In a letter to the editor, published on Jan. 23, 2013, Dave Milton of Grand Forks, stated, “I don’t know what compels normal people to board vessels expressly built and driven, to create mayhem in ecologically-sensitive waters but it must be clear that such abuse will lead to the lake’s demise.”
According to Milton, there are several alternatives to wake boating and boarding that would give the lake some prominence nationally and internationally.
Make the lake an accredited training centre for canoeing, kayaking, rowing, scuba diving, triathlon endurance swimming and water rescue would more than compensate for the elimination of destructive watercraft. Christina Lake could become nationally and internationally accredited and the benefit would be a boost to the local economy.
Milton’s thoughts are worth serious consideration by the people in the lake watershed who think seriously about maintaining a healthy recreational area.
The alternative is to let the population of powerboats, wake boats and personal watercraft (jet skis) proliferate and cause even more damage to the lake foreshore, retaining walls and wharfs.
The question that Milton asks is a complex one. The owners of huge boats would respond with a long list of reasons why they have a right to own a wake boat and run it wherever they like.
They may have a right to own a wake boat or other watercraft that can cause damage, but they don’t have a right to run it wherever there is a water body big enough and that is where the residents of Area ‘C’ must assert themselves. They have a right to a quiet, well-managed watershed that can be enjoyed for many more decades.
Surely the operators of tourism-oriented businesses want the benefits of the money that individuals and families who don’t own boats will spend if they can find some solitude during the summer.
Surely those who own small watercraft want to be able to enjoy the lake without being fearful of being swamped by a large wake.
It is time to take another in-depth look at the future of Christina Lake for both visitors and residents. It is time to ask some hard questions. Why do powerboat owners feel that they have the right to run their machines on a lake that is no more than a kilometre wide? Why don’t the owners of wake boats travel to Kootenay Lake where they can run their boats almost without notice?
Kootenay Lake is cold and Christina Lake isn’t, but the focus of the discussion is on boats and their operators, not swimmers or wake boarders. After all there are wet suits for such occasions.
A big plus for wake boaters would be not to have to worry about the damage the wake created by their boats would cause very little damage to the shoreline, wharfs and retaining walls.
Residents of the lake can sit on their hands on this issue or they can take action. At the very least they could develop some stringent rules for operating a boat on Christina Lake.
– Grand Forks Gazette