When Dan Geiger paddles his sea kayak across the pristine surface of Waldo Lake, he’s just looking for some peace and quiet.
“I am in love with the lake and appreciate a motor-free atmosphere,” said Geiger, director of the University Outdoor Program. “Have you ever been out on the water and heard a motorboat on the other side of the lake? It’s terrible.”
Geiger is one of many Oregonian boaters and outdoor enthusiasts who have been voicing their support for the long-discussed ban on gas-powered motor vehicles on Waldo Lake, about two hours southeast of Eugene. The discussion began in the late 1980s, shortly after the U.S. Forest Service made the forest surrounding the lake a protected wilderness in 1984, and supporters finally see their goal on the horizon.
In November, the Forest Service and the state governor’s office, after decades of incongruity, agreed on a “memorandum of understanding” to implement a ban on gas-powered motors on the lake.
Oregon Wild, an organization that works to protect and restore Oregon’s natural areas, has been involved in the process from the beginning.
“We worked side by side with the Forest Service through the many court cases and legal issues to change the overall management of the lake,” Oregon Wild spokesperson Sean Stevens said. “It’s a relief that the state and federal government has finally come to an agreement on maintaining this pristine slice of Oregon.”
Unfortunately for supporters, the State Marine Board must approve this rule to finalize its validity. Gov. Ted Kulongoski has recommended that the board pass this ban, but the final decision remains in the hands of the board.
“The State Marine Board is made of motorboaters,” Geiger said. “While we have more support than ever to secure the ban, it’s really up in the air what the board will decide upon.”
However, the decision is partially based on public comment. The board began a period of public comment on Nov. 1, which will conclude on Dec. 15. Following the period, the board will summarize and review the information gathered and is expected to submit its decision to the state in January.
While the main reason behind the ban is to cut back on noise and general disruption, environmental pollution is also a factor.
The Forest Service conducted multiple studies to test the potential water pollution in the lake from gas-motor boats, yet it found no results.
Geiger said that, while this is good news, it could be altered at any moment.
“Once you find traces of pollution in the lake, it will be too late to reverse,” Geiger said. “It’s much safer to get rid of the motors before it’s too late as a precautionary act.”
This regulation is a request that the State Marine Board has not come across in previous rule-making.
“We’ve never been asked to determine a motor ban on a lake like this that is six thousand acres in size,” State Marine Board Director Paul Donheffner said.
If Waldo Lake was to acquire a gas-motor ban, it would be one of the only lakes to do so in the state. The lake, which hosts about 4 percent motorboats of all visiting boats, is in close proximity to more than five lakes that allow gas-motorized vehicles.
“Many motorboat owners have been calling us canoers elitists for wanting a lake void of their boats,” Geiger said, “but they already have a monopoly on every other body of water in the state.”
The closest gas-motor-free lake where Geiger could take his kayak is in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park.
Waldo Lake is also recognized above others internationally for one distinct quality: its clarity. Stevens sees this as yet another reason to ban motorboats.
“The lake itself is one of the purest in the world, even more than Crater Lake,” Stevens said. “Not only is Waldo Lake a beautiful and peaceful location, it is extremely unique to the state, if not the world.”
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