Residents demand larger no wake zone

By MIKE RICHESON

Bigfork Eagle

Residents living around Swan Lake are ready to rock the boat.

More than 50 people turned out to discuss a proposal that would extend the no wake zone for a mile on the northern end of the lake with Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials. Regulations currently require a 200-foot no wake zone along the entire lake, but residents are saying that's not good enough.

Homeowners are looking to go on the offensive to enact tougher regulation to control what they see as a growing threat, especially as land around the lake becomes developed.

Personal safety was a topic of frequent conversation during the meeting. Homeowners said that they and family members spend a lot of time in the lake, and speeding boats are an unnecessary threat.

Just prior to the meeting, members of Ferndale Fire Department and Bigfork Ambulance created a scenario where someone had to be rescued after being run over by a boat.

The scene included volunteer actors who paddled a canoe in from the lake with a child-sized victim complete with a hysterical mother and nosey bystanders. Spectators watched as emergency crews went through the process of stabilizing and transporting the victim.

"This is our world for us," Ferndale Firefighter Dominic Kovacevic said. "Water safety is a real issue. This isn't a joke."

Robin Sticka with the Bigfork Ambulance described the type of injuries a boat can inflict on a swimmer.

"As busy as the waterways are getting - it's difficult to see people in the water," Sticka, who has responded to two such calls, said. "Boat props are like blades on a blender, and they can cause severe head and tissue injuries. People can bleed out very quickly and then drown.

"It's important to have places where people can enter the water without the danger of watercraft."

Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials were on hand to discuss their stance on the extended no wake zone and to answer questions.

Jim Satterfield, Region One supervisor, said that the issue came up in December 2006 during the FWP meeting in Helena. At the time, Satterfield his office opposed creating the new regulation and asked for a one-year deference.

"We already have a regulation in effect, and I'm not sure more regulations are going to help," Satterfield said.

In 2007, FWP increased patrols on Swan Lake and engaged in a region-wide effort to inform the public about the no wake regulations governing all the areas lakes. This year, a warden has been patrolling Swan Lake at least one day during the week and one day each weekend.

G.L. Hamilton performed most of the patrols on Swan Lake, and he said most of the fines he's handed out have had nothing to do with wake violations. A big problem Hamilton said he faces is the fact that he can only be in one place at a time. By the time someone calls in a complaint, and the complaint goes through dispatch and to a deputy sheriff and finally to him, the offenders have moved into open water. Oftentimes, the complaint won't even make it all the way through the chain and back to Hamilton.

One homeowner came out and asked the question on everybody's mind: Will Satterfield oppose or recommend the one-mile zone to headquarters in Helena?

"I'm not making a commitment to how I'll testify," Satterfield said. "I would consider a middle ground. One mile seems pretty invasive, maybe there could be some compromise."

Satterfield did add that he probably would not oppose another petition for the extended zone if residents went to the FWP commission again this winter

Residents said that by creating the one-mile zone, all ambiguity of a 200-foot zone would go away and allow them to help police the lake. Homeowners said that attempts to wave down speeding boaters are often met with anger and open hostility.

Satterfield encouraged residents to post signs on their docks stating that there is a 200-foot no wake zone.

"We're sympathetic to your situation," Satterfield told his audience. "We're on your side. We're not trying to be the big, bad bureaucracy, but we do want to have something that is going to work."