Bluewater Network** Natural Trails & Waters Coaliton**American Canoe Association
For Immediate Release
October 31, 2002

National Park Service Prohibits Unsafe, Environmentally Damaging Jet Skis from
Most Parks
Conservation and Recreation Groups Say Service is Failing to Study Jet Ski Impacts

CONTACTS

Sean Smith, Bluewater (415) 544-0790 ext.19
Kristen Brengel, NTWC, (202) 429-2694
David Jenkins, ACA, (703) 451-0141 ext. 20

After November 6, the National Park Service will officially prohibit jet ski use from virtually all National Park Service units with the exception of Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the Nevada/Arizona border. The closure is the result of a settlement agreement between Bluewater Network, an environmental organization that works to prevent jet ski and other off-road vehicle abuse on public lands and waters, and the National Park Service. Under this agreement the Park Service can only authorize long-term jet ski operation if it can demonstrate that these dangerous and polluting machines do not cause environmental damage and public safety hazards.

"November 6 will be a great day for America's National Parks, for it will be the last day these thrill-craft can tear across our national parks, " said Sean Smith, Public Lands Director at Bluewater Network. "Jet skis are known to cause severe impacts to marine mammals, water quality and soundscapes. These machines do not belong in special places especially national parks."

The National Park Service's Organic Act, the legislation that established the Service, was clear in terms of its mission. "…to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." This mandate requires the Park Service to authorize only those forms of recreation, which preserve the system's natural resources and wildlife. The Park Service has already stated that sixteen parks will study jet ski use to determine if the use meets the requirements under the Organic Act.

The Park Service has issued a first wave of environmental studies, all of which recommend continued jet ski use. Those parks include: Assateague Island National Seashore (MD/VA), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NV/AZ), Fire Island National Seashore (NY), Big Thicket National Preserve (TX), Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (MI), and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (UT/AZ).

After a careful review of these environmental studies, conservation and recreation groups believe the studies are inadequate. In particular, the groups point to the fact that many studies lack site-specific information required as part of the settlement agreement, as well as, analyses of the safety issues for other park visitors.

"The Park Service studies have completely overlooked readily available data regarding the serious safety threat personal watercraft pose to other waterway users," said David Jenkins, Director of Conservation & Public Policy for the American Canoe Association. "These craft are more than three times as likely as other vessel types to strike a person in the water."

"The National Park Service is not serving the public well," said Kristen Brengel, Campaign Manager of the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition. "These studies lack current information on environmental damage and health and safety issues concerning park visitors. The Service is painting a rosy picture of this damaging and unsafe vehicle."

For the six parks that conducted studies, all of the studies are missing important information necessary for the public and the Park Service to evaluate whether jet ski use belongs in these National Parks.

One example of the Service's deficiency in its studies is Assateague's environmental assessment. In a previous "determination" the Assateague Superintendent stated, "the staff at the National Seashore has witnessed numerous and regular occurring instances over the last three years of pursuit of pods of marine animals. PWC routinely make a run to get into the middle of the pods and then maneuver to stay right over/around the animals as they leave the area. The fleeing dolphins must surface to breathe within a few meters of the pursuing PWC." This strong statement regarding the observation of personal watercraft threatening marine mammals should have been studied more carefully in the environmental analysis. Yet the Park Service's environmental assessment dismisses the effects of personal watercraft with no further examination.

"For canoeists and kayakers visiting national park waters, personal watercraft operation is the most unnerving and disruptive use on the water," said Jenkins. "Unfortunately, the current administration seems willing to let personal watercraft operators fuel their own enjoyment by siphoning it away from other park visitors."

National Park Service units affected by the November 6th deadline include:
Amistad NRA (Del Rio, TX)
Bighorn Canyon NRA (Lowell, WY)
Chickasaw NRA (Sulphur, OK)
Curecanti NRA (Gunnison, CO)
Glen Canyon NRA (Page, AZ)
Lake Meredith NRA (Fritch, TX)
Lake Roosevelt NRA (Coulee Dam, WA)

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The Natural Trails and Waters Coalition includes conservation, recreation, hunting and other groups working to protect and restore all public lands and waters from the severe damage caused by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, jet skis and all other off-road vehicles. www.naturaltrails.org

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