The State Marine Board holds its first public hearing tonight about a proposed “no wake” rule at Ross Island on the Willamette River near downtown Portland.
The rule is being proposed by the Portland Audubon Society and Willamette Riverkeeper, who want to create a “quiet” area for kayakers, canoeists, and wildlife. They’re asking for a speed limit on the east side of the island in the Holgate Channel, so that motorized boats can’t go fast enough to create wakes. They also want all motorized boats banned from the Ross Island lagoon. Commercial traffic would be exempt. The Portland City Council endorses the rule.
But that puts them in conflict with other recreational users, wake boarders and water skiers. They prize the Holgate Channel for its slow, calm waters that provide ideal conditions for how they want to use the river.
The hearing begins at 7 p.m. in The Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Avenue.
A decision by the State Marine Board is not expected until the fall.
