Media Information: Ron Ballanti TEAM EFFORT KEEPS CACHUMA LAKE OPEN FOR BOATERS AND FISHERMEN Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Approves New Boat Inspection, Treatment and Quarantine Procedures That Keep Popular Reservoir Open to Trailered Boats March 25, 2008 (SANTA MARIA, CALIF.) – Less than three weeks after the stinging closure of Lake Casitas to private trailered boats, United Anglers of Southern California (UASC) President Tom Raftican had a positive report in the battle against lake closures — it was announced today that Cachuma Lake will remain open to bass boats and other private trailered vessels. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to endorse a wide array of measures that will allow the lake to remain open to boaters while addressing the important ecological issue of Quagga mussel infiltration. “We testified on behalf of our 40,000 members, as well as for a wide collation of stakeholders for whom boating access to this important Southern Californian recreational resource is critical,” said Raftican. “We demonstrated that there are reasonable solutions to this problem which don’t require throwing up roadblocks to natural resources for a large segment of the public. Unlike earlier this month, it was satisfying to know that our message was heard, and that we were able to work together on a realistic and aggressive plan of action,” added Raftican. Keeping the lake open to trailered boats required immediate adoption of new inspection, treatment and quarantine procedures, which will go into effect March 28 with the opening of the new Cachuma Lake launch ramp. Highlights of these new pre-launch protocols include a multi-stage inspection and treatment process that all visiting boaters are required to complete. All boats and trailers must be clean and dry upon entry to Cachuma Lake, with all drain plugs removed. Following visual inspection (and in some cases, quarantine periods), all boats and trailers will be treated with a hot water pressure wash. Boats longer than 24 feet, out-of-state boats and boats registered near infected lakes must be quarantined on-site for seven to 14 days prior to launching in Cachuma Lake. Steps are being taken to expedite the process for frequent lake users, including special “sealed” tags for boat owners wishing to remove their vessels from Cachuma Lake and re-launch without visiting other waters. A full list of these new rules and procedures is available online at www.cachuma.com, and is also posted on UASC’s website at www.unitedanglers.com. “This is an involved process, but it’s absolutely necessary to maintain the health of our waters and keep our access to this great boating and fishing lake,” said Raftican. “Before anybody complains about these new procedures and rules, I caution them to stop and consider the alternative. I bet the folks around Lake Casitas wish they had the opportunity to get in line for inspection and to keep fishing,” he added. Raftican also noted that these new inspection procedures that will keep Cachuma open will require additional funding and manpower, and he pledged UASC’s assistance in helping to meet these needs. “As anglers and boaters, this is our chance to step up and be part of the solution.” After the Casitas decision in early March, many in the fishing and boating community expected a domino effect to quickly close a succession of Southern California lakes — with Cachuma to be the next domino to fall. “Thanks to some great work by dedicated people — Jim Clarke of the Southern California Marine Association (SCMA), Mathew Dunn of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), Dan Hernandez of the Santa Barbara County Department of Parks and Salud Carbajal, Chairman of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in particular — this domino was left standing. More importantly, this decision sets a positive precedent moving forward. Working together, these people and others chose to do the hard work, to make it work for recreational boaters, anglers and our public waterways. We applaud them for their effort and foresight,” Raftican concluded. UASC will continue to work with a coalition of agencies and stakeholder groups on the Quagga mussel issue across California. For updates and important developments, and to find out when and where public participation may be required, call UASC headquarters at (949) 863-9447 or visit www.unitedanglers.com.
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