Got this via e-mail today for all you PWC guys and gals.

MEDIA RELEASE



May 7, 2003


CONTACT:

Stephan Andranian, American Watercraft Association (949) 598-5860 x123
Jack Welch, BlueRibbon Coalition (303) 279-8436 or (303) 324-7185
Brian Hawthorne, Utah Shared Access Alliance (801) 465-1145 or (801) 209-5159



LAKE POWELL OPENS TO PERSONAL WATERCRAFT

Coalition of Business Owners and Recreation Groups

Settle Lawsuit With National Park Service



SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - Personal watercraft (PWC) owners will be back
on Lake Powell this summer as the result of a lawsuit filed by local
business owners and recreational access groups in March of 2003. The
lake was to remain closed to the small boats until at least late
summer as the National Park Service completed a special rule to allow
them to return. The recent settlement in the coalition's lawsuit with
the National Park Service will result in the opening of the lake to
PWC enthusiasts as early as May 10, 2003.



The lawsuit was filed by a coalition of small business owners from
around the lake, including two Page, Arizona, PWC-oriented
businesses, and three recreational access organizations, the American
Watercraft Association, BlueRibbon Coalition, and Utah Shared Access
Alliance. Lead counsel for these parties is recreational lawyer Paul
Turcke of Boise, Idaho.



Lake Powell is the dominant feature of the Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area, located on the border of Utah and Arizona. It is one
of the largest man-made lakes in the United States and is among the
most popular recreational boating destinations in the West.



Better known by their trademark names of Jet Ski, Waverunner, and
Sea-Doo, PWC were banned at Lake Powell as a result of a closed-door
agreement between an anti-recreation group called the Bluewater
Network and the National Park Service. As a result, PWC use could
only be authorized after the adoption of a special rule, which the
Park Service could not complete until approximately August of 2003.
The PWC groups filed suit to challenge the Bluewater agreement's
effect at Lake Powell. The recent settlement opens the lake to PWC
while the rulemaking process is completed, saving the recreational
boating season for PWC owners at Lake Powell and saving the
businesses and communities which rely on their tourism dollars.



"This is a great day for the people of Page, Arizona, and for all of
those who support fair and reasonable regulation of public access by
our government," said Tim McDaniels, owner of Doo Powell, a Page
Arizona PWC rental business. "We would not have been able to survive
this year with a complete closure at Lake Powell, and many families
were facing the prospect of scrapping their traditional summer visits
to this unique waterway."



Freddie Hancock, owner of Lake Powell Waterworld in Page, was also
concerned about the economic impact a ban would have on her business
and the local community. "We are excited about the lifting of the
ban. Businesses who may not have been able to survive a season of no
PWC access on Lake Powell can now keep their doors open and keep
their people employed. . The economy of Page depends on summer
tourist traffic, and the threat of a PWC ban was causing our revenues
to plummet."



In every National Recreation Area and Seashore where PWC impact has
been examined, Park Service officials have recommended continued
access for the boats. Downstream along the Colorado River Lake Mead,
the National Park Service recently completed their special rule for
PWC, allowing the boats to access more than 95% of the Recreation
Area's waterways.



Other Park Units, including Amistad National Recreation Area (Texas),
Assateague Island National Seashore (Maryland), Big Thicket National
Preserve (Texas), Chickasaw National Recreation Area (Oklahoma), Lake
Meredith National Recreation Area (Texas), Pictured Rocks National
Lakeshore (Michigan), and Fire Island National Seashore (New York)
have all completed environmental analysis of PWC access and have
recommended continued PWC access. These units remain committed to the
completion of special rules to allow PWC owners to once again enjoy
some of America's most beautiful waterways.



# # #



The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that
champions responsible use of public and private lands. It represents
over 1,100 organization and businesses with approximately 600,000
members.