Supporter or dissenter cast your vote on the issue of whether jet boats should be allowed on the kicking horse river, leave a comment or contribute with an article.
The Golden Star editorial Apathy does nothing (June 13) states that "when it comes to your town - and how your backyard is going to be used or abused - you’d likely speak up". This is your chance to be heard.
The Issue
Our town is buzzing about the plans Wet 'n' Wild Adventures have to run a jet boat on the Kicking Horse River this summer.
Brad McLaren (owner of Wet 'n' Wild Adventures) in his letter to the Town of Golden declares that he has consulted with other river users yet those that have spoken openly say they are against his plans and the Golden Star (June 6) says Brad is not talking despite their repeated attempts to contact him.
The Argument
- The supporters say this is an exciting attraction which will encourage more people to visit Golden and spend their money in our town and that free enterprise should be allowed to flourish.
- Those against say that this is an inappropriate development, that there are safety concerns for other river users, that noisy boats should not be running on the river through town, that there has been no dialogue and that there should be a community consultation process as this proposal affects everyone.
So if you care about this issue cast your vote and email your friends and encourage them to vote.
if you want to share your thoughts post a comment or write an article.
31 comments:
If you posted a comment on this article and you cannot see it it has either not yet been moderated or if it was a longer comment it may have been moved to the "What others are saying" page and posted as a separate article.
I don't think the town realizes how much business wet n wild has brought to the community. As the jetboat can stop on a dime I don't see it as a saftey concern(in all of the 5 minutes it's up there !)I find that the blaring train whistles are far more erratating (and startling !) than a single jet bought that may go by once a day and only last seconds. it's time for Golden to bring it's head out of the sand. I happen to live right on the columbia river and we have all kinds of high powered boats, kyack's, floats etc go by. It's all navigable waterway in the main channel and until the governmaent inforces resrictions ... it's free enterprize.
Being predisposed to apathy, I am suprised to find I am strongly opposed to this business venture.
(With respect to the comment about blaring train whistles being more irritating, well yes, if there were proposal to put a rail line right through a rail-free town, that would receive plenty of objections; but since the rails have been there since before most of the town, I think we have to live with it.)
The lack of information on exactly what is being planned (for example - is it planning to go right up the lower, middle and upper sections to the Park boundary? Or is it just going to cruise up the wider section below the lower canyon?) and the lack of public consultation just fuel my opposition. As things stand, I would not hesitate to sign a petition (to who?) against the venture.
My main concern is: can anything be done about it? Or shall I just return to my normal apathetic state?
There is no question that Wet 'n' Wild have brought business to the town and the quality of their current business is not being questioned. However we should not be using past contribution as a criteria for judging whether this propopsal is a good development for the community.
False sense of votes - The voting of this web blog will probably be skewed because anyone who is in favour or against could cast their vote as many times as possible... It is good to see this dialogue and hope that it will be fruitful to stop the jet boating on the Kicking Horse River. A huge safety concern, aside from the lack of public consulation, noise and water pollution.
I love free enterprise and support anyone wanting to develop business here in Golden.
When setting up a business, there are channels and processes that must be followed to ensure that the business is safe, legal and appropriate.
From what I have heard, Brad has not followed the process to gain tenure to operate his business on the Kicking Horse. I do not know about the safety and training of his crew or that whether he has appropriate insurance for his business.
Like the other people have said, I think Wet n Wild make a great contribution to our local economy and that is not, as has already been said, being questioned.
Personally I think boats going upstream is like allowing snow mobiles to run uphill at Kicking Horse Resort and it does not seem safe.
If a proper and appropriate licensing process has been followed my fears and concerns could be calmed and I would have no opposition, I support free enterprise.
Brad, please tell us how you are going to operate safely for all river users.
A big supporter of wet and wild (I go rafting at least once a year with this company) I am suprised to find I am against this idea. Although I understand that it will help bring tourists to the community and will bring business...I have to wonder...isn't the great outdoors enough? I would rather the tourist come to see the natural beauty that Golden has to offer...fishing, hiking, camping, biking, sightseeing.
Thank you to Anonymous for raising the concern over the voting system. There are controls in place to restrict people voting multiple times and so you can only vote once from each computer. Once you have cast your vote the current results of the poll are displayed and you are unable to vote again. When you revisit the site after you have voted you will see the up to date results.
I would just like to pose a cautionary note, for all those Goldenites (locals and claimed locals), regarding the dangers of assuming...
I know that it has been assumed that since Wet'n'Wild currently runs the advertising off of their website for their white water rating tours, that in fact they are also intending to run their jet boat tours there as well. Also, I know that people have heard/seen/or heard tale of the "expeditions" that went up the Kicking Horse ferrying a load of kayakers not wanting to portage...and from that have gleaned the information that in fact this is the destined location for this new "venture".
As we all know the trite saying goes, assuming makes and ass out of you and me. So, with that in mind, perhaps someone should directly state the question to Wet'n'Wild owner "Which river exactly are you planning on running your jet boat tours on?" Since those who know Brad, know far too well that he is an antagonist, and will play off misreadings and assumptions of others as mere sport.
So with my cautionary note posted, please lets not give in to the assumptions and stick to the facts... Also remembering the silence neither confirms nor denies, as it is merely that...silent.
For clarification the advertising on the Wet 'n' Wild website is very clear that they plan to use the Kicking Horse River and quoting from their site "Let our captian [sic] take you up the Kicking Horse Lower Canyon". This planned use was also confirmed in the letter from Wet 'n' Wild to the Town of Golden.
Many people raft and kayak this river for eco- tourism reasons....a wild, and scenic river. We know of people that when they now hear that there is a jet boat on the river, they no longer want to raft or kayak on the river. This "venture" is turning people off and away from Golden. Brian O
Why do what everybody else allready does so well along this river?
Let's be courageous and ban all fast trafic on the Columbia, it deserves it.
We moved here for the fun and the beauty of this place.
Recently my husband was sucked out of his boat while kayaking. He rode out the run semi-submerged, got out a bit bruised but ready to do it again. My stomach churns to think that a jet boat might have been heading up at very great speed at the same time as he was bumping down the river.
While I have concerns about the larger questions of development and public consultation, this comment is related to the danger of this enterprise operating in a very wild river. The Kicking Horse is used by folks who love its wildness and take the calculated risks to enjoy it without impacting its beauty or endangering the lives of other users. Adding human-made elements of risk changes the experience without necessarily adding value to it.
Golden has a chance, right now, to make a small step towards deciding how we wish our town to be portrayed and to be seen. It's good to hear folks speaking up a bit! What kind of town do you want to show to the world?
I oppose the use of jet boats on both the Columbia (in the wetlands) AND the Kicking Horse (through the town). The noise, right downtown, would be awful. I think it's the wrong message in this day and age. Let's encourage and promote the existing users who do not distrupt the town.
I'm inclined to vote for Wet'n'Wild just because it's going against the flow (sorry).
I don't think Brad has had too much of a choice here with his abstention from public debate. Do you think it would have altered the outcome of anti-jetboat mentality ? I'm sure he was just hoping that all the fuss would quietly disappear with the passage of time. Doesn't help to have the local paper fan the flames ...
nor the likes of Larry Sparkes trying to morph his jetboat business into anything but what it is. I've seen jellyfish with more backbone.
Seems to me, the safety issue can be adressed with rules. This is where Brad should have been a little more proactive. It works in other countries so why not the Kicking Horse ?
As to noise ? Well, anybody making a decision to live in town should give their head a shake. I honestly doubt they will even notice it going by.
I believe in sharing, right along with free enterprise.
How about letting Brad have a trial season to see if he can operate in a manner that will soothe all but the most dedicated detractors ?
Or is that too logical ?
I am against jet boats using the lower portion of the Kicking Horse River. We have more than enough tourism opportunities in Golden without adding something that could cause severe injuries and/or death. Didn't a white water rafter just die? It wasn't due to mismanagement but there are always inherent risks. Why take more!
There are at least two sides to every story and while Wet n Wild's jet boat tours may well bring in additional trade for them to Golden my concern is about what we are losing as a result. I know several kayakers who spend at least 4 weekends per year here who have stated that they will not come here again if jet boats are running upstream as it is simply not a risk that they want to run into. Its all about balance and I think that running jet boat tours upriver by any company will have a net negative balance for Golden and the greater Golden area. I'm against.
There is a serious misconception out there by the supporters of Wet'n Wild. The idea that it is "just one boat" or that rules can solve the problem is completely off base.
Firstly, it will not be one boat. Because Brad chose not to follow public consultation, if he is allowed to operate, it means that anybody can start operating on the Kicking Horse. Remember, rafting started as one small company, now there are 10 companies putting over 30, 000 people a year down the river (we don't see those numbers in town, because most of the people are on the upper section of the river).
If you think I'm being sensational, let's look at other successful jet boat operations in Canada. Wild West Jetboats out of Blue River does 10,000 people a year. Saute Moutons in Montreal, 20,000 people and in Whirlpooljet in Niagra does 110,000 people a year. At 8 people per boat, 10,000 people a year means 2500 jetboats through town a season. One rafting operator has already said that if Brad pulls this off, he'll start jetboating too.
When it comes to rules, the paddling community might have listened to Brad's suggestions, had he taken the proactive approach. Instead, he chose the stop me if you can approach. There is no other example commercial jet boating and paddling traffic in the volumes that occur ont the Kicking Horse sharing. On the Shotover River in New Zealand, there is no downstream traffic allowed to accomodate the jetboaters. Same with the Niagra. There is over 30 years of historic and very regular paddling use on the lower canyon (which, by the way numerous companies and raft guides make their living from).
The issue is not about one boat today, it's about the big picture tomorrow.
Paul Harwood
River Operations Manager
Columbia River Safaris
Larry Sparks has done everything that is reasonably possible to provide his opinion on jet boating on the Kicking Horse whilst recognising that he himself owns a business that uses jet boats to tansport passengers.
I think the issue at large here is that Larry, before he started his Columbia River Safari business, went through the appropriate channels and procedures before being allowed to run his operation. Brad has not done this.
Second, as to the newspaper fanning the flames, it has tried to present a well researched and balanced arguement, Brad saying nothing does not help with the balance.
I am sure Larry would rather see an appropriately licensed business, run by Brad, next to him on the Columbia, outside of the wetlands management area than on the Kicking Horse.
As I have stated earlier free enterprise is a great thing that comes with living in a free country. It comes with rules and regulations though. Please Brad, just follow the regulations and then people will get off of your case.
A Jelly Fish having more spine than Larry Sparks?
Well, mister spine of steel that submitted as anonymous, let's look at Larry Sparks.
Larry has donated hundreds of hours to making our community a better place to live and do business.
A brief list of some of Larry's contributions:
- Founder of the Golden Kayak Club
- Very active in the creation of the DMO (Destination Marketing Organization, something most other towns have that Golden didn't)
- Participates regularily in meetings and workshops to help address issues facing the Columbia River
- Leader in the creation of regulations for jet boat operators in B.C. through the BC River Outfitters Association to ensure tours in the province are being done professionally and safely
- His company has a program to donate a portion of revenue (not profit) back to a non profit organization in our community.
- Key organizer of the Mountain Run Off Festival.
Lastly, and most importantly, he has lead the charge to create a whitewater park on the Kicking Horse river through town. This is not about creating a few waves for a small group of kayakers, albeit a great side benefit. The Water Park concept is about beautifing the whole river corridor and making it more user friendly for the whole community. For those that where present when Gary Lacy (the worlds foremost expert on such projects) gave a presentation of his assesment of the Kicking Horse, it was inspiring to see before and after photos of other urban waterways, and it became apparent just how nice our town corridor could become.
The biggest hold up for dredging the Kicking Horse (to prevent a very expensive natural disaster to our town) is the Federal Government and the Department of Fisheries. The water park will create eddies (holding pools) which will help compensate the damage to fish habitat. That is were the funding will come for such a project.
Oh, and by the way. Brad will benefit from this project, by providing washrooms, changerooms and a nice take out for his rafting clients, which he currently does not (check out the upper take out by the five mile bridge, the feces, femine hygene products etc. in the bushes are a nice touch).
It is easy to assume that Larry is creating a lot of noice because he is affraid of competion. That is not the case. From a marketing point of view, his company currently bears all the financial burden of advertising jet boating as an activity in Golden (example, brochure racks have 10 spots filled with rafting, each company paying for one spot, Columbia River Safaris/Jet boating only has one). After 17 years working on rivers, I've never been so proud of my place of employment and its products and our competition will have to step up significantly.
Larry was an avid kayaker/river runner and lover of his community long before he ran a jet boat company. Maybe he is making the most noice, because as a jet boat operator and someone who has spent most of his life enjoying rivers around the world, he is in the unique position of being one of the few that truly realize long term just what a bad idea this is for our community.
Paul Harwood
River Operations Manager
Columbia River Safaris
Good to see that wet and wild is listening to the concerns of the community…. Their unregistered commercial Jet boat is now docked at an illegal dock inside the wetland wildlife management area. Good thinking.
Why is canyonjet considered so sacred? They operate a 600hp+ jet boat. They operate on the columbia, just at the edge of the boundry. The website says you'll have a chance to view 100's of waterfowl ect.If anyone gets credit for starting the movement of jet boating in golden it was canyonjet.They put the idea out there. The pics on the site don't look like there just floating. I'm sure their putting out some wakes and disturbing wildlife on some level. All the post on varios forums or pleas to sign petitions seem to be comming from canyonjet employees or friends of the employees.
I am a kayaker and have grave concerns about safety. There are a lot of rafts and kayaks on the river. I've also been jet boating on the Dart River in New Zealand (12 person boats) and the Niagara River (~30 person boats). The kicking horse is similar to the Dart. The blind corners, high speed, and narrow channel make this an EXTREMELY bad idea. At least on Dart River there was only one operator and no other recreational traffic whatsoever (they owned the navigational rights to the river and had some kind of security system to detect people attempting to use the river - who they would then prosecute). My big concern is safety - perhaps if jet boat operations for ALL businesses were restricted to, say, 9-10am, then the rest of the river users could paddle without fear.
My mistake, it's the Shotover River in New Zealand where public access is restricted. Have a look at http://www.around.co.nz/queenstown-shotover-jet.cfm and you'll notice a striking similarity to the Kicking Horse. Considering the amount of traffic on the Kick, it's preposterous to think anything travelling 80kph in the lower canyon won't kill a couple people every year.
Comment moderation? Are you kidding me? Now we can all read this forum wondering how many sensible comments in favour of the Jet Boats have not been approved for posting by the blog author. Really democratic approach to public forum. At any rate, lets not all jump to conclusions before Wet'n'Wild has even had a chance to screw up. I say let them carry on with the Jet Boating business under one condtion, first incident they're done. First altercation with float traffic or environmental dammage and no more jet boating. It seems the rafting companies get chance after chance, how many people have died this year? Lets not all be afraid of change or progression. If people had that same attitude decades away a lot of you may not be rafting today, would you? I say nice work Wet'n'Wild, good job on offering something else to Golden's visitors. Further, what good is a web-vote that does not track ip addresses? If I cared to spend the next 8 hrs sitting here voting it doesn't appear anything will stop me.
This vote should not be allowed to hold any water in this debate or any official discussion, it is not conducted in a proper manor.
In reponse to the comment above.
Only one comment had been censored from this discussion and this was because it used language inappropriate to the debate. All other comments have been published. It is not my aim to bias the debate, either those in support are not coming forward or there are very few people in support.
Regarding the voting system. You will find that you are not able to vote more than once. Once you have voted you will get the result of the vote presented each time you visit the blog and not the voting buttons.
In this day of global warming when we are all encouraged to do whatever we can to stop the problems - why in the world would we want to encourage a polluting and fuel consuming tourism trade? Is it not better to take a greener approach to our community and lead the way for others? Canoes, rowboats, kayaks, etc. should be the way to go. I leave my car parked in the driveway so that my grandchildren may have fuel in the future - why should we waste just in the name of a bit of fun? NO! NO! NO! Not in this beautiful example of a still clean place on earth.
I am glad that someone finally asked the question that I know many of you may be thinking.
What is the difference between Canyonjet and Wet'n Wild's jet boat operations?
I appologize for the length of my response, but there are a lot of issues that need to be set straight.
Yes, we do operate almost identical boats. That's about where the similarity ends.
1. Canyonjet went through extensive public consultation BEFORE purchasing any of our boats. Larry Sparks spent two years talking to local groups, applying for the proper permits etc.
At the expense of the company, we had a bilboard at our property advertising what we were planning to do (for zoning changes) with how and where the public could make comments. We had advertisments in the paper for 6 weeks (I could be wrong, it may have been two).
On Larry's own inititive, he consulted with Wildsight, telling them of our plans and asking for their input into how we could mitigate any of their concerns. They were very leary initially of our plans, through dialog however we were able to address any issues that they had concerns about. We spent time on the river, to see if we would be affecting any significant numbers of users and spoke to local paddlers and fishermen. At no point during this process, did anyone come forward with strong opposition to our plans. If anyone had, we would have found a different product for the business, because our community is important to us.
2. We are operating on the edge of the wetlands, so what's the difference?
There is an increadible difference. Yes, our boats have a wake, and to some degree of course it affects wildlife.
The wetlands have a completely different ecosystem than our section of river, which is that of a regular Rocky Mountain stream. We had Bob Ferguson, a local biologist (not a friend) come out on our trips at three different times of the year to identify any species at risk that we may be affecting and to give us suggestions on how we could improve our standard opertating proceedures. To give you some idea on how different the two areas are, he identified about 10 species of birds living in the immediate riparian area. On one trip on our wetland float trip he identified 60 different species.
Wake errosion was of a concern with us. The section of river we are on is much faster moving than that in the wetlands. The shores are much rockier and more resistant to wake than the muddy banks found in the wetlands.
Here's an interesting stat if you don't belive me. There is so much sedimentation entering the Columbia between its headwaters and Golden, and the current is so slow that it is one of the only rivers in the world that is actually RISING in elevation. 1 foot in the last hundred years approximately. We operate in the Donald CANYON which the river has, and continues to errode into.
3. Our mission, was to set the standard for responsible, proffesional tourism development in Golden. We debated for a long time about operating jet boats, as we are well aware of their drawbacks. However, rivers around the world are under attack from hydrodevelopement, pollution etc. and we felt that it was the only vehicle that could transport almost anyone down our section of river. To date, our oldest guest was 86, our youngest 3 years old.
The interpretive component of our trip is very important to us. We do our best to instill a sense of appriciation for the important role rivers have played in our history, our economic progress and in the ecology. We have had numerous experts in a variety of fields help us in developing this program and in training our staff.
By comparison - Brad McLaren/W'n W
1. He chose not to consult the public before purchasing his boat and starting his tours. He has shown no effort to address any of our concerns.
Had he consulted with the paddling community for example, he would have found that the Golden Kayak Club has spent about $13,000 dollars in an environmental assesment and feasability study on making a water park in town. This would be in conjunction to dredging the Kicking Horse, necessary for disaster prevention. This would benefit the environment, the town and fits well with the efforts the town has already made with the pedestrian bridge and walking trails.
Brad currently has his boat parked at an illegal dock, and only registered his boat as a commercial watercraft AFTER he started operating and realized with all the opposition in town that he may get inspected.
This is very consistent with the do as little as possible approach that he has demonstrated in the past. (Look at the take out facilities, or lack there of on the Kicking Horse, after making thosands and thousands of dollars year after year. It is so embarrasing, compared to what other rafting operations around the world provide for facilities)
2. Canyonjet is operating on a section that affects very few people. Brad is operating on a river that has a lot of historical paddler traffic be it raft or kayak. This has both safety issues as well as being detrimental to the experience of the historic user groups.
He is also operating right through town, essentially affecting the whole community. It is true, jet boats are quieter than trains, engine brakes or helicopters. However, noise pollution is cumulative. The other sources of noice are essential services, not just for out community, but for the whole country. That's the difference.
As for the wetland section of his trip, the B.C. Government deemed long time ago that this was critical habitat for many species. Because the Federal Government is dragging its feet, does not mean it is o.k. to just fire up your commercial opperation.
I know people get very resistant to the Green movement, I also don't like being told what I can and can't do. However, the world is changing very fast, and not all activities are apporpriate in every possible location. These warnings are not crying wolf. The mountain carribou for example had healthy populations only a few decades ago in the Purcells, now they are almost gone. I'm sure there were many skeptics for setting aside areas south of the boarder, and now, thanks to the skeptics and rampent development there are almost no Grizzlies in the lower 48.
You want to know the really sad part about what Brad is doing. By not listening to concerned fellow citizens of Golden and abroad he has drawn a lot of attention to boating around here. Locals that have been enjoying the river in their boats, relatively under the radar, with minimal impact if they are behaving appropriately, may lose their ability to use those boats on the Columbia.
As for us at Columbia River Safaris, we discussed the possibility of someone seeing what we were doing and starting their own operation many years ago. We made the mistake of thinking that any such operation would be held to the same standards of social responsibility, and if not the government would shut them down.
Larry and I talked about it today. If we had seen the future, and by not starting Canyonjet would some how magically prevented what Brad is doing, no question we would have never started. If our investors could get their money back, and by closing shop we could stop jet boating on the Kicking Horse, we would take the opportunity in a heart beat.
The harsh reality, is at some point this issue was going to have to be dealt with by our community, Brad or no Brad. It is time the Federal Government dealt with this issue so that as a community we can stop losing friends and having to take sides.
Paul Harwood
River Operations Manager
Columbia River Safaris
The bottom line is this:
Golden decided, as a community in a referendum to embrace tourism when it decided to sell Whitetooth for deveopement in order to diversify its resource based economy. Since then tourism development has become a vital part of the economic success of our community.
However, we need to send a loud and clear message to future developers, both infrastructure and activity based, that if your project is going to affect your neighbour or the community you need to go through meaningful public consultation. If not, your project is not welcome.
Unfortunately, not all projects have a net benefit. Some do not fit with the community vision. Some are too diruptive, or have a negative impact on something already existing.
Many of us have lived in tourism towns where development went unchecked, with no plan for the future. We don't want that in Golden.
Paul Harwood
I think wet and wild has a potential gold mine and I can't wait to tap into it myself. The market is huge and if the community does not shut down jet boating on the kicking horse this year I will be cashing in too. I can't wait to start my operation, and I think I will rent Jet skis and let lots of folks rip up the wet lands on the columbia and run over kayakers on the horse
I THINK JET BOATS SHOULD BE ALLOWED ON THE RIVER AS LONG AS ANY OTHER FLOATING DEVICES ARE. I DONT'T BELIEVE ANY RIVER OR LAKE SHOULD BEHOLD TO ANY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS. IF YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE ILLEGAL FOR ONE MAKE IT ILLEGAL FOR ALL. IF YOU ARE GOING TO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THEN DO SO AND REGULATE EACH INTERESTED GROUP.
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