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60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 24, 2005 Travis Jermain, whose father, Jack, owns The Fishin� Hole in Shady Cove, stands in a shed filled with gear for the summer rafting season. Jack Jermain says paying registration fees for each of his rafts and Tahitis would seriously eat into his profits. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Rafting firms say proposed fees unfair By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune SHADY COVE — A proposal to charge fees for kayaks, inflatable Tahitis and other heretofore unregistered boats to float Oregon’s main rivers is drawing early attacks from boat owners and angling groups who consider it too expensive or illegal. Jack Jermain, owner of The Fishin’ Hole in Shady Cove, says the sliding scale proposed for registering non-motorized boats would cost him $525 a year to register his fleet of 25 rafts and 20 inflatable Tahitis. "That would wipe out the profit from a whole holiday weekend," he says. Since all his boats are rarely rented at the same time, Jermain says he likely would severely scale back his fleet unless the fees are sharply reduced. "I’m all for making improvements and I’m all for doing my part — if it’s reasonable," Jermain says. "But that’s a little steep." Advertisement It also could be against the law to require every boat on a stream to be licensed through the state, according to Art Isrealson of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, a fishing group that has fought for increased public access. Isrealson points to Oregon's 1859 Admission Act, which states that all navigable waterways shall remain free of any tax, duty, impost or toll. "We feel this is a tax," Isrealson says. "That’s why the steelheaders feel it’s a violation of the state’s constitution." The proposal is part of Senate Bill 1028, which would declare public access to the beds and banks of floatable streams such as the Rogue. If the bill is passed and signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, these so-called "Class 1 waterways" would be designated by the State Land Board with the help of a committee of landowners, recreationists and state agencies. The approach is billed as an alternative to using navigability standards for the state to claim ownership, and therefore public use, of the beds and banks of streams like the Rogue. The new licenses would pay for law-enforcement, public education and new facilities on Class 1 waterways, according to the bill. The money would be collected by the Oregon State Marine Board, which would run the programs. The licenses would not be required on smaller and seasonal creeks, lakes or ponds. The bill’s current form does not specify any exemptions for inflatable boats, float tubes or inflated inner tubes. Under the current version of SB 1028, boaters would have two options for registering their nonmotorized crafts to get "certificate of numbers" similar to those now required for motorized boats. The first is a flat $2-per-foot fee every two years to the Marine Board. That is similar to the format used to levy fees on motorized boats, except it’s less expensive. Under this format, the boat would be legal for use on streams regardless of who is operating it. Boaters who own more than one non-motorized craft they use on rivers could opt instead for an annual "recreational use registration," according to the bill. For $20 a year, the registration would be good for each boat an individual person uses. That way, the owner of a canoe, kayak and nonmotorized driftboat would pay just one fee to use them all. And just like motorized boats, all registered nonmotorized boats must have their registration number and validation sticker clearly visible on the boat. Frank Jaramillo, whose Wet and Wild Raft Rental in Shady Cove rents Tahitis and rafts to summer tourists, says licensing his boats through the Marine Board would put him out of business. "They’re just looking for new places to skim their dimes," Jaramillo says. "I’d just go down to one boat and do guided trips." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s