Help Needed - Rock House Launch Ramp

[River Dirt 2]

Looking to the RDP Community for help.

The Rock House Launch ramp on the California side of the Parker Strip is/was one of the best launch ramps on the strip. It is extensively used during the summer for recreational boaters, fisherman as well as the San Bernardino Sheriff to launch and retrieve their boats. When built it was dreagged to be out of the current which helps immensely to get people in and out of the water efficiently. There were four full lanes open for use. From the link below you can see the facility has good parking, a visitor center and two on-site Host spots.

Rock House Launch Ramp

Rock House Launch Ramp

dbw.ca.gov

Currently the ramp’s are damn near unusable due to growth of the reeds (see pics from a week ago). Come summer this place will be down right dangerous trying to get all the watercraft on and off their trailers.
We have tried over and over to contact someone that will take on this issue. We continue to get passed around from agency to agency, people to people until we now get zero response.

Here is our last correspondence with the BLM where we asked if there was any progress:

From: Nuckles, Ronald O <rnuckles@blm.gov>
Sent: Monday, February 5, 2024 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Rock House Boat Launch

To answer your question, no, I am forwarding this to my manager William Mack (wmack@blm.gov).

Respectfully,

Ron Nuckles
Assistant Field Manager, Recreation
Lake Havasu Field Office
1785 Kiowa Ave.
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
Office: 928-505-1248
Mobile: 928-732-2734

First: Does anyone have any suggestions or contacts within the BLM that may be able to help in this situation?

Second: Maybe the squeaky wheel approach will help. Please contact both William Mack wmack@blm.gov and Ron Nuckles rnuckles@blm.gov and express your support and concerns for keeping our river access open and safe to use.

Thank you in advance for any information and support you can provide.

 

[ZSTIV]

Use this ramp all the time. Email sent to BLM!

 

[rivermobster]

Someone has cleared it more than once since I've been using it.

We just need to figure out who it was? Is there a camp host there right now? Maybe he will know?

@BoatCop

 

[Icky]

If you go out there and start working on the problem yourself, you will find the right agency quickly

 

[Echo Lodge]

I wish our ramp at Echo was as nice as Rock House!

On another note.... Pirates ramp is looking good!

 

[mobldj]

i sent a email earlier heres the reply i got

Good evening Sir,
The BLM is attempting to find a resolution for this issue. We have reached out to some of our sister agencies for immediate assistance however scheduling conflicts and other priorities are hindering assistance from those agencies. The only option our agencies has is to pursue a contracting resolution which will take 6 plus months to complete, if there is even a contractor available to do this type of work. We are working diligently to resolve the matter and know how important this site is for both the public and law enforcement to access that area of the river. Hopefully we can get something planned out before the busy season. Thank you

 

[mobldj]

I wish our ramp at Echo was as nice as Rock House!

On another note.... Pirates ramp is looking good!

View attachment 1338413

i heard they were gonna start charging

 

[Echo Lodge]

i heard they were gonna start charging

Just asked a buddy and he says La Paz County always charges $15 but free if you stay at Pirates.

 

[DLC]

Good thing Parker is closed ….


To bad so one couldn’t take a frt end loader / or an extreme back hoe and just out those 2 side sections….

ya I get the fact that wouldn’t be environmentally sound
but that’s all it would take….

instead it will take months / years to do an inquiry then an environmental impact study, then get some engineering of feasibility….. etc

 

[Echo Lodge]

i sent a email earlier heres the reply i got

Good evening Sir,
The BLM is attempting to find a resolution for this issue. We have reached out to some of our sister agencies for immediate assistance however scheduling conflicts and other priorities are hindering assistance from those agencies. The only option our agencies has is to pursue a contracting resolution which will take 6 plus months to complete, if there is even a contractor available to do this type of work. We are working diligently to resolve the matter and know how important this site is for both the public and law enforcement to access that area of the river. Hopefully we can get something planned out before the busy season. Thank you

Years ago we had a group effort at Echo to clean the reeds out of our swimming hole behind the Echo dune's. RDP folks could organize something but as mentioned, BLM would probably chase us out!

 

[River Dirt 2]

Someone has cleared it more than once since I've been using it.

We just need to figure out who it was? Is there a camp host there right now? Maybe he will know?

@BoatCop

We have used this ramp since it was opened, never seen a host do anything to support the site.

As DLC said, we could definitely figure out how to get it cleaned up, but then we would need a Go Fund Me to post bail…

 

[FlatNv]

Emailed .. thanks for the post

 

[River Dirt 2]

Emailed .. thanks for the post

Thank you!

 

[Echo Lodge]

If enough people email it's unsafe I hope they don't close it down until it is cleaned up!

 

[rivrrts429]

Great post. Email sent!

 

[500bbc]

i sent a email earlier heres the reply i got

Good evening Sir,
The BLM is attempting to find a resolution for this issue. We have reached out to some of our sister agencies for immediate assistance however scheduling conflicts and other priorities are hindering assistance from those agencies. The only option our agencies has is to pursue a contracting resolution which will take 6 plus months to complete, if there is even a contractor available to do this type of work. We are working diligently to resolve the matter and know how important this site is for both the public and law enforcement to access that area of the river. Hopefully we can get something planned out before the busy season. Thank you

That's a long winded fuck you...

 

[rivrrts429]

That's a long winded fuck you...

…or as they say in the South, “Bless your heart!”

 

[BingerFang]

Love this ramp! I once watched a tow hitch ball snap in half there.

A ram 2500 had a wakeboard boat backed too far in the water and the trailer was stuck to the ramp. They decided to hook up the ram via chains to a duramax. Both trucks were in 4lo doing burnouts when the ball finally snapped.

I’ll never forget the sound.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

KillLakeWeeds.com on the down low.

They also have a weed razor that might be very effective. Basically cuts the crap off at the bottom and it floats up. Then they have a weed rake that you can use to pull it to shore and take it out for disposal.

 

[rivermobster]

We have used this ramp since it was opened, never seen a host do anything to support the site.

As DLC said, we could definitely figure out how to get it cleaned up, but then we would need a Go Fund Me to post bail…

Gonna shoot you a text in a bit.

 

[EarpRider]

My River house backs up to BLM land, I've found it effective to look up the " big bosses" email addresses. When you email the lower ranking guy with a polite request you also cc the bosses. Make sure it's a cc and not a bcc so that everyone can see who got the email.

 

[River Dirt 2]

My River house backs up to BLM land, I've found it effective to look up the " big bosses" email addresses. When you email the lower ranking guy with a polite request you also cc the bosses. Make sure it's a cc and not a bcc so that everyone can see who got the email.

Thanks for the info and suggestions. We started our emails last July doing what you have said.
can you point me in the direction of how to look up the “big. bosses” ?
We are told it’s the jurisdiction of the BLM Lake Havasu Field Office.

 

[Brian]

I wish our ramp at Echo was as nice as Rock House!

On another note.... Pirates ramp is looking good!

View attachment 1338413

They just pushed this in yesterday.

 

[EarpRider]

Thanks for the info and suggestions. We started our emails last July doing what you have said.
can you point me in the direction of how to look up the “big. bosses” ?
We are told it’s the jurisdiction of the BLM Lake Havasu Field Office.

No Rock House is on the California side so they are part of the Needles Field Office. Mike Ahrens is the Field Manager and then it looks like his boss is Shelly Lynch.

 

[BoatCop]

Good luck getting anything done to clear it out. I'm not saying that it definitely won't happen, but there will be many hurdles to overcome.

1. The area/land is managed by BLM (which you already knew)
2. Any construction on the River is regulated by the Army Corps of Engineers.
3. Removing vegetation from the River bottom or submerged shoreline is considered "construction".
4. Before the ACOE issues a permit for such, the project needs scoping from a dozen or more State, Local and Federal Agencies & NGOs.
5. Among those Agencies are US Fish & Wildlife, US EPA, State Game & Fish Agencies, State & County Environmental Agencies, plus tree hugging NGOs such as Sierra Club and others.
6. The cattail reeds provide predator cover and concealment for the fry (baby fish for those of you from the 909) of several endangered species, such as the Colorado River Squawfish, Humpback Chub, Bonytail Chub, Razorback Sucker, and others.

When I contracted out the La Paz County Boating Safety Center, including later dock, ramp, and shoreline projects, one requirement from the ACOE stood out. I couldn't remove, damage, or alter any cattails (reeds) in or around the project area. This was to ensure habitat maintenance for the endangered fish. It's a standard provision in any permit for the Colorado River. It's also one of the reasons there's a "No Wake" zone around the Blue Water Resort, to minimize disturbance of the Moovalya Marsh (reeds) across from the Marina.

It will probably get cleared out eventually, but it will take time and a lot of back and forth within the bureaucratic monstrosity.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Nothing happens fast with BLM. It took us years to have them install a guard rail above our house by riverland.

We had numerous cars loose control and come over the hill onto our site. The last one was a semi that ended up landing on our shed next to the house. We had to have a lawyer write a letter about the safety of our family and the fact that we had been trying for years. After the pictures of the last accident they figured it was a good idea and had it up within 2 weeks.

 

[DaytonaBabe]

Good luck!

Our issues are much more serious and we have been fighting for help with our ramps at Fisher's Landing since 2017. I have been in contact with damn near every goddamn agency and person imaginable and we just keep getting the runaround. It's 2024 and we STILL have the worst ramps on the river. Broken promise after broken promise, failed band-aid fix followed by other failed attempts - it's been an absolute shitshow. Government agencies at their finest!

 

[dezertrider]

Been using that ramp for the better part of 5 years. The wife loves it becasue its alwasy empty/ Lots of cars and trailers in the parking lot but knowone at the ramp. No pressure to hurry up for her. They seem to clear the reeds a couple of times a year. I never see more then 3 boats using it

 

[Backlash]

I'm certain a person could do some online shopping and ship certain products to an address outside of CA. There ARE products available that help folks (Typically in the South and on the East Coast), manage vegetation growth in ponds and such......

There are also manual methods that could probably be used on the DL if some folks were willing.

Sharing these ideas on a public forum may not be the best idea, so have an "In person" get-together, crack open a few beers, stay quiet and get to work. Hypothetically speaking of course....

 

[humvkev]

This is the ramp we use every year and I have emailed them. Thank you for the contact points above.

 

[Rondog4405]

Its looked exactly like that for a while now...

 

[River Dirt 2]

No Rock House is on the California side so they are part of the Needles Field Office. Mike Ahrens is the Field Manager and then it looks like his boss is Shelly Lynch.
View attachment 1338617

Thank you for the response and we assumed the same but in the case of the Rock House Facility it is under the jurisdiction of the Lake Havasu Field Office.


-------- Original message --------
From: "Nuckles, Ronald O" <rnuckles@blm.gov>
Date: 7/19/23 2:01 PM (GMT-07:00)
Cc: "Ketcham, Shari L" <sketcham@blm.gov>
Subject: Fw: [EXTERNAL] Rock House Boat Launch

John,

I apologize for having to go through so many agencies to find the responsible party for the Rock House boat launch. We are well aware of the reeds problem and have plans to hopefully address it in the near future. The reeds are problematic to get rid of and we're working with US Fish and Wildlife service on borrowing their mower and operator to get rid of them. I apologize for the inconvenience this brings and will hopefully resolve this in the future.

Respectfully,

Ron Nuckles
Assistant Field Manager, Recreation
Lake Havasu Field Office
1785 Kiowa Ave.
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
Office: 928-505-1248
Mobile: 928-732-2734

 

[EarpRider]

Thank you for the response and we assumed the same but in the case of the Rock House Facility it is under the jurisdiction of the Lake Havasu Field Office.


-------- Original message --------
From: "Nuckles, Ronald O" <rnuckles@blm.gov>
Date: 7/19/23 2:01 PM (GMT-07:00)
Cc: "Ketcham, Shari L" <sketcham@blm.gov>
Subject: Fw: [EXTERNAL] Rock House Boat Launch

John,

I apologize for having to go through so many agencies to find the responsible party for the Rock House boat launch. We are well aware of the reeds problem and have plans to hopefully address it in the near future. The reeds are problematic to get rid of and we're working with US Fish and Wildlife service on borrowing their mower and operator to get rid of them. I apologize for the inconvenience this brings and will hopefully resolve this in the future.

Respectfully,

Ron Nuckles
Assistant Field Manager, Recreation
Lake Havasu Field Office
1785 Kiowa Ave.
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
Office: 928-505-1248
Mobile: 928-732-2734

Interesting. I back up the Riverland and I've only dealt with the Needles Field Office for many years.
It might be worth reaching out to The Needles Office also.

 

[River Dirt 2]

Interesting. I back up the Riverland and I've only dealt with the Needles Field Office for many years.
It might be worth reaching out to The Needles Office also.

We will, Thanks.

When you look at the Havasu Field Office “Leadership” like you posted it shows as Vacant…..shocking..

 

[EarpRider]

We will, Thanks.

When you look at the Havasu Field Office “Leadership” like you posted it shows as Vacant…..shocking..

I saw that, weird.
I still think it's part of Needles, and Mike Arhens has been very helpful the last few years.

 

[lbhsbz]

Seems like a weed eater with a blade on it would get it done in 20 minutes or so

 

[poncho]

I'm certain a person could do some online shopping and ship certain products to an address outside of CA. There ARE products available that help folks (Typically in the South and on the East Coast), manage vegetation growth in ponds and such......

There are also manual methods that could probably be used on the DL if some folks were willing.

Sharing these ideas on a public forum may not be the best idea, so have an "In person" get-together, crack open a few beers, stay quiet and get to work. Hypothetically speaking of course....

This is the lake I live on, as an overall management this is the course we took, I was the first donor and now consider the neighbor that spearheaded it a very good friend.
The manual method that I know nothing about has to be done in small increments, we call it marinating.

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