Personal watercraft ban sought

A National Park Service proposal to ban personal watercraft won't affect the Lake Mead National Recreational Area, a park spokeswoman said today.

The National Park Service ban, if approved by Congress, would prohibit Jet-Ski type watercraft in all national parks. Parks such as Biscayne, Big Bend, Isle Royale, Olympic and Voyageurs would be immediately targeted.

Karen Whitney, spokeswoman for the Lake Mead National Recreational Area, said these parks have been identified by federal legislation for their natural and cultural resources. Opponents of personal watercraft claim the vehicles are dirty and noisy and threaten these resources.

Lake Mead, in contrast, also has been designated for recreational use, Whitney said. The Lake Mead superintendent will have the final say as to whether personal watercraft should be banned.

"As far as this proposal goes, Lake Mead will continue as usual," Whitney said. "But we are looking at (regulating) future boating and different water activities."

This management plan, Whitney said, may include designating certain areas of Lake Mead as being wake-free or setting limits from beach areas where personal watercraft and boats can be used.

In the past the Park Service has never done a study of petroleum pollution at Lake Mead, Whitney said, noting that the research is currently being done.

The Lake Mead Park Service will conduct three open houses this month to discuss its pending lake management plan. Personal watercraft usage will be one of the topics.

The meetings will take place: July 20, The Alan Bible Visitor Center, four miles northeast of Boulder City near Lake Mead off Highway 93, 4 to 8 p.m.; July 23, Cashman Field Center, 850 N. Las Vegas Blvd., 4 to 8 p.m. and July 30, the Henderson Convention Center, 200 Water St., 4 to 8 p.m.

Personal watercraft are currently permitted in more than 30 of the 87 units that the park Service administers.

Personal watercraft makers have opposed the ban as unfair and unnecessary, arguing that new models are quieter and cleaner. Their users are becoming more courteous and safer, they say.

Americans now own 1.2 million personal watercraft. Sales are running at 200,000 a year.

Whitney said on a busy holiday weekend, about 6,000 watercraft are on Lake Mead. Personal watercraft, she said, makes up between 30 and 35 percent of these vehicles.

Several other parks, including Yellowstone and Glacier, already have adopted such temporary bans. There is talk of banning personal watercraft on Lake Tahoe.

AP report

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