05-30-2011, 09:48 PM
I find it is very telling that although there have been several public meetings and hearings about alternative management plans for Lake Lowell, and the massive input has been in favor of the status quo, this has been ignored. Rather than work to improve the status quo, all plans are to restrict public access and uses. The south side of the lake has not been managed for years and could use great improvement.
I find it interesting that the Refuge management has chosen to endorse Alternative 3, rather than to wait to hear public input. Knowing the way politicians work, I’m certain that this is so that they can “meet the public halfway”. Rather than demand Alternative 3, they will give a little and accept Alternative 2. Of course, the general public looses and they gain. Then in a few more years they will offer to renegotiate and want further restrictions. This is what the government calls compromise. Instead of taking the whole pie, they just take a piece. You lose, they gain – that’s compromise.
I don’t think most fishermen realize that all alternatives other than the status quo, provide for the closure of the south side of the lake as well as the current no wake area. This is accomplished by declaring the “emergent beds” (the smartweed growth) wildlife habitat and closing the area to the public. There would be a 200 yard buffer around the emergent smartweed, and a 500 yard buffer around “historic grebe nesting areas”.
The emphasis in all the alternative plans for wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities include school field trips, organized programs, trails and structured observation facilities. That’s really getting back to nature. Of course these will be controlled and the children will be “educated” by the environmentalists at the refuge.
Upland and Lowland bird hunters should also note that the refuge will have increased or no hunting regulations under these new plans. Lake Lowell has already gone from being one of the greatest duck hunting areas in the NW to a smidgen of what it was 50 years ago.
I believe that unless our federally elected Senators and Representative can apply pressure from Washington, we will lose out to the two women running the Deer Flat Refuge. They will ignore the public, as they have to date.
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I find it interesting that the Refuge management has chosen to endorse Alternative 3, rather than to wait to hear public input. Knowing the way politicians work, I’m certain that this is so that they can “meet the public halfway”. Rather than demand Alternative 3, they will give a little and accept Alternative 2. Of course, the general public looses and they gain. Then in a few more years they will offer to renegotiate and want further restrictions. This is what the government calls compromise. Instead of taking the whole pie, they just take a piece. You lose, they gain – that’s compromise.
I don’t think most fishermen realize that all alternatives other than the status quo, provide for the closure of the south side of the lake as well as the current no wake area. This is accomplished by declaring the “emergent beds” (the smartweed growth) wildlife habitat and closing the area to the public. There would be a 200 yard buffer around the emergent smartweed, and a 500 yard buffer around “historic grebe nesting areas”.
The emphasis in all the alternative plans for wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities include school field trips, organized programs, trails and structured observation facilities. That’s really getting back to nature. Of course these will be controlled and the children will be “educated” by the environmentalists at the refuge.
Upland and Lowland bird hunters should also note that the refuge will have increased or no hunting regulations under these new plans. Lake Lowell has already gone from being one of the greatest duck hunting areas in the NW to a smidgen of what it was 50 years ago.
I believe that unless our federally elected Senators and Representative can apply pressure from Washington, we will lose out to the two women running the Deer Flat Refuge. They will ignore the public, as they have to date.
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