Chattahoochee NRA is the 20th park to implement a ban
Posted by Bluewater Network on May 13, 1999
San Francisco, CA -- The National Park Service (NPS) at
Chattahoochee National Recreation Area (GA) will announce this week that
personal watercraft (PWC), better known as jet skis, are prohibited on the
sections of the Chattahoochee river managed by the federal agency.
Chattahoochee's ban follows closely bans at Cape Hatteras National
Seashore, Voyageurs National Park, and St. Croix River National Recreation
Area. Chattahoochee will be the 20th national park unit to initiate a
prohibition on the dangerous and polluting thrill craft. "Every park unit
that seriously investigates the impacts jet skis inflict upon park
resources, wildlife, and visitor enjoyment reaches the same conclusion, jet
skis must be banned," said Sean Smith, the Conservation Director for
Bluewater Network.
Bluewater Network activists fought for over a year to convince the NPS at
Chattahoochee that PWC inflict lasting damage to the air and water quality,
wildlife, natural quiet, and visitor safety and enjoyment, violating the
Park Service's mandate to leave park resources unimpaired. "This
destructive form of recreation has no place in our Park System," continued
Smith. "We commend the Park Service for protecting the parks' unique and
pristine resources."
Bluewater Network will now focus on other park units which continue to
experience PWC activity, such as the nearby Cumberland Island National
Seashores. "How can the NPS ban jet skis at Chattahoochee but permit them
at Cumberland Island?" asked Smith. "The laws that protect the National
Parks apply to all park units, not just a select few. We hope the unbroken
string of parks banning jet skis convinces Park Service staff in Washington
DC that these "thrill-craft" do not belong in our parks."
Bluewater Network contends that any one of PWC countless impacts including
degraded wilderness, increased conflicts with other recreation users, toxic
water pollution, noise disturbances, harassed and injured wildlife, and
increased boating accidents, warrant a system-wide ban. "Jet skis are
floating chainsaws - their noise alone makes them inappropriate for the
America's parks," said Russell Long, Bluewater Network's Director.
The pollution impacts are even worse, the group reports. According to the
California Air Resources Board, a 100 hp jet ski operated for one hour
emits the same amount of pollution as driving a modern passenger vehicle
for a year. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that a single PWC
emits between 25 and 30% of its gas and oil directly into park waters.
"That's up to three gallons of fuel per hour," continued Long. "The Park
Service wouldn't allow a park visitor to dump three gallons of gas and oil
into park waters, so why would they allow a jet ski operator to do so?"
Bluewater Network: the leader of a coalition of environmental
organizations, citizens, and scientists dedicated to reducing pollution and
ecological damage from vessels, vehicles, and craft.
Beta Available: Broadcast quality video of jet skis and the pollution
damage caused by two-stroke motors is available from Bluewater Network.
For more information, contact:
Sean Smith, Conservation Director
Bluewater Network
Earth Island Institute
300 Broadway, Suite 28
San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone: (415) 788-3666 x149
Fax: (415) 788-7324
E-mail: seansmith@earthisland.org
