Brooklyn Neighborhood

photo credit: lumachrome

The Brooklyn Action Corps supports The Friends of Ross Island postition to create a no-wake zone in the Holgate Slough.  That is the area between the length of Ross Island and the Willamette’s east bank.  The slough and Ross Island are part of the Brooklyn Neighborhood so we have a real interest in the future recreational use.  Read below and do your part by copying, pasting, printing and mailing the letter in.

Please send this letter to: Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute, P. O. Box 6903, Portland, OR 97228-6903. We will put all the letters together in a packet to the state Marine Board)

Date

Oregon State Marine Board
PO Box 14145
435 Commercial St NE #400
Salem 97309-5065

To Whom It May Concern,

As a (kayaker, canoeist, walker_____________) who frequently uses the Holgate Channel and Ross Island Lagoon for (paddling, rowing, wildlife viewing, fishing) I am writing to urge the Marine Board to establish a no wake zone from the upstream tip of Hardtack and East Islands to the downstream tip of Ross Island. I would also like the Marine Board to designate Ross Island Lagoon as a non-motorized boating area.

The Ross Island complex, Holgate Channel and the adjacent 160-acre Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge constitute one of the most wildlife-rich and scenic stretches of the lower Willamette River. The Channel is also a unique place of tranquility and solitude in the heart of the state’s largest metropolitan area. Also, the Springwater on the Willamette is a regional bicycling and pedestrian trail that runs parallel to the Holgate Channel. The regional trail allows users to enjoy views of the river and the experience would be enhanced if one section would be free of motorized boat noise.

I/We support the Audubon Society of Portland, Urban Greenspaces Institute, Willamette Riverkeeper, Friends of Ross Island, and others who have petitioned the Marine Board to establish a No Wake Zone on a small fraction of the Willamette River and a non-motorized zone within the Ross Island Lagoon. The Holgate Channel, Ross Island complex and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge are regionally significant fish and wildlife habitats in the Portland metropolitan region. The Channel is the only place in the Portland area that I can experience some peace and quiet on the river.

A No Wake Zone on Holgate Channel would be fair to both motorized and non-motorized craft in that it would provide equitable access to the river by setting aside two zones on the Willamette within the same reach, one on the west side of Ross Island for higher speed activities and a quiet zone on the east side of the islands for paddlers and slower speed motorized craft.
Sincerely,
Your name(s), organization, etc
cc Friends of Ross Island
Your Address, Phone and Email Address

(Please send this letter to: Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute, P. O. Box 6903, Portland, OR 97228-6903. We will put all the letters together in a packet to the state Marine Board)