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Whitewater Rafting
The lower Merced River below Yosemite National Park is very popular for whitewater rafting. In his testimony on HR 2578 to the House subcommittee considering this bill, the Director of the BLM, Robert Abbey said:
"The lower Merced River is noted for having some of the most outstanding scenery and whitewater boating opportunities in California and the nation. Every summer over 10,000 whitewater enthusiasts test their skills on the river. The BLM currently permits 12 commercial businesses, which guide most of these recreationists on this section of the Merced River.
The communities of Mariposa and El Portal benefit from these whitewater boaters who contribute more than two and a half million dollars to the local mariposa economy. Boaters generate important economic activity during the traditionally lower visitation times of spring and early summer, expanding the length of the Yosemite region tourism season. This river-dependent tourism provides a greater level of economic and employment stability for these communities."
These 10,000 people either come to Mariposa County explicitly for the whitewater rafting or extend their trip to Yosemite by an extra day, thus extending their time in the County by an additional two-night stay in local lodging.
One of the favorite and more challenging Class 4 rapids on the river, pictured above, is located in the "Wild" section of Wild and Scenic lower Merced River. From the American Whitewater website description of this area:
"The prime feature of this section is a rapid called "Quarter Mile." Actually feeling more like a half mile, it is a tighter channel with continuous pool and drop features that can be boat scouted along the way, eddy hopped and dropped with continuous amusement at low to moderate flows."
Bob Ferguson, president of Zephyr Whitewater Expeditions says that the run through this area is a favorite and many customers come specifically to do the all day trip from Briceburg to Bagby through this not only challenging, but particularly wild and scenic area, without the distraction of nearby roads. This experience is the whole point of a Wild and Scenic River and why we protect them.
This particular run can only be made when the river flow is down near the end of summer; at other times it can be a bit too wild for commercial rafting. When the waterfalls in Yosemite Valley slow down this particular section of the river becomes practical for commercial rafting. Rafting this section of the river however, means continuing down river to a pullout at Bagby within the MID operated reservoir, Lake McClure. Not only do rafters need to paddle or be towed to this pullout, MID then charges a fee for the privilege! Now MID is proposing to flood even more of more of the lower Merced River which, according to Abbey's testimony, would add one and a quarter mile of still water to that already long paddle/tow. This would not be good for the commercial whitewater rafting industry or private rafters and kayakers.
Even more problematic is, of course, the precedent of removing a segment of a Wild and Scenic River from protection, making it unsuitable for whitewater rafting and other river-related recreational activities. We cannot expect rafting companies to invest in a business based on a resource that could easily disappear. The intent of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is to preserve rivers or segments of rivers as Wild and Scenic for future generations, not in reserve for future use as reservoirs. There are better places and better ways of storing water. For the sake of whitewater rafters now and in the future we must protect our Wild and Scenic Rivers.
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