New Boat Tax for Evergreen Lake

What will you say when States start issuing bans on felt sole waders and start start spot inspecting (and fines) at streamside like they do for fishing licenses? (psst, its coming sooner than you think).

Thanks for the info Photo-fish. I have had trouble finding the info you posted about water quality.

It is my opinion that the zebra mussel is one of the latest fad "panic" issues that is fueling millions of our tax dollars into the "study" profession.

The latest information I am reading suggests that some of the hysteria may be overblown.

For instance this study quotes the following experts.....

"Sea Grant and the U.S. Department
of Energy’s National Energy
Technology Laboratory funded
Andrew Cohen of the San Francisco
Estuary Institute to review the
existing body of scientific literature
on the calcium requirements of the
mussel and to compare this information
to the known distribution of
zebra mussels across the United
States. His collaborator on the
project was Anna Weinstein, also
with the San Francisco Estuary
Institute.
Based on their review, Cohen
and Weinstein believe many lakes
and rivers are less vulnerable to
infestation than previously thought.
Calcium levels do indeed limit the
zebra mussel’s potential range, they
report. However, “Previous studies
that assumed the mussels can
reproduce throughout the United
States have misrepresented their
potential range,” Cohen said. “The
number of vulnerable sites in North
America is probably lower than we
thought.”
More specifically, Cohen and
Weinstein found that:
• Zebra mussels are unlikely to
become established in waters with
calcium concentrations below 20
milligrams per liter (mg/l) unless
there is an upstream source of larvae
from waters with higher calcium
levels. This is significant because
past studies have assumed a 15
mg/l or even an 8 mg/l threshold.
• If the 20 mg/l threshold is true,
studies of the mussel’s potential
distribution in America have overestimated
the number of vulnerable
waterways between 20 and 200
percent, they report. North Carolina
and Connecticut are two areas
where relatively calcium-poor
waterways may prevent infestations"

Source; http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0348q9pq

I'll look over the water temprature figures again and see if there is even a potential habitat for this species - my initial review of air temprature figures suggests that the habitat does not exist in Evergreen lake. But i'll look at the water numbers too.

Where did you see the calcium figures for Evergreen WTP?
Just for your info too- I spent over 18 years in water treatment myself.

And I oppose the REC districts efforts until I can see for myself that the habitat for this species even exists up here as some claim. The reports I have read so far suggest that there is no suitable habitat and a very low probability of procreation.

Photo-fish wrote: Yes there was a fee required before Evergreen Park & Rec was formed and took over operations (although poorly enforced). If you weren't paying it then you should have and therefore have no reason to complain about it now..

There couldn't have been a fee photo-fish, BearMtnHIB told me that there wasn't and said my husband was lying. Interesting.

I agree that whatever steps need to be taken to assure that we don't have foreign mussels or noxious weeds introduced into our beautiful lake should be taken, and a nominal cost is a small price to pay.. I had a place on a lake in VT for many years....no monitoring of boats was done and the worst case happened, a noxious water weed was introduced to the lake that all but killed both the lake and the fish that lived in it. It grew so fast that you couldn't get a boat through it and it cost millions of dollars and many years to just get it under control, it will never be eradicated.

Sometimes, BearMtnHIB.....the 1% of boaters CAN destroy it for the rest of us, and the threat of what damage they can do will have to be paid for by everyone who uses the lake. Id prefer the Rec District be pro-active rather than wait till we have a big environmental issue that could cost us all dearly to remedy.

Don't forget about the quagga mussel, another invasive species who tends to like cooler water. Don't want them in the lake either.

I don't want a tax/fee "just because", but if they use the funds to inspect boats, I'm ok with that. I'm willing to go overboard now, until we find a way to fight this species.

I agree, if anyone is found with the species on their boat, they should throw the book at them.

They have no plans to inspect any boats that I am aware of.

There has never been a fee that I am aware of for dropping a private boat in the lake until this year. That's more than 30 years.

It won't be my kayak that has an invasive species- it has only ever been used on Evergreen Lake.

And I'm all for the testing if there is any actual threat - but there is not.

You may be OK with the government wasting your money - but I am not.

I only ask that they find some other way to fund the testing other than inposing a boat tax on every user - that is my main complaint here - and I'm going to sniff all around this issue, including looking into habitat potential since they are using this as an excuse to impose this boat tax

And if I can prove that they are wasting our money - I'm going to raise holy hell about it.

No mussel - I repeat - No mussles exist in the Lake today. NONE.

And I highly suspect that after I look at the temp numbers- it will show that the minimum temprature and duration for this species does not even exist up here.

Bear, I am with you, even if nobody else here is! I think the most fascinating thing about this thread is how willing most people are to go along with misc fee increases without questioning the "authorities". This attitude is what got us to where we are today. So there is never any chance they can squeeze some efficiency out of their budget instead of always asking for money?

People making jokes about you "unwilling to cough up 4 bucks". Three years from now it will be 8 bucks.... and on and on. Complaining is your duty as a citizen. If you want you can borrow my tax hike exemption card when you go boating!

Thanks, Joe - your right, so many of us just buy the program hook line and sinker.

If this checks out as ligit - I'll admit it.

BearMtnHIB wrote: No mussel - I repeat - No mussles exist in the Lake today. NONE.

yep....no mussels. That's what we said about the Eurasian Milfoil in the Vt. lake.....ain't here, don't worry about it. Do you honestly believe that everyone who puts a boat in the lake is responsible? That they haven't put their boat into a different lake somewhere that is infected? An ounce of prevention and all that....sure is cheaper than the pound of cure.

Seems to me that we all pay for common good stuff. I don't have children but pay for schools, Others pay for roads and don't drive. People in our country pay for things that they get no direct benefit from.. The governments job is allocation of resources and forever its done a lousy and thankless job. How can we get it right? I must admit I have only a little clue. Some taxes are direct for cost , others are shared (common good) we can argue all day about the lines. The argument is about degree and process.