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Speaking of gate status... Seems to me like there should be a reasonable way for boaters to access the big south via long draw road before July. Water Supply Co. plows the road to operate and maintain long draw res, and the road is clear from very early on. The forest service keeps the road closed for a variety of reasons citing snowbanks in campgrounds, pine beetle kill tree work, muddy roads etc, none of which would prevent a car from driving up to long draw, dropping off boats, and getting on the river.
I don't know the full history of any negotiations concerning the gate, but this one seems like a prime mission for AW to tackle. While there may not be a ton of boaters wanting to jump on the big south when its raging, many boaters love the big south when its high, and early season runs when its on the way up would be great! I've talked to some of the forest service people about this and they rejected the idea of early access for boaters along long draw rd. Also seems like out of state boaters get skunked as the come in June when everything else is running, but don't want to do the overnight option. Thats a shame as well.
It seems to me that there could be some kind of agreement made to allow boaters to shuttle via long draw road. One option could be to keep campgrounds and side roads closed. Another option might be to open the gate on weekends. Many ways to get the access situation improved, all requiring some kind of negotiation with the forest service though.
Anyway... just a pet peeve of mine.
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