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Mixed public testimony at Marine Board meeting as Siletz/Celeste motor ban petition draws heated comment
Summary
Tribal leaders, river conservationists and fishing guides gave opposing testimony at the Oregon State Marine Board meeting about a petition to limit motors above Jack Morgan Park on the Siletz/Celeste rivers. The board asked staff to draft a middle-path rule and return in April.
Public comment at the Oregon State Marine Board’s Jan. 29 meeting featured sharp disagreement over a petition seeking to restrict motorized drift boats on sections of the Siletz and Celeste rivers. Angela Sandana, natural resources director for the Siletz Tribe, told the board the petition is aimed at protecting salmon and cultural lifeways and said the tribe has invested “millions of dollars” and decades of staff time in fisheries work on the river.
Several fishing guides and business owners testified in opposition. Tim Luke, a whitewater-equipment manufacturer and longtime guide, said small outboard motors are used sparingly and can aid safety and access: “The only time the motors are used is when the levels are at 5 feet or above,” he said, adding that motors are not used in low flows and do not, in his view, cause the damage alleged in the petition. Other guides said restrictions could reduce client access and harm guide livelihoods.
Board members asked staff to develop a variant “middle” proposal rather than immediately adopt a full ban or preserve the status quo. Staff said that option could include sectional horsepower limits, electric-only zones, or flow-triggered restrictions, and they will bring draft rule language and supporting data — including enforcement and ODFW fisheries input — to the board in April. The board received repeated requests for local usage data and for public hearings in the watershed as part of any rulemaking process.
