[OSMB-News] News Release -New Boat Ramp Named for Local Middle Rogue Steelheader

[Ashley Massey]

For Immediate Release                                              Date: Thursday, September 9, 2010

New Boat Ramp Named for Local Middle Rogue Steelheader 
 
            A new boat ramp at Indian Mary Park opened in August, complete with four additional trailer spaces, a paved maneuvering area.  A new restroom will also be installed later this month.  This new and improved boating access facility may not have happened if it weren't for the efforts of a Middle Rogue River Steelheader, Mike Cooley.  
            Cooley witnessed the deterioration of the previous ramp due to weather, high use, and other environmental factors, as well as the inadequate restroom facilities for the volume of users, while working as a volunteer consultant for Josephine County Parks.  “The old launch has become unsafe to use in the fall during low water, during heavy use by fishermen," Cooley stated in a comprehensive letter to the Josephine County Commissioners in 2009.  With support for the project from the local Middle Rogue River Steelhead chapter of Trout Unlimited , Cooley did his research, finding out what needed to be done to make a new boat launch possible; everything from determining new location 250 feet downstream in a sheltered back-eddy, to the permit applications, the biological analyses, reviews, designs and costs.  Cooley’s efforts gained support from nearly a dozen Federal and State agencies that needed to be involved with the in-water project due to the presence of endangered species.  
On September 7, the Indian Mary Park Boating Facility was dedicated, but with a surprise: the boat ramp was named, the “Mike Cooley Boat Launch.” “Naming the facility after Mike is only fitting,” said Wayne Shuyler, Boating Facilities Manager for the Oregon State Marine Board.  “He has been the catalyst behind this project every step of the way.”  And icing on the proverbial cake, the boat launch is open in time for the fall Chinook salmon season, which should make every angler, especially Cooley, all a grin.         
The old ramp was located in fast-moving water, and during low flows, boaters had to push off quite a distance to get into deeper water.  Cooley learned that the Josephine County Marine Patrol was unable to launch their jet boat safely in order to respond to boaters involved in accidents near Dunn Riffle, which only made the case to replace the old ramp even stronger and helped gain support from the Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Marine Board. 
            The Josephine County Parks Department applied for and was awarded $58,000 in state boater funds from the Marine Board, $174,000 in federal Sport Fish Restoration funds administered through the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife which was combined with $22,075 of in-kind contributions, $20,000 of applicant cash, and an additional $3,000 donation from the Middle Rogue River Steelhead chapter of Trout Unlimited.  The total approved project cost is $277,075.  The club also plans to do bank restoration with native plants.
The Rogue River is the sixth most used water body in Oregon.  Portions of the river are designated as a National Wild and Scenic River and a State Scenic Waterway.  Indian Mary Park is located in a section of river designated as recreation, rather than wild or scenic.  The river is used by rafters and kayakers as well as jet boaters.  The boat ramp is considered a mixed-use site by the Oregon State Marine Board.  Noted for its whitewater, the rogue is also a popular fishery for summer and winter steelhead and fall Chinook salmon.  The new boat launch takes advantage of existing rock structures in the bank that better shelter boaters, resulting in safer launching conditions. 
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Ashley A. Massey
Public Information Officer
Oregon State Marine Board
503-378-2623 (office)
503-302-1049 (cell)
ashley.massey at state.or.us
www.boatoregon.com
www.twitter.com/marineboard
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