Rogue River Outfitter Meeting Notes
November 12, 2015  4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Grants Pass Interagency Office
2164 NE Spalding Avenue, Grants Pass, Oregon
Welcome
Tina Lanier, District Ranger, Gold Beach Ranger District, Rogue-Siskiyou NF
Changing operations – USFS switching to joint floats instead of jet boats, better user interaction.
Introductions & Ground Rules
Don Ferguson, Facilitator
18 agency employees, 14 outfitters in attendance, and 3 on the phone.
Special Recreation Permit Administration
Barbara Zurhellen, Commercial Permit Administrator, BLM
 2015 Audit
Audited for years 2011-2013, to ensure the BLM is being provided accurate information;
43permits in state, with 12 in GPRA (1special event, 4 recreation section, & 7 wild section),
were reviewed. Found 4 permit holders in state failing to submit any records, 15 submitted
adequate or limited financial records, and 24 that failed to provide adequate financial records to
substantiate their income and had no internal accounting control procedure in place. BLM has
decided to amend all active multi-year permits with new stipulations for financial accounting
procedures. All multi-year permit holders will be receiving a letter informing them that their
permit will be amended to incorporate new stipulations for financial accounting procedures
(Dec). BLM will then send the actual decision letter amending the multi-year permits (Feb or
March).

New Operating Plan Update
Current operating plan is being updated and being renamed Additional Permit Stipulations. It
will include the new financial accounting procedures in it. If anyone has items in the current
operating plan that would like BLM/FS to clarify or simplify, please let Barbara know.
Q: Will there be a cheat sheet highlighting the changes to that plan, to facilitate locating them?
A: Yes

Permit Reissuance
BLM will be required to reissue all multi-year permits with the new stipulations and will be
implementing additional internal permit administration procedures as identified by the auditor.
Some of these may include advance fee billing and current business plans.
Q: Will all permits be reissued for a 10 year span?
A: Still assessing that.

BLM Alder Permits
Outfitters have historically been allowed to cut alder branches for the smoking of fish at lunch;
this was authorized specifically just for BLM land by a former Grants Pass Resource Area
Field Manger. The permit for this practice expired in 2010, so BLM will be sending out a form
to reapply for that permit in the near future. Some outfitters do in fact still make use of cooking
with cut alder branches. Reminder: this use is not authorized on lands administered by the
USFS.
Law Enforcement Update
Greg Filer, Field Staff Law Enforcement Ranger, BLM

Marijuana
Marijuana is still illegal on all federal land (BLM, USFS, tribal, NPS), and Measure 91 has not
changed that fact as it does not affect federal law. Marijuana is considered a controlled
substance, and possession is a Federal ‘Class A’ misdemeanor, and may become a felony under
certain circumstances. If you are found smoking or possessing marijuana on public lands you
can still be cited through the state.
Measure 91 - One can possess up to one ounce (public jurisdiction only), cannot smoke on
public lands (state or federal), can smoke at residence only, must be 21 years or older, you can
get a DUI for marijuana. Oregon.gov - has a frequently asked questions page regarding state
specific marijuana use/possession.
The BLM will seize and cite you for it federally if caught on federal land; FDA has not
approved it so it is not recognized as a medical prescription by federal Law Enforcement
Officers. This includes card holders and any edibles found will be seized.
Law Enforcement (LE) will be out enforcing these laws along the Rogue River including the
Wild and Scenic Section of the Rogue.
Q: What if a client is cited with marijuana, how does that affect the outfitter hosting them?
A: That’s up to authorized officers and LE; it will be documented that they were associated
with the outfitter, but if they are completely removed from the group the individual will most
likely be dealt with singularly. The outfitter’s history will be a factor in the decision of
administrative action.
Outfitter/Guide Issues or Concerns
Foster Bar Dumpsters
Q: Why was the recycling bin removed this season?
A: USFS will look into it. Other outfitters believe the camp hosts removed them. USFS believes that
recycling was tried in previous years and Curry Transfer and Recycling found it too difficult to
separate the trash (visitors weren’t doing this) and will no longer provide the service. Campground
hosts may have done it on their own in past years as well. Questions and concerns can be followed up
with Lorelei Haukness, Rand Mail, or Barbara Zurhellen.
Campsite Monitoring Study
Q: Was anyone asked about best sites to monitor in use study? Saw some old, little used sites being
monitored and some new, heavily used ones not being monitored.
A: BLM monitored all sites, anywhere and everywhere we saw people staying.
Q: Is a partial reservation system still being considered? Outfitters cite other rivers that use reservation
systems and say they are very effective in relieving campsite competition.
A: That will be discussed during Kai’s presentation in the User Meeting this evening.
C: If number of groups going down Rogue per day would make the system used on other rivers
difficult, a partial or modified version could be implemented.
C: Opinion that the river being limited by number of total users, not number of groups, is a large part
of what creates campsite competition/makes it hard to manage. BLM offered the launch data we have
compiled this season to outfitters for review.
Toilets
C: Toilets in USFS section (especially during peak of season) were very poorly maintained, not
stocked, etc. One outfitter cleaned some toilets personally for their group’s use.
Q: How did this happen, and will volunteers be reinstated at Brushy Bar?
A: FS felt uncomfortable putting volunteers at Brushy with so many new USFS staff who felt unable to
be on the river often enough to support them. FS is looking into getting volunteer presence back, but
that may not happen soon. Talking to lodges for possible assistance.
Management Plan
Q: What does BLM have authority to do within management plan? This was talked about last year, has
any progress been made on that front?
A: Yes, this will be covered in the next meeting, where more general management issues are more
appropriate.
Compliance Checks
C: Story related – a private group (knowingly) had an extra person with their group, who was not on
the permit. The group was checked by our river rangers and only issued an oral warning. This is a
discrepancy in treatment of private and commercial users, as commercial outfitters have been
penalized more harshly for infractions of similar severity.
A: The oral warning issue was not in line with our policy, that issue was passed up the chain of
command and also addressed with staff. BLM believes this was a training issue on our part. USFS – it
is correct that outfitter/guides are held to a higher standard than private boaters; the expectation is that
they will set the example as agency partners on the Rogue.
E-File
Q: How is e-filing working for those who are using it?
A: Mostly positive feedback, said very efficient and helpful. Note – only need gross receipts (one lump
sum) on trip card, not broken down by person.
Trip Cards
BLM will be reordering trip cards for the 2016 season. If anyone has suggestions on how to improve
them, please let Barbara know.
Q: Are boat colors necessary to report on trip cards? It is difficult and sometimes unknown.
A: BLM – this was useful for USFS when they did trips via jet boat and were observing with
binoculars; current USFS said they feel reporting color is mostly not necessary now that trips are done
via raft and in person contact is made. VC staff agrees that they would find omission of colors more
efficient. It will be taken into consideration. Please write harder and legibly on trip cards.
2015 Season
C: This was a great season. Rand ran very well, even with so many new people. An emergency
medical situation with a guide was handled very well, and approving sending in a boat to get her was
made quick and painless.
Q: How was your season?
A: This organization is great to deal with, good season. Low water was thankfully less of an issue than
predicted.
C: Lots of rescues of private boats happened – possibly due to low water. Also many other rivers
didn’t have water this year – may have contributed to many more new boaters coming to the Rogue.
C: Having guaranteed opportunity to run a baggage boat should be something that is available
throughout the season, not just the shoulder. This is a safety issue with drift boats, as the extra weight
makes a huge difference for these vessels.
Q: BLM – doesn’t flex guarantee that option for you?
A: Outfitter – not necessarily, depends on how many flexes you have.
Wrap Up