The Oregon State Department of Aviation (ODA) Board will be holding a Public Hearing on the proposed Final Rule for Waldo Lake on January 31, 2013. The amendment regarding Waldo lake is in red near the bottom:

http://cl.ly/2l2s1K1C1B0A

The Hearing will be held in the Ken Long Conference Room at the Willamalane Center, 250 South 32nd Street, Springfield, Oregon between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. This meeting is the culmination of the action by the ODA Board to craft rules that will allow continued use of Waldo Lake by seaplanes. If you are unfamiliar with this issue, or need a refresher, please visit the Columbia Seaplane Pilots Association (CSPA) website http://www.C-SPA.org for the story. Read, particularly, Aron's May 6, 2012 Bull-a-Ton article: Waldo Lake:Finding Common Ground.

CSPA greatly appreciates the work of the ODA Board in attempting to find common ground with the other users of the lake. The ODA effort has been met with opposition by those not wanting motorized use of the lake. Oregon Wild and the U.S. Forest Service are so opposed to this rule that they categorically refused to participate in crafting the Temporary Rules back in May. They and their constituents will not, however, refuse to participate in this hearing and will no doubt be there in force. For this reason CSPA is asking that any local pilots, seaplane and otherwise, that can take the time to support the ODA Board come to the meeting and sign up to speak. It will probably be a rather lively proceeding.

If you are out of the area and interested in preserving you rights to use the Sovereign Waters of the State of Oregon in the future you can send a brief, or lengthy, letter or email to the Oregon Department of Aviation expressing your support for the Board action to:
Oregon Dept. of Aviation Board
3040 25th St., SE
Salem ,Oregon 97302-1125
FAX (503) 373-1688
Or Email: [email protected]

Thanks in advance,
CSPA Board of Directors

Updated Bill's post with a link to the proposed rules from Oregon Dept of Aviation.

Does anyone want to attend this? Carpool from Portland?

That sounds pretty good, sounds like an important one to be at.

Zzz wrote:Does anyone want to attend this? Carpool from Portland?

If your driving I can go.

I was thinking of going, could meet up with you guys at I5 EXIT lebanon and hwy 34 all ride togahter ? or you can ride in back of my truck as lora lee has car in az.

Did anyone make it? Update us please.

G'Day

I went and testefied , maybe 10/12 pilots out of 70 or so people.The oregon marine board has closed the lake to all motoresed boats which I did not know, lake is supper clear water. Park service, blm want it closed. The govenor sent his represenitive to urge the board to close lake. the head of ODA works for the gov. as I understand it. So he is out on a limb to keep it open. I hold little hope of it staying open. To bad we could not have had as many pilots as there was enviromentalist there!

Thanks for going John! The anti-access/no motor crowd are a mighty powerful lobby. They demand every hill, blade of grass, and mud puddle the last of its type, then demand it be closed. Sucks

G'Day

To all who helped,

Last nights Waldo Lake Public Hearing was held in Springfield, Oregon. It went well considering the bunch of closed minded people that we were up against. The vote will come later and the board is defiantly under a lot of pressure. Hot button issues with the assembly were IAS, pollution: oil, fuel and noise, safety and not wanting to see a seaplane. As usual only one person in the room said they had ever seen a seaplane there.

As the SPA Field Director for Oregon I spoke on our efforts and training to avoid transporting IAS. Aron Faegre, President of CSPA, spoke on need for clear access to the lake and our efforts to find compromise. Other pilots made their points as well. The pilot turnout and supporters for seaplanes was probably the best I have seen. Thanks to all those who participated in person and to the forums, blogs and associations that got the word out.

Bill Wainwright
SPA Field Director for Oregon
CSPA Vice President