Might want to attend this hearing St Croix River-

Unless the St Croix is marked in some fashion, I predict deaths at the Afton Channel and Catfish Bar.

Updated: 01/08/2010 7:30 PM KSTP.com
By: Bob McNaney and Becky Nahm

Boaters Upset over St. Croix Buoy Plan

There is a red-hot controversy brewing out on the frozen St. Croix River.

The U.S. Coast Guard is considering pulling 15 navigational buoys from 25 miles of the river this spring.

Boaters are unhappy about the proposal. They say the move would be akin to removing stop signs or stop lights from city streets.

Joe Riley of Windmill Marina called the proposal totally ridiculous.

He said, “It is ridiculous to be removing those buoys. They have been there for 50-60 years they are needed for safe navigational pleasure craft commercial vessels and charter boats.”

The Coast Guard said the St. Croix is a recreational waterway, not a commercial route where such buoys are normally found.

The Coast Guard said its boats and crews are not equipped to reach and maintain the buoys each year without putting personnel at risk.

Mike O’Berry with the Coast Guard said it costs nearly $1,000 to maintain the buoys.

He said, “It is better for us to allocate those resources to commercially trafficked rivers.”

The Coast Guard is planning a public hearing on the proposal for sometime in February.

Video and Story Here<<

Unless you missed a digit or 2 that is the lamest excuse not to maintain the bouys!!
$1000?????????
That is peanuts to the CC.

Here is another story you better watch cause I can see the rich B#$&hs on the MN shoreline there getting the ice road closed down. This sounds strangely like the Black Bird Trail saga we had way back when. I want to know, with the way the Seria Club is about building on the Croix’s shores how the heck did they get those mansians built in Bayport?

Ice road controversy

I think that is the most brilliant idea yet, then after a few good accidents and the C.G. or other agency has been to a few accident sites on the “recreational waterway” they can see just how STUPID of an idea that was. While were at it why cant we get rid of those miles and miles of NO-WAKE zones as well those things are not needed on the St.Croix river.

In the Article the U.S.C.G. states that the St.Croix is not a commercial route where such buoys are normally found, this strikes me as funny because I believe that with the Charter boats that run out of Hudson, Afton and Stillwater and all the other charter/guide boats that just had to get the Six Pack license, it seems to me there is alot of “commercial” activity going on out on the river.

Just goes to show that some where in some branch of the Govt. someone with absolutely no brains at all is sitting behind a desk pushing a pencil. My favorite quote of the article is this one

Quote:

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The Coast Guard said its boats and crews are not equipped to reach and maintain the buoys each year without putting personnel at risk.

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My question to the U.S.C.G. is “instead of putting one or 2 lives at risk you would put 1000’s of lifes at risk?” I’m not fully understanding the logic behind that one especially not for a measly $1000 that I am sure some suited executive probably got in a bonus for proposing someone else’s idea to save a $1000

The Coast Guard said the St. Croix is a recreational waterway, not a commercial route where such buoys are normally found.

The Coast Guard said its boats and crews are not equipped to reach and maintain the buoys each year without putting personnel at risk.

Mike O’Berry with the Coast Guard said it costs nearly $1,000 to maintain the buoys.

He said, “It is better for us to allocate those resources to commercially trafficked rivers.”

Hold on just a second here.

Take a look at the 2 most recent Coast Guard decisions regarding the River and tell me there’s not something fishy going on.

They claim not to have the resources to maintain the systems of buoy’s, which I’m pretty sure everyone can agree are absolutely critical to safe travel through places like Afton or the Kinni. Despite the fact that 2/3 of the weekend users don’t know what the buoy’s even mean, there would likely be more accidents and grinding of lower units by the inexperienced river users, which would potentially cost lives and boaters lots of money in repair bills for the aforementioned ground up lower units.

The prop shops will be happy.

I think this should shed some light on among other things, extremely poor decision making on the part of the coast guard.

How is it that they have the resources to enforce the six pack on existing guides, yet overlook a obvious safety issue with regard to the buoys, and expect anyone to take them seriously in their mission? If the mission is to make our waterways safer, I’d consider the Coast Guard to have failed us, yet again. It reinforces the position of those who oppose the six pack enforcement in the fact that the CG does not have your safety in mind, it’s about money.

ridiculous.

BigPikeMike

If the C.G. does follow through with this and they are labeling the St.Croix as a recreational waterway than I 100% believe that the Six Pack license could potentially be contested and all the St.Croix river guides that were forced to get the license could and should have thier money refunded to them in full by the U.S.C.G. . I think they would have better things to do with thier money and time than to put 1000’s of peoples lifes at risk and in harms way. This is completely absurd.

Agree with everyone. This is absurd. It’s like pulling stop signs that have been at intersections for years and assuming the drivers will be fine. Ridiculous.