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Which fish? Bass and red ear? Yeah, those were introduced and managed by the state for recreation and economic value. But can you even name the native species which have all been driven to the edge of extinction by damming? Those species are not adapted to the cold, clean water of the modern...

FYI I grew up in the coal fields of Belmont County just across the Ohio River from the West Virginia towns you're talking about. My grandfather spent his whole career with Consol Coal and my dad worked for R&F coal underground until mining started going belly up. He lost his job in about 1984...

The full text of that paragraph makes it clear that it is referring to Topock Marsh, not the river. The marsh is highly regulated and artificial- but there are no artificial islands, dikes, or irrigation dams on the portion of the River which we were discussing. Have you ever been on the...

I don't understand. There are non-native sport fish in the area (supporting a significant economic sector of its own) but non native species are not driving any of the Refuge's current proposals. The Boating CD had two parts- public safety and protecting the remaining habitat of native species...

The Refuge is mostly the free flowing portion of the Colorado River north of Lake Havasu with a bit of the Arizona shoreline north of town; BOR now owns and controls the vast majority of Lake Havasu itself. While dams have certainly altered the river, it is far more similar to the original...

I'm guessing you were a bully in high school too. Sounds to me like Vic made mistakes as a young man (me too), learned from them, and has matured into a responsible husband and father. That counts for a lot in my book.

BasilHayden, I wanted to reply to the second part of your comment- "Please spend a month dealing only with complete morons, not families just trying to have a nice day on the lake. Instead of DUI inspections, sorry "safety checks", pull over the idiot running 20 through Thompson bay, or...

I agree. However, by law the recreation we allow must be compatible with our primary purpose of wildlife conservation AND by law we must prioritize "wildlife dependent" recreation. Take a look at 50 CFR 26.31 and 26.32. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/50/part-26/subpart-C

Nope, it doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people. But when your elected representatives established the refuge in the 1940s they said very specifically why it was being held as Federal property and what secondary uses were allowed (actually that part comes later under the Refuge...

I don't think anybody is talking about further restricting boating due to this incident. There was prior discussion of how to keep people off the bridge and fact that swimmers in that area might be an obstacles to raising the current no wake speed limit, but no discussion of restricting boating...

Let me just respond to part of this for now and when I'm not dead tired I'll give the rest some thought. The mistake I want to point out to you and Spectra is that "public land" does not always mean it was reserved for public recreation. I know that agencies like the BLM exist in large part to...

Guys, I just dropped my son off for his first day of kindergarten and there were crosswalks and speed restrictions all around the school. No child needed to get run over at the school for responsible public safety managers to see the potential for a tragedy and take proactive steps to avoid an...

And what is your prescription when one person's stupidity affects another innocent person? For example the girl on the boat whom this individual landed on and seriously injured. Stupidity does not just harm the irresponsible party and as the saying goes "your right to swing your arm ends where...

If the concern is BNSF staff having an escape path down from the bridge, why not a fire escape style ladder that is pulled up and dropped as needed? BNSF could also ask MCSO to start prosecuting some of the trespass on that bridge. Signs without enforcement are worse than no signs at all in my...

Daryl has been assistant refuge manager at Havasu since prior to my arrival here. I think highly of him. Prior AZGFD and Alaska Trooper experience. And yes, they screwed up Linda Miller's last name, but that seems fairly typical.

Looked up "attractive nuisance"- http://www.harperlawaz.com/blog/2013/7/29/the-attractive-nuisance-doctrine-in-arizona. Since bridge jumper was 20 years old he alone may be responsible for this. The idea of attractive nuisance apparently only applies when a minor is involved. It's an...

The solution to the trespass issue is to cover and lock the access ladder and then take down the ropes. I made that suggestion to both the local supervisor and the Kingman-based BNSF criminal investigator. But no local enforcement agency can do that, just like I cannot go on your property to...

In the course of this conversation it has occurred to me that USFWS MIGHT have authority to say no swimming in this area, even if we do not have jurisdiction over the point of entry. I'd be happy to propose that to my policy makers but honestly I think they are going to be hesitant to consider...

I have emailed BNSF with my concerns after both incidents and have been trying to persuade them to deal with this issue for two years. One voice is easily ignored, but you guys clearly have political clout when you work together. It's my understanding that the Havasu Marine Association and...

I totally agree with you. However, the bridge and adjacent beach are BNSF right-of-way; the water under them is where USFWS jurisdiction begins. Legally, that means that BNSF law enforcement and MCSO need to respond to the trespass issue.