Canoes and Shared Use

The Au Sable River, notably the Mainstream and the South Branch, continues to suffer from unregulated multiple use conflicts. The problem tends to be seasonal. For recreational canoeing and commercial liveries, it is especially prominent after June 1 st through Labor Day weekend and is, of course, strongly concentrated on holidays and weekends. Less frequently discussed is the effect of racing canoe practice and the interaction with commercial canoes. It seems that racers who practice are also attempting to avoid the peak river use times for livery canoes by running in the mornings and evenings. This creates the untenable result that racing canoes, with the associated wake, turbidity, and disturbance, are on the river at the precise time when anglers are attempting to glean an hour or two of fishing after the river quiets from a daytime of livery floats. Few canoe racers slow their pace out of consideration for fishermen.

A review of the effects of canoeing on quiet use of the river, impact upon property owners, or upon river water quality or turbidity is not intended in this article. Rather, we would like to offer solutions to ease the problem through voluntary regulation or other organized approach. The first and obvious regulation that would be immediately helpful is to restrict livery canoeing to a 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. time slot. On the Battenkill River, commercial canoe and floating liveries have volunteered to restrict their business during morning and evening hours when fishing activity is normally at a peak. On the Pere Marquette River, where the U.S. Forest Service can more conveniently pass laws to regulate commercial liveries, they are not allowed to be on the water before 9:00 A.M. and must be off before 6:00 P.M. Liveries stop launching by 3:00 P.M. A similar launch pattern on the Au Sable would produce results compatible with fishing and other quiet uses of the river.

Number restrictions for commercial canoes and the proliferation of other rental watercraft need to be reviewed. The DNR must enforce the number restrictions adopted with the passage of the Michigan Natural Rivers Act. If a livery wants to add twenty rental kayaks, it should have to retire twenty canoes, thereby balancing the overall traffic volume.

Would a user fee for the commercial use of the river seem inappropriate? The National Forest Service again has accomplished just such a program on the Pere Marquette River. Notably, there is a $3.00 per day parking fee at access sites and liveries pay a launch fee. It is also noteworthy that guides are restricted and must pay an annual fee for use of the river. On the Au Sable, a yearly permit for property owners and other recreational canoeists would produce a significant contribution for quiet use of the river. Commercial livery craft should pay a per trip/per craft use fee. This would create funds for the restoration, maintenance and repair of river habitat.

The problem of racing canoes may be the most difficult to tackle, but is also one of the most vexing for fishermen. A restriction to every other day practice times would seem to be a viable solution. One proposal suggests that canoes practice only on even days during even numbered years and on odd days during odd numbered years. Some other similar, but easily regulated, use rule may be just as feasible. This would acknowledge that racing canoes would practice when the river is not crammed with commercial canoes while allowing times during which the river could be predictably free of disturbance for fishermen during summertime evening hours. This would be especially beneficial for the upper Mainstream from Burton’s to Wakeley, during the months of April, May and June.

There may be a variety of other use ideas which would not only be creative, but serve the multiple use concept. The upper Au Sable lacks the U.S. Forest Service oversight and protection provided to the Pere Marquette. Livery owners, property owners, angler groups, and other parties, however, should begin a serious effort to address these issues and problems and to produce solutions. RWOL

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