UPDATE: Strong Paddler Response protects Upper Yough Whitewater!
A strong response from the whitewater community has gone a long way towards protecting summer whitewater on the Upper Youghiogheny River. The story starts when property owners on the back coves of Deep Creek Lake begin pressuring politicians to raise the minimum summer lake level. This would have eliminated many summer releases! A discussion between the editor of the Garrett County Republican and Friendsville Town Councilman Jess Whittemore resulted in an editorial that drew an unprecedented 160 supportive letters from paddlers and local businessmen. Many thanks to everyone who took the time to write!
This set the stage for an October 3 town council meeting in Friendsville which drew State Senator Edwards, State Representative Beitzel, County Commissioner Gatto, and several other important figures in Garrett County. Other key attendees included Roger Zbel from Precision Rafting, Jim Gracie from Trout Unlimited, Adam Cramer from American Whitewater and Terry Peterson from Garrett Community College. Dozens of Friendsville paddling residents and business owners also attended.
Friendsville Mayor Spencer Schonagle outlined the town's Strategic Plan, which depends heavily on outdoor tourism. AW's Adam Cramer outlined the history of the permitting process, noting that the minimum lake level has been unchanged since 1994 and was reviewed just last winter. Councilman Jess Whittemore (Photo) explained a series of painstakingly created graphs which showed that even significant losses in whitewater releases would not keep the lake higher for more than a few extra days. Jim Gracie discussed the importance of the cooling releases in maintaining an excellent fishery and Roger Zbell described the importance of summer releases to each outfittiers business. Charlie Walbridge recounted AW's long and continued commitment to Upper Yough releases, after which many of Friendsville's resident paddlers and businesspeople told personal stories that center around the river.
State representatives and other dignitaries listened carefully, and said afterwards that Friendsville's concerns were important to them. It seems unlikely that the proposed plan will be implemented. Several said that they were anxious to learn more about how the lake and the dam affected the river. All appreciated the professionalism of the Friendsville Town Council and the various people brought in to help tell the story. Jess Whittemore and others will follow up with the Policy and Review Board later this month.
This evening was a key step in building new support for the current Upper Yough release program. It would not have happened without hours of hard work from Jess Whittemore, Spencer Schonagle, and others on Town Council. Next time you're in town, thank Precision Rafting, Wilderness Voyageurs, Mike and Aggie at the Bed and Breakfast, and the Friendsville Liqour Store for their help. And always respect town residents when parking and changing. After all, they stood up for us twice in the last year!