By infringing on the right of the public to enjoy the use of California's rivers these actions would seem to be unconstitutional. The constitution of the State of California guarantees the public's use of and navigation on the state's rivers. There remain two fine, legal areas to take out of the river. One is at the county park at Holiday Rapid, and the other is the Army Corps of Engineers launch area on Terminus Reservoir. Bruce Hare, a long standing member of the paddling community with close ties to the Chattooga River , and a local non-profit organization have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service in Federal court challenging certain revisions to the rule governing the use of the Chattooga River by private and public boaters.
Local paddlers are concerned about their lack of involvement in the decision making process.
In short, its a win-win situation. The AWA is working with State Parks to make this possibility a reality come December. That's when the private lease on the property is set to run out. Our chances of success will be greatly enhanced with support from individual boaters and boating groups. In 1996, the Colorado River Management Plan for the Grand Canyon will be up for revision.