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10.b River Taskforce Letter 11 k.cammilleri Subject:River Taskforce - 5/18/21 Council Meeting Agenda Item From: Pamela Smith Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 2:28 PM To: c.maefsky <c.maefsky@ci.scandia.mn.us>; k.cammilleri <k.cammilleri@ci.scandia.mn.us> Cc: mail <mail@ci.scandia.mn.us>; 'Mike Smith' Subject: River Taskforce - 5/18/21 Council Meeting Agenda Item Dear Mayor Maefsky and City Council members, My husband and I were very happy to hear about the proposed multi-city St. Croix River taskforce that may be formed. There have been problems along the river that have not received adequate attention for many years. We spend summers in our cottage at 20919 Quint Ave N in Scandia. Our home is on the river, and we live quite close to the water. As such, we have been first-hand observers of issues that could be addressed by a taskforce. We love the river and are thrilled to see the many recreators enjoying its magnificence and natural beauty. As long-time supporters of the Wild and Scenic River Act, we feel that the public and river residents have all benefited from the preservation, protection and increased access to the St. Croix. We do our best to be good stewards and are willing to serve in any way we can to improve the river experience for all. The section of the river that borders Scandia is a slow minimal wake zone. I would say that our most serious concern is excessive boat speeds and the wakes they create. This is not only dangerous for swimmers and other non-motorized crafts sharing the river (canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards), but is also significantly eroding the shoreline and is disruptive to wildlife in the area. There are multiple boats a day that travel at excessive speeds. Friday afternoons and evening are particularly bad, when boats launch from Log House Landing and speed up river. Excessive boat speeds have increased over the years and there is currently little or no observable effort to reverse this trend. Ongoing education, signage and enforcement will all likely be required to curtail the speeding. We are aware of the limited NPS resources for patrolling the river and over the years have been in contact with their law enforcement division multiple times. A taskforce could be an excellent source of support for the understaffed NPS. There are several other issues we would also like to see addressed. First among them is the night fishing boats. They have very loud motors and incredibly bright lights – I am told that they use the lights to attract fish. They tend to idle in one place, and wake up most people staying on the river. I would like to see them eliminated in our section of the river or at the very least limited to areas that do not have residences or campsites. We live across from two sandbars that are designated “No Camping.” There is a small sign on one of the sandbars, but it could likely be improved. Several times a year, boaters either stay late into the night and have illegal bonfires and/or try to camp there. The river is quite narrow in this section and these groups are loud, sometimes playing loud music. Not sure what the solution might be, but it is generally left to residents to deal with these situations, as the NPS does not have the enforcement manpower to respond to our complaints/reports. Perhaps better and more natural looking signs would be helpful. Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the occasional vandalism at Log House Landing. The City is great about cleaning this up, but I feel that the more aesthetic improvements we make, like regularly emptying trash on busy weekends and consolidating/improving signage to look more natural and well-cared for, will help to dissuade would-be vandals. 2 Thank you for considering participation in these efforts. As Scandia residents, we would strongly endorse your support and involvement in a river taskforce. Pam and Mike Smith