Document text
Rafting companies gear up for summer Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Fisherman Tom Hyrup, of Central Point, and a raft from Rafting Pleasure cross paths downriver from Casey State Park on the upper Rogue River. Rafting companies predict a profitable season despite low water flows anticipated during midsummer. River watchers say water level will drop in July By MELISSA MARTIN SHADY COVE - Rental shops are gearing up for a busy Memorial Day, when hordes of rafters will float down the Rogue River's tamest stretch. The seven rafting companies that dot Highway 62 in this river town are expecting a profitable season, despite low water flows anticipated in late summer. The year so far is the driest since 1994. "It's perfect rafting right now," said Jack Henson, owner of Raft the Rogue at Highway 62 Market, the busiest rafting company in Shady Cove. Lake won't be full this weekend For the first time in several years, Lost Creek Lake won't be full for Memorial Day. But boaters should make the most of their high-water opportunities now, because the reservoir is predicted to shrink by August. This is the first time in seven years that Lost Creek Lake isn't full for Memorial Day. The water is down by 26 feet. "Normally on Memorial Day weekend, visitors see a full reservoir," said Jim Buck, Lost Creek operations manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But that shouldn't keep Rogue Valley residents from heading up Highway 62 to enjoy a spin on the lake, said J.D. Lewis, who operates the Lost Creek Marina. "We've got plenty of water," Lewis said. "The water is 300 feet deep in some places." Moorings at the boat dock are nearly full, he said, and business has been good. But boaters should enjoy the depth now, according to the dam's regulator. By the end of August, Lost Creek Lake will be so low the boat ramp at Joseph H. Stewart State Park will be completely out of the water. Late-summer boaters can still use the boat ramp operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which regulates lake levels and river flow rates. Those heading to the lake this weekend should take care near the shorelines, Buck said. "Keep an eye out for shallow spots," he said. "As you get close to the shore, be aware of depths." "We don't have the high water flows that we usually have this time of year. We're going to have a great year." Flowing at about 3,200 cubic feet per second, the Rogue River will keep moving at that pace if air temperatures remain in the 90s, said Lost Creek operations manager Jim Buck, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency that regulates the river's flow from Lost Creek Lake. If temperatures drop to the 80s, the water flow will decrease to about 2,700 cfs, dropping to 1,300 cfs if temperatures reach the 70s, Buck said. But in July, river flows will drop to 1,000 cfs, low enough to expose rocks, bump raft bottoms and beef up the riffles. Lost Creek will gradually bring flows back up to 1,700 cfs during the month of August, Buck said. "Right now, with a little over 3,000 cfs, the float from the hatchery to Shady Cove will be a little faster," Buck said. It took San Francisco resident Brian Clarke, his wife, Amie, and their preschool daughter 11/2 hours to float from Elk Creek to Shady Cove. They went with old friends from the Puget Sound's Bainbridge Island. "It was gorgeous and so beautiful," Amie Clarke said. Their friends, Tim and Kathleen Fowler, who came with their 3-year-old daughter, Claire, agreed. "The scenery is unbeatable - unspoiled and not so populated," Tim Fowler said. "We had just enough rapids, but not too many that we couldn't take our daughter." Known as the family stretch, the 13 miles from the fish hatchery to Shady Cove will be a faster float by about a half-hour this month and next. But by July, when river flows will be lower than normal for mid-summer, upper Rogue rafters can expect a slower and bumpier ride at places like "The Grieves," located near the home of river guide Vernon Grieve, said Chris Kline, a crew member at Cascade Adventures rafting shop. "There's more whitewater the lower the river gets," Kline said. "The rapids get more challenging." The neoprene rafts are tough enough to withstand bumps against rocks that will likely be exposed, said Shelly Cooper, owner of Raft Rite located on Maple Drive. Record-setting temperatures this past week already have boosted pre-Memorial Day business, said Carolee Enriquez of Rapid Pleasure, the town's oldest rental shop. River lovers know they can cool off with a swim at Elk Creek or a squirt-gun fight using the river's 55-degree water. "The weather's been warmer than usual and we're expecting a great Memorial Day," Enriquez said. "The river level is fantastic for rafters who want an easy-going ride." The river will stay cold most of the summer. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' goal is to keep river temperatures no warmer than 64 degrees at Agness, 100 miles downstream from the dam, Buck said. Using Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife guidelines, the Corps releases the amount of water necessary to protect spring chinook in June and fall chinook in August from lethal, warm-water bacteria. "Because this is a drought year, we don't have an endless amount of water to protect fisheries," Buck said. For the next two months, river flows will offer a fast, easy ride down the family-friendly stretch of the Rogue River. "I think it's going to be a killer year, a terrific year," said Raft Rite's Cooper, who already has booked trips for Tinseltown employees, church youth groups, Boy Scout troops, couples getting married at the nearby River House and tourists who are here for an Oregon Shakespeare play. "I can feel it." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.