This story comes to Wyoming Public Radio through a partnership with KHOL/Jackson Hole Community Radio.
A popular stretch of the Snake River near the Tetons could become the first Wyoming river to charge boaters.
The Bridger-Teton National Forest is currently proposing charging each user $3 per day or $40 annually to access the popular float from Hoback to Alpine.
The money would go toward addressing over $2 million in staffing and infrastructure needs around the river, like bathrooms, boat ramps and parking lots.
“We're not trying to make money,” said David Cernicek, the local wild and scenic rivers coordinator. “We're just trying to cover our costs of managing the river.”
About 20 community members — boaters, nonprofit members and elected officials — attended a public meeting this week and reluctantly agreed the fees are necessary but questioned how users are charged. While the forest service plans to move forward with a fee system, the specifics of it are still up for debate.
“There's a lot of ways to do this,” Cernicek said. “What we're putting out is just something in the middle of the room to take pokes at.”
How to charge users
Many want to see a per vehicle fee instead of a per user one. That includes Brenden Cronin, who sits on the board of local environmental nonprofit the Snake River Fund.
“I firmly believe in the idea of pay to play,” Cronin said. “[But] you're not actually paying to access the resource. You are paying to park your vehicle for a certain amount of time.”
A big part of the discussion is how to make the fee program equitable for all users. Zina Horman, a kayaker and former raft guide, thinks the forest service could do this by charging per boat based on capacity. A raft could be one fee, while a single-person kayak could be another.
Forest officials said they’re considering family passes and free river days, but Horman said she also wants to see discounts for locals.
“I think the people who are coming from out of town and other states are the ones who have the potential to overwhelm the resource,” Horman said.
With rangers checking for permits, she added there’s an opportunity to educate these users on how to be safe on the river.
‘Love it to death’
An increasing number of people are recreating on the local stretch of the Snake, according to local state representative Andrew Byron, who also owns Wyoming Angling Company. That’s why he said he supports a fee system.
“When are we going to love it to death and when are we going to get to a point where the experience is just not worth the time?” Byron asked. “I think that implementing this and giving some support to those that are supplying the access points and maintaining and regulating them is vital for the long-term success of the piece of water we all get to enjoy.”
But some like Mick Hopkinson, who kayaks around the world, said the proposed plan to use the river could be cumbersome.
“I'll have to go drive onto a large, enormous concrete ramp now with a kayak, which seems totally ludicrous,” Hopkinson said. “The spirit of kayaking is independence, freedom. So I'm curious to see how it's going to work.”
Another public meeting is slated for Aug. 15 at 4:30 p.m. at the Alpine Civic Center. Comments can also be made online through Sept. 1.
