Updates on Castle Rock Cut and Zebra Mussel Prevention Program

[Blue Ribbon Coalition]

h2Contacts/h2Jack Welch, Volunteer Consultant, BlueRibbon Coalition br- Phone: (303) 279-8436 or Cell (303) 324-7185 br- Fax: (303) 279-8214 br- Email: a href="mailto:brjack_w@sharetrails.org"brjack_w@sharetrails.org/a br- Webpage: a href="http://www.sharetrails.org/staff/#JackW"http://www.sharetrails.org/staff/#JackW/a brbrDate: 06/08/2009 br brWe have just finished Memorial Day Weekend, and many recreationists are looking forward to another great season of water-based recreation at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, also known as Lake Powell. With the beginning of the summer season, the Park Service at Lake Powell has issued two important news releases, one pertaining to the opening to the Castle Rock Cut and the other to the Zebra Mussel Prevention Program. I have taken just a moment to summarize them below. Both of these issues are important to PWC operators and boaters who plan to recreate on Lake Powell this summer.br /br /First, let me provide some background information on Castle Rock Cut and why the deepening and using of the cut is important. The cut is a popular shortcut route on Lake Powell that allows all boaters, including PWCers, to conveniently travel between the Wahweap Marina and other uplake destinations. Traveling through the cut, when operational, saves about 12 miles of travel and more than one hour's transit time to uplake destinations. Uplake areas include Rainbow Bridge, Padre Bay, Warm Creek Bay, etc. Additionally, the cut improves safety of PWC operators by eliminating the need to use a narrow channel that ALL boating activity was forced to navigate prior to the opening of the cut, which may have created some potentially dangerous areas. The narrow channel has areas of large wave action and close proximity to larger craft, making the 12-mile transit difficult at best (PWCs vs. 75ft house boats; not good!) br /br /The cut is opening early due to heavy spring run off and because the Park Service approved the preferred alternative in the Environmental Assessment last year, which BRC had commented on. So, enjoy the shortcut this summer!br /br /Secondly, the Zebra Mussel Prevention Program from last boating season will be continued. This program is working to prevent zebra or quagga mussels from becoming established in Lake Powell. Currently, Lake Powell and the upper Colorado River are believed to be free of these invasive mussels. However, they pose a major threat to the area if they are introduced. br /br /Highlights from this year's Zebra Mussel Prevention Program:br /ulbr /liAll visitors bringing boats into Glen Canyon NRA are required to display a certificate through their vehicle windshields stating their boat is free of zebra or quagga mussels./libr /liVisitors bringing boats into the recreation area will continue to be asked a series of questions at entrance stations to determine whether or not their boats may be harboring mussels. If a boat is determined to be a zebra mussel threat, a mandatory decontamination cleaning will be required. Visitors will be required to proceed directly to the decontamination station./libr /liTo save time when a visitor arrives at Glen Canyon, visitors may self-certify their boats as being zebra and quagga mussel-free and display their required dashboard certificate by downloading self-certification packets from Glen Canyon's homepage (www.nps.gov/glca)./li br //ulFailure to abide by these regulations is in violation of 36 Code of Federal Regulations 1.5(f). Last season 2008, several citations were issued for noncompliance with the Zebra Mussel Prevention Program. br /br /In March of this year, a boat was prevented from launching at Lake Powell because live mussels were found during a required pre-launch inspection. After the boat was decontaminated, it was quarantined for five days before it was allowed to launch. The boat was last used at Lake Pleasant. br /br /Such violations are punishable by up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. br /br /Glen Canyon NRA is coordinating efforts with a variety of partners to prevent invasive mussels in Lake Powell. These partners include ARAMARK/Lake Powell Resorts Marinas, Antelope Point Marina, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The recreation area seeks to expand coordination with additional partners this summer in order to enhance prevention efforts.img src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/BlueRibbonCoalition/~4/I_U_4ndThmI" height="1" width="1"/





Link