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Fees to be reduced for wild Rogue float permits By BETH QUINN Federal river managers plan to slash the cost of private float permits for the Rogue River's wild section by 40 percent next year. And, for the first time, power boaters cruising upriver from Watson Creek to just below Blossom Bar will pay for their first-come first-served permits. "We were getting these cries of inequity," said Jim Heck of the Siskiyou National Forest, which co-manages the river with the Bureau of Land Management. "We can drop the price and we're still getting enough money to assist with the program." From May 15 to Oct. 15, each private boater will pay $12 to float the 43-mile wild section from Grave Creek to Foster Bar. This year the permit cost $20 a head. In the past, six private power boaters a day were allowed to cruise the wild section below Blossom Bar during the same season under a no-cost permit. But starting next year power boaters will pay $4 a head for the trip. People who float the river usually take three days for the trip. Power boaters usually can finish their trips in a day. Commercial boaters, including jet boats from Gold Beach and those on guided float trips from Grants Pass, will continue to pay 3 percent of their annual gross income to the federal government. But under a demonstration program begun this year, the Siskiyou forest and BLM Medford District will keep up to 95 percent of the money here instead of sending it to agency headquarters. The Siskiyou forest earns about $35,000 a year from Gold Beach jet boaters, and the two federal agencies split about $76,000 a year from whitewater outfitters. With the $12 permit, river managers estimate they'll earn $90,000. The agencies split $163,000 in private float fees this year, with BLM taking 61 percent and the Siskiyou forest 39 percent. The Siskiyou forest's river managers plan to reinvest that income in the Rogue. The first project will upgrade the river take-out at Foster Bar, adding flush toilets, potable water, a wastewater treatment system and paved parking lot. BLM's spending plan is still in the talking stage, with improvements at Grave Creek and Rand boat ramps under consideration. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA