owner is trying to make public waters into a private pond.

[Randito]

Find your legislator and let them know you think this is a crock. http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/ What's next ? Hiking allowed only from official DNR pay parking lots?

[treeswarper]

[NacMacFeegle]

[treeswarper]

Natty, you are making assumptions again. If you listen to the committee video, it sounds like it is a house and a yard. The landowners are having problems with littering, fences torn down, the usual. I can sympathize a little bit with them. But to lock up river access statewide is overdoing things. It's too much to deal with one, local problem. I googled it and found a newspaper article about several spots where they are overrun by folks needing river access. As always, some slobs ruin it for the rest. None were on farms or ranches. They were neighborhoods. Please tell me where you got the farm angle. I'd like to know. I saw nothing about it being a farmer or rancher. The place is for sale if you are interested. Sounds like nobody wants to buy it because of the problems. However, one also needs to do research before buying a property, although that might not have been a problem when they bought it. Just another example of the overpopulation of our state...

[MtnGoat]

A huge injustice and over reach, and the approach is typical....if you can't control it, ban it. These are public lands owned by every tax payer, making it illegal to access them unless there is formal parking is ridiculous. It makes more sense to strengthen trespassing and vandalism laws which will directly address the few cases of harm, rather than harm the rights of all users of public property by placing unimproved areas off limits. What a great way to make use of our land illegal because there wasn't budget to do an improvement.

[NacMacFeegle]

[Randito]

As an old river rat, I would be sad to see this bill pass. In my decades as a boater, I've seen plenty of trash left at public access sites. Boater's account for a small fraction, fishermen some as well, but IMHO by far the bulk of the garbage I've seen littering these sites are empty beer cans left by underage drinkers -- who aren't going to bring their empties home to be recycled in mom and dad's recycle bin.

[Malachai Constant]

Looking at the video of the hearing it does not appear to be a public land grab. It does appear to be a very local problem that could be easily solved by towing the illegally parked cars. The bill as written is overreach first by no definition of "adequate parking" as pointed out by one rep. Second, as written it would apply to the whole state. The county should police its own parking regulations. If enacted it would cut off thousans of access points.

[MtnGoat]

Very good point. Enthusiastic towing of vehicles parked on private land is a better solution than the statewide hammer.

[treeswarper]

Here is the newspaper article. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/07/16/2472944_w-richland-council-votes-to-add.html?rh=1 The video link is on the Whitewater page.

[tod701]

HB1056 would apply to all state land parcels adjacent to water that are less than 160 acres. http://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1056&year=2015 You can both read the bill and provide comment directed to your legislators by following this link. Personally I opposed this piece of legislation.

[Ranger Smith]

Oh but wait! They will probably sell you a pass for $100.00 per year!