SAVE LAKE MEAD NOW!!!

[liv4riv]

The Bureau of reclamation and National Park service want the boaters gone they are acting like a slumlord run it to the ground until we leave.

Then they will only let the rich tree huggers in. Read the proposal's 1,2 and 3.

I am going to the meeting on Dec 7 for Pearl Harbor day and try keep Mead open.

Lake Mojave and down stream will be next.

 

[Racey]

or pumping water thru the dam to sell cheap electricity. Maybe stopping that practice should be on their referendums?

Electricity is only made when water orders from downstream are passed through the dam, They don't let water run to make electricity, they make electricity as a byproduct of releasing water. The dam's entire existence is based on controlling water release, electricity is just a bonus.

At no point in time do they decide "Let water out, we need to sell power"

At the most, within a 24 hour period, they'll time the bulk of water releases to fall within peak electrical usage hours. That way they aren't making power when nobody wants it

 

[rivermobster]

Electricity is only made when water orders from downstream are passed through the dam, They don't let water run to make electricity, they make electricity as a byproduct of releasing water. The dam's entire existence is based on controlling water release, electricity is just a bonus.

At no point in time do they decide "Let water out, we need to sell power"

At the most, within a 24 hour period, they'll time the bulk of water releases to fall within peak electrical usage hours. That way they aren't making power when nobody wants it

This is Exactly right...

It's why the level is Parker is low Every night and at high tide in the middle of the day.

The water does not by pass the turbines.

But back to the topic at hand...

If no one shows to Represent at the meetings, it makes it that much easier to pick the option (3 was it?) to close the whole place down.

All you peeps that live close by absolutely NEED to show up!!!

 

[bripar77]

Yes it would be good if they choose Concept #1, but after reading this in detail, there are certain phrases and words used that scream Treehugger/Enviromentalist.
It is my opinion that the NPS wants to use the Low Water Levels to push the Treehugger/Enviromentalist Agenda. If you read this in detail you will see the Protected Plant 3 Headed Milk Vetch mentioned. Those of us that visit Glamis know what they did to shut down part of the dunes using this very plant. If they are doing this because they don't have the money
then more reason for us to make waves and in big numbers to attempt to convince them that it is important. At the least go onto the link and open the comment section and fill in your name etc. and then comment on each of the 5 questions. Then add additional comment in the open comment section. I have attached what i
answered to the 5 questions. I also sent them my letters in the Open Comment Section/Box as well as send it to them by Certified mail.

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=124787

Please request a 30 days extension
of the Comment Period and a rescheduling of the In Person Meetings. See below my language in a letter to the NPS:

First and Foremost, we would like to request a 30 day Extension to the Comment Period

and an approx. 40 day Reschedule of the In Person Meetings. Specifically:



Extend the Comment period from December 23, 2022 at 11:59PM to January 23, 2023

at 11:59PM



Reschedule In Person Meetings as follows:

Meadview – Thursday Jan. 12th, 2023 5PM – 7PM

Boulder City- Friday Jan. 13th, 2023 12 Noon to 2PM

Kingman – Monday Jan. 16th, 2023 5PM – 7PM



It is difficult for all concerned people to comment and attend these meetings during

the Holidays, and scheduling these meetings around a weekend is much better for

out of town people. Most people that Visit and use the LMNRA are from out of the area.

This is a very important matter that all Visitors will be affected by and allowing approx.

23 days to Read, Interpret, and complete Comments on a potential Major decision/plan

for the LMNRA, is not enough time especially considering the questions listed below.

I have sent a list of questions and clarifications that need to be answered in order to know how to comment and talk at In person Meetings.

If anybody wants to see my 2 letters with all the questions let me know. I will post them without my name and let anybody use them as a template
for their own letters.

 

[twocents]

Exactly what the Commission did for the MPA's . . . the meetings were mid-week around 5:00 pm.
One was in Long Beach with the worst possible parking scenario you could imagine.
I went to a few of them and actually stood in line to speak at a couple.
The last one I went to, the people of the 'Malibu Colony' had chartered a few buses and filled them with kids all wearing the same 'Blue' t-shirt.
Had to have been a couple hundred.
They all stood in line with posters they had drawn of marine life like dolphins, seals, pelicans, etc . . . and once on the mic. told their story of how they love watching the whales go by etc. etc.
Meanwhile, no one from the fishing side, wether commercial, recreational, sport boats, or spear-fisherman got the chance to speak because all the kids blocked the time allotted.

I knew it was over right then.
Hard to fight wealthy, well educated & organized psycho's ,with no life & nothing better to do.

A very accurate overview of what the MLPA (Marine Life Protection Act) process was all about. At the start of this California sham, I was hired as a consultant by the American Sportfishing Association to attend meetings and report back about what was going on to their headquarters. At the very first meeting I was listening to the 'public comment' portion, and for a few minutes I thought I had mistakenly got into the wrong meeting room -- several women had spoken and used the term 'Sea Kittens. I had no idea what that was so I leaned over to a guy (he didn't look like an enviro) near me and quietly asked, "What are Sea Kittens"? He replied in one word, "fish".

And yes, the meetings are purposefully held in mid-mornings or mid-afternoons on weekdays to make it as inconvenient for real working people to attend. And many of the meetings were endurance contests lastiing as long as 14 hours with only one short food break. Some meetings started the day with 200 or 300 in attendance and ended with less than 20.

I quickly learned to not underestimate the determination, dedication and organization of the enviro wackos. They all came equipped with their cell phones and laptops and were in constant contact with each other while the meetings were in session.

The MLPA meetings were held all over the state. And as it was nearing the end, the tone of the meetings got more confrontational as the fishing community finally realized that outcomes had been decided even before the meetings had started. On site California Fish and Game security increased its presence. Several physical confrontations had to be broken up as militant enviros and fishing supporters had to be separated and restrained.

When the final decisions were handed down months and months later, it was depressing to see the disappointment on the faces of the fishing community -- they knew they had been duped and lied to from the start. It appears to me that the Lake Mead meetings scheduled for early December are just a repeat from the same well-worn playbook.

 

[HB2Havasu]

No, they let too much drain to the ocean. The delta in Mexico is flooded with water. It was just a trickle 20 years ago.

100% Agree. That tells me right there they are releasing more water for hydro power than agricultural/residential needs.

Electricity is only made when water orders from downstream are passed through the dam, They don't let water run to make electricity, they make electricity as a byproduct of releasing water. The dam's entire existence is based on controlling water release, electricity is just a bonus.

At no point in time do they decide "Let water out, we need to sell power"

At the most, within a 24 hour period, they'll time the bulk of water releases to fall within peak electrical usage hours. That way they aren't making power when nobody wants it

If you went to Mexico and seen how much Colorado River Water is flowing into the Gulf of California you might retract that statement. It's not all being used to grow alfalfa Sir.

 

[Racey]

100% Agree. That tells me right there they are releasing more water for hydro power than agricultural/residential needs.

If you went to Mexico and seen how much Colorado River Water is flowing into the Gulf of California you might retract that statement. It's not all being used to grow alfalfa Sir.

Only every 5 or so years, most years no water makes the delta.

And water that does make it, is all part of allocations already made.

At some point they have to allow some fresh water to flush the delta otherwise it will end up like the salton sea as there is very little current to exchange that water way up by san felipe, and it ends up with lots of AG runoff in it.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Only every 5 or so years, most years no water makes the delta.

And water that does make it, is all part of allocations already made

I know CA let’s water out to the ocean basically to control and perpetuate an environmental narrative. I don’t put it past the Feds to do the same is what I am getting at.

But then again only 8% of the water is used for residential and commercial.. so arguing about pools and watering golf courses is meaningless.

If there was a water problem with the Colorado, it seems So Cal would be doing more to get away from using the Colorado for its water supply… because that are next to a basically infinite supply of water to the west.

 

[Gonefishin5555]

Lake Mead readies plan for lower water levels

The National Park Service has completed all the steps needed to amend its general plan to address lower water conditions at Lake Mead.

bouldercityreview.com

It looks like they already have a plan in place to operate the ramps down to 950ft elevation? So what has changed since 2019? FJB became president is the answer.

 

[bripar77]

Concept 3 looks like all Marina's are closed and will be removed(Demolished) when Funds are available.


Please pay attention to the Desired Conditions on page 3, & 5. Note the language "Visitors will have opportunities for nonmotorized, water-based recreation
experiences that are safe and enjoyable". This is a Desired Condition for all Marinas and the whole lake. Then read the Desired Conditions for each Marina. Nothing states Motorized Water- Based Recreation. I have asked the question in my letter for more detail about how they came up with the Desired Conditions:


Desired Conditions Pg. 3 – “Previous Planning and compliance documents were used

to develop desired conditions” What documents is the NPS referring to in this sentence?

Can we be directed to a location, document or file to read these?



Desired Conditions Pg. 3 – “Desired Conditions in the section apply to all locations.” –

“Visitors will” * have opportunities for nonmotorized, water-based recreation experiences

that are safe and enjoyable” The way we interpret this is that Motorized water based

recreation experiences are not part of the Desired Conditions ie: not desired. Please

explain. How and when did something like this get adopted into the Desired Conditions

when it excludes a large portion of the Visitors to the LMNRA?



Desired Conditions Pg. 3 – Hemenway Harbor – “* support visitor access to water-based

Recreation activities in a sustainable manner;” – Does this include Motorized water-based

Activities?



Desired Conditions Pg. 5 – “* support visitor access to water-based Recreation activities

in a sustainable manner;”. This language doesn’t appear for desired conditions for Echo

Bay, Callville Bay, South Cove and Temple Bar. The way we interpret this means no

Motorized water-based recreation at any of these Marinas? How could the NPS decide

that desired conditions on all of Lake Mead would exclude Motorized water-based

recreation (except for maybe Hemenway Harbor) ?

Please review Concept #3 for each Marina under Concession Services and under Facilites and Infrastructure. It's clear to me
that every marina will be closed and demolished when fund are available.

 

[Racey]

I know CA let’s water out to the ocean basically to control and perpetuate an environmental narrative. I don’t put it past the Feds to do the same is what I am getting at.

But then again only 8% of the water is used for residential and commercial.. so arguing about pools and watering golf courses is meaningless.

If there was a water problem with the Colorado, it seems So Cal would be doing more to get away from using the Colorado for its water supply… because that are next to a basically infinite supply of water to the west.

It's not CA or the CA Government, it's thousands of private farms with water rights.

They aren't the same as the CA government.

They have no incentive to reduce water use, they have enough water for their acreage to flood irrigate still. Can't make the crops grow any faster, they already are growing 12 months out of the year...

Until there is a reckoning with the water rights owners nothing will change.

Water that makes it Cortez has nothing to do with CA policy, it's mostly part of Mexico's allocation of 1.5 million Acre Feet per year iirc

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

It's not CA or the CA Government, it's thousands of private farms with water rights.

They aren't the same as the CA government.

They have no incentive to reduce water use, they have enough water for their acreage to flood irrigate still. Can't make the crops grow any faster, they already are growing 12 months out of the year...

Until there is a reckoning with the water rights owners nothing will change.

Water that makes it Cortez has nothing to do with CA policy, it's mostly part of Mexico's allocation of 1.5 million Acre Feet per year iirc

Understood, I was speaking of the policies in general. My point is that if tomorrow everyone said they don't need their allocation, the water would still be flowing. Water has to flow, unused or not. We don't trust the government about a whole host of things.. why do we trust them that they are giving us the entire story as is relates to the water supply and retention?

What has changed in MX? Are they now using their allocation? Are they demanding their full allocation? If we are in such a dire situation, why are we letting that much extra water out into the ocean flooding a delta that has traditionally been nearly dry.

There have been numerous studies over the last several decades that point to man made and open water storage as inefficient and bad for the environment. They have been letting more water out than needed for well over a decade. CA does the same thing was my point.

 

[Racey]

Understood, I was speaking of the policies in general. My point is that if tomorrow everyone said they don't need their allocation, the water would still be flowing. Water has to flow, unused or not. We don't trust the government about a whole host of things.. why do we trust them that they are giving us the entire story as is relates to the water supply and retention?

What has changed in MX? Are they now using their allocation? Are they demanding their full allocation? If we are in such a dire situation, why are we letting that much extra water out into the ocean flooding a delta that has traditionally been nearly dry.

There have been numerous studies over the last several decades that point to man made and open water storage as inefficient and bad for the environment. They have been letting more water out than needed for well over a decade. CA does the same thing was my point.

Most of the demand has increased from the upper region states that historically hadn't used their full allocation each year, they had banked that extra water in Powell and Mead.

10 million more people in the southwest states since 2000, 50 million more in the country..... Lots of demands for year round crops in the modern US. Stuff that used to be seasonal is now in demand and stocked year round

 

[eand28]

I took some time to write comments based on the proposals. Hopefully it wasn’t for nothing

 

[Racey]

I took some time to write comments based on the proposals. Hopefully it wasn’t for nothing

It's better than doing nothing at all

 

[DaveH]

going to one of these meetings and making a bunch of noise is pointless. you will be labeled an "extremist" and much like parents that went to school meetings......could be having the FBI knocking on your door.

the notice talks all about "desired conditions" but WHO EXACTLY desires these CLOSURES (and lets be real that what this is and nothing more......closure of use of the lake to boaters)? its the tree huggers with the full backing of the NPS that desires these conditions......not the vast majority of people who use the lake.

my suggestion is to forget these meetings. this is beyond something the public can have any influence on. this is for lawmakers, the new NV governor, the vegas visitors authority, and so forth. this is where our efforts need to be applied, not a bunch of useless meetings where the outcome has already been decided. this is just slowly breaking the news to the public.

 

[rivermobster]

going to one of these meetings and making a bunch of noise is pointless. you will be labeled an "extremist" and much like parents that went to school meetings......could be having the FBI knocking on your door.

the notice talks all about "desired conditions" but WHO EXACTLY desires these CLOSURES (and lets be real that what this is and nothing more......closure of use of the lake to boaters)? its the tree huggers with the full backing of the NPS that desires these conditions......not the vast majority of people who use the lake.

my suggestion is to forget these meetings. this is beyond something the public can have any influence on. this is for lawmakers, the new NV governor, the vegas visitors authority, and so forth. this is where our efforts need to be applied, not a bunch of useless meetings where the outcome has already been decided. this is just slowly breaking the news to the public.

Sadly this is mostly true.

It's still best to make our presence felt.

 

[Pelon]

There is still plenty of water to recreate on! It is nearly 50 miles from Sandy Point to the dam. NPS just trying to pass the cost of the launch ramps on to the Concessionaires.

 

[EarpRider]

I have lived on the river in Parker for 30 plus years. They have dumped more water in the last three years than the past twenty years. Every night the water is a foot to eighteen inches higher than normal all year round. Even when the farmers are not calling for irrigation water it is still flowing.

I can't say I look that hard at the water level after dark, but in my 20 years at Parker the water level during the day is currently crazy LOW everyday (not just Thursday).
And everything at the north end above the rocks is bad. Conservation Corp is gonna need to allow dredging.

 

[twocents]

Sadly this is mostly true.

It's still best to make our presence felt.

If you attend one of the early December meetings, be sure and take notes. Get the name of the meeting facilitator and those who are on the presenting panel from the NPS. If possible, ask for a business card from each at the end of the meeting -- you want to collect any and all email addresses and directi phone numbers. Don't be surprised if the facilitator and panel members avoid answering questions posed by the public speakers. They will give a canned lame excuse
that they are not here to debate but to simply observe and listen to the public comment (complete bull crap).

If you have not been to one of these meetings before, here are a couple of tips: 1) prepare your speech in advance and rehearse. Time it to see if you are able to complete your thought in the time allowed -- you will most likely be limited to 3 minutes or less. 2) If you are not comfortable with public speaking, better to read your prepared speech rather than stumble around and never get to the point. 3) Usually there is a staffed NPS table just outside the door of the meeting room. If you want to get a turn at the podium, that's where you will sign up to speak when you enter. You should also be allowed to cede your allotted time to another speaker if you wish. If there's a designated person in your group who is going to address the panel, this will allow them to have additional time at the podium.

When you're seated during the public comment portion of the meeting -- spread out. Make your support group appear as large as possble rather than all huddle together. Keep your eye on the enviros. By the end of the meeting you should have a pretty good idea who are the leaders of the opposition. Dress accordingly -- no flipflops and no tank-tops. Good luck.

 

[rivermobster]

If you attend one of the early December meetings, be sure and take notes. Get the name of the meeting facilitator and those who are on the presenting panel from the NPS. If possible, ask for a business card from each at the end of the meeting -- you want to collect any and all email addresses and directi phone numbers. Don't be surprised if the facilitator and panel members avoid answering questions posed by the public speakers. They will give a canned lame excuse
that they are not here to debate but to simply observe and listen to the public comment (complete bull crap).

If you have not been to one of these meetings before, here are a couple of tips: 1) prepare your speech in advance and rehearse. Time it to see if you are able to complete your thought in the time allowed -- you will most likely be limited to 3 minutes or less. 2) If you are not comfortable with public speaking, better to read your prepared speech rather than stumble around and never get to the point. 3) Usually there is a staffed NPS table just outside the door of the meeting room. If you want to get a turn at the podium, that's where you will sign up to speak when you enter. You should also be allowed to cede your allotted time to another speaker if you wish. If there's a designated person in your group who is going to address the panel, this will allow them to have additional time at the podium.

When you're seated during the public comment portion of the meeting -- spread out. Make your support group appear as large as possble rather than all huddle together. Keep your eye on the enviros. By the end of the meeting you should have a pretty good idea who are the leaders of the opposition. Dress accordingly -- no flipflops and no tank-tops. Good luck.

Yep. I attended a few of these meetings back with the ASA in Glamis days.

There is a long road ahead that's for sure.

 

[bripar77]

Don't think decisions have been made already and i was involved as well in attending meetings for Glamis and those meeting
were productive and some progress was made to stop the closures in Glamis.

Don't give up on Lake Mead or our Motorized Boating on Lake Mead. I am as mad about the potential of losing the use of the Lake and our Houseboat
as I am about how they are trying to shut the Lake down. If it is successful it's just a matter of time before they shut other Lakes Down for the same reason.

 

[Ethernet]

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

 

[Racey]

There is still plenty of water to recreate on! It is nearly 50 miles from Sandy Point to the dam. NPS just trying to pass the cost of the launch ramps on to the Concessionaires.

So glad they put the toll booths in 20 years ago... ya know to fund the infrastructure

 

[rivermobster]

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

This.

 

[Runs2rch]

So glad they put the toll booths in 20 years ago... ya know to fund the infrastructure

Right?!

Nothing changed. Same shitty roads, same ramps, docks, rangers doing absolutely nothing, then they pulled and destroyed all of the floating heads, pump and fish cleaning stations.

Mismanaged is a fucking understatement.

 

[Desert Whaler]

Now it's illegal to film at Lake Mead w/o a permit???
And try to tell me there's nothing crooked going on . . . .

 

[mbrown2]

So should I sell my deck and get a big V for the ocean? Is that where this is going?

You joke but I have been giving it a lot of thought what the river and associated lakes may look like in 10 yrs....

 

[twocents]

Now it's illegal to film at Lake Mead w/o a permit???
And try to tell me there's nothing crooked going on . . . .

I have empathy for this guy and others like him.....the era of YouTube and TikTok has certainly muddy the waters when it comes to film/video permission on federal property (i.e National Parks). I started filming boat footage for boat manufacturers about 1980. from fixed wing planes or helicopters at Lake Mead and Lake Powell. And because the footage was going to be used for commercial purposes (to sell boats) permits, fees and special insurance coverage was required (weeks in advance). Back then, the film fees varied greatly. My most difficult was Lake Powell (about 1998). The Park Service demanded I pay upfront a $25,000 fee (a bond was not acceptable) for a 3-day helicopter shoot on the lake (my crew was just me and the helicopter pilot). If there was no problem, my $25,000 would be returned in full within 30 days. In addition, when the copter was in the air, two park rangers in a boat had to be on site at $250 per hour to observe what was happening. We were also not allowed to land the helicopter on any federal land (we used the Page airport, however we did land a couple of times on a houseboat which was legal). You couldn't help but get the impression that the Park Service would have been much happier if we had just gone somewhere else and not bothered them.

 

[RiverDave]

Man oh man...

There is a shit ton of work that Needs to be done here and I kinna doubt that it will happen.

These meetings are dog and pony shows. The decision has already been made.

Unless someone puts together a group that resembles the ASA, gets organized and hires the right lobbyists, our time on the water is almost done.

Let's hope the boat manufacturers get together and make this happen.

A strong showing at the meetings Could help. The sqeeky wheel always gets the grease.

You said that same thing when it came to the USFWS and Havasu.. that was handled swiftly and unflinchingly.

I wish I lived closer I would do whatever I could to help.

I will still voice my opinions and try to gather some people to do what they can.

Ultimately they are going to need someone that can speak at the meetings, isn’t scared to sue some of the dirty tactics they use but in reverse.. and is educated in financial and other impacts.

Mead being closed to boaters would be a tragedy.. even more so than the lake currently is right now.

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/showFile.cfm?projectID=111766&MIMEType=application%252Fpdf&filename=LAKE_SLWAP_Newsletter_2022_1122_508.pdf&sfid=617249&fbclid=IwAR2lGFKioOOnQKZK0CyjWxoz2QPTka3fZCA3PAx8qQPZji5aza8WO4mEtPU&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Reading this link it really has a feel that they are pushing the non motorized boat agenda.. which is bizarre because that lake is so damn big you wouldn’t be able to see 99% of it in anything but a motorized boat?

 

[rivermobster]

You said that same thing when it came to the USFWS and Havasu.. that was handled swiftly and unflinchingly.

I wish I lived closer I would do whatever I could to help.

I will still voice my opinions and try to gather some people to do what they can.

Ultimately they are going to need someone that can speak at the meetings, isn’t scared to sue some of the dirty tactics they use but in reverse.. and is educated in financial and other impacts.

Mead being closed to boaters would be a tragedy.. even more so than the lake currently is right now.

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/showFile.cfm?projectID=111766&MIMEType=application%252Fpdf&filename=LAKE_SLWAP_Newsletter_2022_1122_508.pdf&sfid=617249&fbclid=IwAR2lGFKioOOnQKZK0CyjWxoz2QPTka3fZCA3PAx8qQPZji5aza8WO4mEtPU&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Reading this link it really has a feel that they are pushing the non motorized boat agenda.. which is bizarre because that lake is so damn big you wouldn’t be able to see 99% of it in anything but a motorized boat?

I can't recall what you are referring to here? But I'm happy to hear it was handled!

Ever heard of Lake Cachuma? Diamond Valley lake?

I have a feeling they might wanna go that direction. No body to water contact. The excuse being it's drinking water and all that.

Lake Havasu fucks that up big time though!

Hopefully you can get something organized with all of your manufacturing contacts? Maybe get Dina included in this? She has a shit ton of contacts.

 

[bripar77]

I read it the same way Dave. That's why i am so active on this issue. I will be there and speaking and we have a
very big crowd showing up for the one in Boulder City. I have a Houseboat and 2 other boats at Temple Bar and we have some
good people that have houseboats that are very involved in this issue and the Trailer Village people are involved as well.
We have to try everything we can for now. We will see what develops. My immediate push is to get a 30 day extension of the
Public Comment Period to allow the NPS to get our questions answered and get clarity on the Plan/EA. If anybody has the time
to go to the Link and comment please ask for an extension of 30 days due to the Holidays and the questions that need to be answered.

 

[MotiV8]

I read it the same way Dave. That's why i am so active on this issue. I will be there and speaking and we have a
very big crowd showing up for the one in Boulder City. I have a Houseboat and 2 other boats at Temple Bar and we have some
good people that have houseboats that are very involved in this issue and the Trailer Village people are involved as well.
We have to try everything we can for now. We will see what develops. My immediate push is to get a 30 day extension of the
Public Comment Period to allow the NPS to get our questions answered and get clarity on the Plan/EA. If anybody has the time
to go to the Link and comment please ask for an extension of 30 days due to the Holidays and the questions that need to be answered.

Myself and all in my circle are writing comments to extend the comment period as well. Of my group, I am the only one that is able to attend the meeting. I had planned on speaking, but I am happy to cede my time to someone if it will help make a better argument as I have not yet finished my 'speech'. Feel free to message me if you want and we can figure something out. Its a sad enough situation to watch our lake shrink, but to potentially not even be allowed to go enjoy our PUBLIC areas is downright infuriating.

 

[Runs2rch]

I will be at the BC meeting as well.

 

[bripar77]

Motiv8 please get up and talk. I will be at tow meetings and probably won't speak at both. Anybody else please do as well.
Our best bet would be if there is not enough time for everybody to get up and speak and so more reason why the NPS should extend the Comment period.

 

[bripar77]

I know this is a long read but so important.

The
National Park Service (NPS) 2022 Newsletter/SLWAP/EA



This information in this letter is to be used to assist in providing comments

and answers to questions in the SLWAP/EA Portal/Website. Please use this

information to form your comments and answers to the NPS prior to Dec. 23rd, 2022

at 11:59PM.



Please use this information to write your legislators, NPS Managers, Department

Of Interior Managers.



We need to take action now to:



1. Request the NPS provide a 30 Day extension for the Public Comment Period

to January 23rd,2023 11:59PM

2. Provide Comments on the SLWAP/EA Portal/Website that Support the

selection of Concept #1 for all Marina’s as the only acceptable Concept.

3. Request that the NPS Stop any further steps to Introduce or Enact the New,

SLWAP/EA Plan. It is not needed or required.



After attending all three NPS Public Comment Meetings and asking questions

and clarifications about the Language of the new Nov. 2022 Newsletter/

SLWAP/EA Proposed Plan, and in addition, reading the 2019 General Management Plan Amendment/Low Water Plan Environmental Assessment March 2019, the NPS is

attempting to use the accelerated drop in the Lake Level to push an alternative Motive

to reduce or eliminate the use of Motorized Water-Based Recreation and eliminate

some or all of the Marina’s.



Talking/Comment Points:



An 30 day extension is required due to the short time period, during the holidays,

to provide Public Comment.

- Several Questions need to be answered and or clarification

provided from the NPS in order to form intelligent/informative Comments.



- The three Public Comment Meetings were not a Town Hall Type meeting and

was more of an open house type meeting, rendering Questions and Answers

impossible for the majority to hear or have record of. There was no Presentation

made in the meetings by the NPS that all who attended could hear.


- The Boulder City Meeting was attended by approx. 500 people and the meeting

room could only handle approx. 75 people. Thus people were only allowed

in groups of 75 which again was an Open house type meeting and was even

less effective for those in attendance to hear or have record of Questions

and answers. This also resulted in less time for people in attendance to actually

be inside the actual meeting as people were cleared out to make room for the next

group of people. In addition some people had to wait for an hour just to get into

a group of 75 people that would be let in therefore reducing everybody’s 2 hour time

to less than 45 minutes. Approx. 150 people did not even get in due to the wait times

and having to be back at work.





Why does the NPS need a New SLWAP/EA when they developed and approved a

Low Water Plan/EA in 2019 (see below) that included a plan for all the Marina’s down

to a Lake level of 950’ and that plan/EA included the words “The Finding of No

Significant Impact” .



The Current Lake Mead Water Level is approx. 1,040’, and the Bureau of Reclamation’s

(B.O.R.) Forecast, released on August 31st, 2022, States the “Most Probable Minimum”

level of the Lake in July 2024 will be 992’, the “probable maximum” would be 1,059’.

We feel that there is no basis, need or requirements for this new plan.