[OSMB-News] News Release -Marine Board Hosts Open House for Chetco Users on February 17

[MASSEY Ashley * OSMB]

For Immediate Release                                                  Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Marine Board Hosts Open House for Chetco Users on February 17

The Oregon State Marine Board is hosting an open house on February 17, at Southwestern Oregon Community College, Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, in Brookings from
10 am to 4 pm.

When the fishing is good and the water is right, the Chetco River attracts anglers by the hundreds.  "It's a unique fishery, the area's population is growing, and once in a while, everyone shows up at once," says Randy Henry, Boating Safety Program Manager for the Oregon State Marine Board.  "Occasionally tempers flare, and that leads to petitions the Board receives."

On Friday, Feb. 17, Henry will be in Brookings to talk to individuals and small groups throughout the day about their perspectives and ideas related to future management of the Chetco River.  "This is your chance to show up and talk one-on-one, ask questions, give your ideas and discuss your perspectives.  I've met with numerous local officials and waterway managers on this topic, now I want to hear from the public - the people who fish and boat this river," says Henry.

The meeting is part of a localized engagement strategy that has included increased law enforcement and may include additional actions in the future.  The strategy is the result of a petition filed in 2016, that was ultimately denied by the Board. The petition sought to prohibit motorboat operation on the Chetco with the goal of reducing conflict between different user groups.

"While the Board felt the motor prohibition was too restrictive, they did ask me to provide more oversight, more observation, and meet with locals to look for more generally acceptable solutions to the crowding and conflict. That's the purpose of this meeting," said Henry.

For more information about the Marine Board and recreational boating in Oregon, visit www.boatoregon.com<http://www.boatoregon.com>.

###

Ashley A. Massey
Legislative Coordinator
Public Information Officer
Oregon State Marine Board
503-378-2623

[Signature2016]







-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20170201/7bc04cd9/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 92 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20170201/7bc04cd9/attachment.gif>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 11774 bytes
Desc: image002.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/osmb-news/attachments/20170201/7bc04cd9/attachment.jpg>