By Letters to the editor
on May 23, 2013 at 4:00 AM, updated May 23, 2013 at 4:02 AM
Aron Faegre, in his May 20 guest opinion "Seaplane pilots, passengers deserve access to Waldo Lake,"
continues to show a lack of understanding of the motor ban on Waldo
Lake. Nobody has asked to exclude Faegre, nor the four seaplane pilots who chose to land on Waldo Lake last summer,
nor their passengers, from enjoying the pristine beauty and solitude of
the lake. They are welcome to drive to Waldo Lake and explore the lake
by boat, like the rest of us. Just please leave the seaplanes at home.
Long before there were seaplanes and powerboats on Waldo Lake, my great-grandfather, John Waldo, helped establish the Cascade Range Forest Reserve,
now the national forests and wilderness areas of the Cascades, to
preserve some of the natural areas of Oregon as places for future
generations to experience the same soul-refreshing return to nature that
he so cherished. Rather than trying to "create a private playground"
for their members, the Sierra Club and Oregon Wild have been working to
protect the spirit of that forest reserve from gradual erosion by
private interests -- like the small group of seaplane pilots who seem to
find their desire to land anywhere more important that the interests of
thousands of self-powered recreationists to enjoy unspoiled nature.
What Faegre may see as the majesty of his float plane circling this magnificent lake and landing on its crystal clear waters is seen by everyone else on the lake as a disruption of those very qualities that he claims to respect and a potential threat to the purity of those waters.
Whether or not a seaplane has ever destroyed a "pristine remote lake" yet, there can be no dispute that there have been numerous seaplane accidents at lakes and rivers throughout the country, some with catastrophic consequences. It is only a matter of time before there is a similar crash on Waldo Lake. And as far as invasive species go, I would like for Faegre to demonstrate how to adequately inspect and clean seaplanes between taking off from another lake and landing on Waldo.
I am not a member of any environmental group. My father was a Navy seaplane pilot. I have fond memories of flying into Craig, Alaska, on a float plane. I enjoy summers camping and playing with my family on our wakeboarding boat. I understand and respect the desire for that type of activity. I also enjoy the chance to occasionally paddle my kayak in remote areas. There are plenty of lakes and rivers that allow seaplanes and motor boats. In the true sense of finding "common ground," why not leave one special lake for people to enjoy without having to tolerate the noise and disruption of seaplanes and motor boats.
Waldo Lake is one of the clearest lakes in the world, as pure as distilled water. We should make every effort to ensure that our great-grandchildren can still enjoy it as we do.
Bruce A. Johnson
Bend
Source: http://blog.oregonlive.com
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