‘Thin time faced by river sportsmen’

Press, 29 August 1977, Page 7

‘Thin time faced by river sportsmen’

Wellington reporter t 1 Canoeists and other s fresh-water sportsmen, particularly those relying i on a swift and unimpeded i current, face a thin time in pursuing their hobbies i in future, an outdoor recreation planning sym s posium was told in Wellington. “Unfortunately, what i these user groups perceivi as an ideal river also at tracts the hydro engin eers,” said Mr Egger o the canoe association. “There has been a grad ual taking of our bes rivers for hydro-electri< storage lakes, a proves being stepped up at th moment, and this h threatening all our riveuser groups." Although most of th large single sources o power had already bee; developed, the Ministry of Wcfrks estimated that ; 150 per cent increase ir hydro-electric generation was possible in the next 25 years. In the South Island, th< Ohau and Waitaki rivers had already been taken the Clutha was about to be taken, and dams were being considered for the c Buller and Grey rivers as c well, by the Electricity i Department. t Local power boards r

were being encouraged to build local schemes on the smaller rivers as well. “There is no central ctr« ganisation to govern effeclive . conservationist policies and to consider the recreational point of view > ver these small schemes." he said. The solution " appeared be to institute some procedure whereby certain ivers most valued by recu'ational user groups were >rotected There were sevral wavs in which this mid be done:— 1. By setting aside scene reserves that included river environment, under he Reserves and Domains \ct. 2. By the Forest Service nstituting a “wild river • rdtection zone" under its nanagement plans in ases where the value iver flowed through land nder its control. 3. By district schemes >ning land as a “scenic iver protection zone" mder town and country planning schemes where urther development of the iver banks could be conrolled. 4. By the National Sctil md Water Conservation authority taking a more considered look at the need to protect recreational areas when water rights were applied for.

5. By legislation protecting the natural environment of rivers similar to the wilderness legislation in, the United States. Increased political moti vation of user groups was needed, Mr Egger said. In 1972, the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society had used the Army to blast rock from a waterfall on the Rangitata River so that salmon could more easily gain the river's uppei reaches. This total disregard of other river users — they had made a good canoeing river less ■ challenging — would have been avoided if user groups had been more vociferous. “If the Minister of Lands was regarded as an equal of the Minister of Energy Resources within the Government there would be less of a problem,” he said.