06-25-1990 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CHAPTER 1: Surface Use of Metropolitan Lakes large bodies of water such as Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake, and the Sl Croix and Mississippi Rivers. Anglers prefer lakes that support large gamefish populations. Perceptions of crowding People’s perception of crowding on lakes largely depends on personal expectations and tolerances. A canoeist in the Boundary Waters expects a solitary experience and might feel crowded by seeing just one other boat. On the other hand, boaters in the metro area generally expect to share the lakes with others but tolerate different levels and types of use. Some activities, such as powerboating or waterskiing, take up large areas of lake surface and make a lake seem more crowded than uses such as still-fishing. Since crowding is largely a matter of personal perception, setting standards for acceptable boating densities is difficult Most management agencies have based boating capacity standards on safety concerns rather than perceptions of crowding. These standards vary widely among agencies ^ often do not consider factors like the shape of the lake or the way it is used. When developing public access sites, the Minnesota DNR plans for a maximum density of one boat per 10 acres, regardless of the type of boat or use. The Wisconsin DNR uses a standard of one boat per 20 acres. On the Allegheny Reservoir in New York, different uses are considered to require different amounts of lake surface, ranging from one acre for anchored fishing boats to 20 acres for water-skiers.^ A significant percentage of boaters in the metro area feel the lake they use is crowded. From 1984 to 1986, the DNR surveyed boaters on 23 metropolitan lakes about their perception of crowding on the lakes. On weekends and holidays, about 30 percent of metropolitan boaters surveyed rated the lake they used as "crowded" or "loo crowded."^ By comparison, fewer than 10 percent of boaters in other regions of the state judged their lake to be crowded. The DNR conducted its metro area boater survey at pubUc and private access points and only included people who were actuaUy using metropolitan lakes. DNR researchers did not interview any boaters who had given up trying to use these lakes. Conflicts and accidents Certain combinations of activities on lakes can lead to confiicL Powerboater^ and water-skiers are most frequently involved in conflicts with other lake users. Powerboat noise disturbs people, and smaU boat users and people fishing feel frustrated or scared when their activities arc disrupted by ^e speed and wake size of passing powerboats. Fast-moving boats frighi i swimmers and scuba-divers. In winter, high-speed snowmobiles alarm cross-country skiers on the ice. Personal watercraft, such as jet-skis, are becoming a source of conflict as they increase in popularity. According to DNR Boating Safety Coordinator, Kim Elvenim, jet-skiers often behave discourteously or even dangerously, by jumping wakes and coming too close to swimmers, people fishing, and the shoreline. Conflicting uses also come out of the sky. Seaplanes are allowed to land on some metropolitan lakes, and they can annoy, frighten, arid sometimes endanger boaters. Larger motorboats are involved in most reported boating accidents in the metro area. These accidents are usually coUisions between boats or with other objects. Fatal accidents usually are caused by canoes, small motorboats capsizing, or people falling overboard. A few metropolitan lakes are "hot spots" for boating accidents. In 1988, more th^ hitif of ^ 70 non- fatal boating accidents reported in the metro area occurred on Lake Minnetonka. Excelsior Bay Spring Park Bay have been identified as particularly dangerous parts of the lake. Wheri surveyed about their last trip on Lake Minnetonka, a large majority of lake users reported seeing potenually dangerous Ibid. Ibid.