Four state agencies are working to team up with a public outreach organization known as Oregon’s Kitchen Table to work through long-simmering issues over jet boat use on the Rogue River in Jackson County.

Details are still in the works, with a formal announcement yet to come about the process, including public sessions. Oregon’s Kitchen Table is a program of the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University.

“We are working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State Marine Board and Oregon Department of State Lands on a community engagement project to hear what people need and expect from the way our agencies manage public service on this stretch of the river,” said Chris Havel, a spokesman for Oregon State Parks.

For 12 years, Rogue Jet Boat Adventures has offered jet boat tours on the river north of Medford. The boats load and unload at TouVelle State Recreation Site and travel up and downstream of the park, about 5 miles in each direction. Tour highlights include close-up views of the Table Rocks and stops at the company’s 53-acre Discovery Park.

But not everyone is happy with the boats.

In 2017, the Rogue Flyfishers Association and riverfront property owner Greg Layton petitioned the Marine Board to ban jet boats upstream of Touvelle, although the five-member board rejected the request.

A year ago, Oregon State Parks considered a long-term concession agreement with the jet boat company that would allow it to formally operate out of the park, but shelved the idea at least temporarily after hearing from hundreds of those for and against the idea.

This year, complaints and concerns have continued to make their way to state agencies, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and even to Gov. Tina Kotek.

“We want the river to be safe again for traditional non-motorized uses,” said Anne Batzer, a riverfront property owner and spokeswoman for a determined, vociferous citizens group calling itself Upper Rogue Guardians, which has started an online petition to effectively ban jet boats upstream of TouVelle. “We want to continue to provide quality water for the city of Medford. And we want it to be the place where salmon spawn and other fish like trout thrive, where a variety of birds nest without the damaging imposition of noise.”

In addition to the citizens group, the environmental organization Rogue Riverkeeper, a program of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center of Ashland, expressed concern last year about environmental harm from jet boats. And the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, in the course of commenting on the concession proposal, suggested restrictions on commercial jet boat operations, including length of season, number of boats and areas of operation.

Meanwhile, the owners of the jet boat company, Taylor and Emily Grimes, defend their safety record and their right to use the river, while maintaining that they are good neighbors who provide entertainment and education for locals and tourists. About 14,000 people booked tours last season.

“They just absolutely continue to peck away at it,” said Taylor Grimes, referring to the opposition. “It’s already been hashed out so many times.”

“Maybe they’ll find a loophole.”

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“Staff have spent time in the community learning more about the issues and have talked with people representing many of the different sides of this complex issue. There are a lot of divergent perspectives on what constitutes appropriate use of public waterways and how to maintain opportunities for diverse activities which are often perceived by some as incompatible.”

— Larry Warren, Oregon State Marine Board director

Larry Warren, Oregon State Marine Board director, said he’s looking forward to what he called listening sessions.

“The Marine Board is aware of complaints regarding specific jet boat activities on the Rogue River near TouVelle State Recreation Site,” Warren wrote in an email. “Staff have spent time in the community learning more about the issues and have talked with people representing many of the different sides of this complex issue. There are a lot of divergent perspectives on what constitutes appropriate use of public waterways and how to maintain opportunities for diverse activities which are often perceived by some as incompatible.”

Warren said the Marine Board, which funds law enforcement activities on the state’s waterways, received no formal complaints in the past three years about the jet boat company. Havel, the state parks spokesman, said the upcoming outreach effort “isn’t about just running down a laundry list of conflicts.”

“Instead, it starts by exploring the values, beliefs and expectations people have for the river,” Havel wrote in an email. “Understanding specific issues, then aligning agencies around managing them, arises after this.”

ODFW suggested jet boat restrictions last year

Meghan Dugan, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, declined to discuss specifics about her agency’s views on jet boat impacts, but she said the agency “will engage in the public process and be prepared to discuss fish, wildlife and habitat issues at that time.”

However, the agency’s views were made clear in November 2022 when Dan Van Dyke, an ODFW fish biologist based in the county, wrote to Nathan Seable, manager of the TouVelle recreation site, to provide recommendations concerning the possible jet boat concession then under consideration.

“The upper Rogue is very different than the lower and middle sections of the river,” Van Dyke wrote, referring to sections where other jet boat companies operate in Grants Pass and Gold Beach. “The channel between Fishers Ferry Boat Ramp and Cole Rivers Hatchery provides the last remaining spawning habitat for spring chinook salmon, a population struggling to thrive.”

Spring chinook eggs are present in the river gravel from Sept. 1 until early April, and wild winter steelhead eggs are in the gravel from about late March to mid-June, according to Van Dyke. Additionally, the upper river supports summer steelhead, provides “thermal refuge” for fish in the summer and provides habitat for sensitive aquatic wildlife, including yellow-legged frogs and western pond turtles, he said.

“Impacts to sensitive species are likely if the recommendations are not followed,” he said, then outlined those suggestions:

• Limit the size and number of company boats.

• Limit operations to June 15 to Aug. 31, but definitely not earlier than May 1 or later than Sept. 10.

• Limit jet boat operations to a set path, with no deviations into other channels.

• Monitor and repair any damage to riparian habitat.

• Limit the company’s use of the river to the stretch between Salmon Rock and Rattlesnake Rapids. Salmon Rock is just downstream of the company’s Discovery Park and near Lower Table Rock, while Rattlesnake Rapids is about 10 miles farther upstream, northwest of Eagle Point.

The rapids, which act as a barrier to company jet boats, are located about 2 miles downstream of Highway 234 and Dodge Bridge. According to Van Dyke, the majority of spring chinook spawning habitat is upstream of the bridge.

“The reach of the river upstream of Dodge Bridge supports the bulk of the early run, genetically distinct spring chinook population and the spawning habitat for these fish,” he wrote.

The state parks department prior to deciding on a concession held an open house and conducted an online survey that gathered 1,600 responses. A concession would have allowed the company to sell tour tickets at the park and display signs there.

But the department shelved the idea in February. Concerns included congestion at the park and the proximity of a swimming area to a boat launch area.

“The park has to be ready, and we have work to do updating TouVelle before we consider adding new services,” Dani Padilla, district manager for state parks, said at the time.

Ironically, a concession would have allowed state parks to negotiate how the boats use the river. Despite the rejection, the company still loads and unloads passengers there, as might other river users.

A typical tour leaves the park and goes upriver about five miles to Rattlesnake Rapids, where rocks block further boat traffic. Boats then return, pass the park and head downstream beyond Lower Table Rock to near Bear Creek. Eventually, they stop for a time at the company’s Discovery Park before returning to the state park to unload.

The 53-acre Discovery Park, which is not accessible to visitors via vehicle, offers picnicking, swimming and other activities, including concerts. It’s located across the river from Lower Table Rock and contains a 40-acre lake that once was a gravel pit.

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“People recycle the old complaints. There was no workable complaints for violations of law regarding Rogue Jet Boat Adventures.”

— Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Shawn Richards, who supervises marine deputies

Sgt. Shawn Richards, who supervises Jackson County’s marine deputies, said extra river patrols were conducted this year, but that no violations involving company boats were found and no new complaints were made.

“People recycle the old complaints,” Richards said in a phone interview. “There was no workable complaints for violations of law regarding Rogue Jet Boat Adventures.”

Richards said he is aware of no citations ever being issued to the company for boating violations.

Last summer, Richards met with seven members of the citizens group at the state park, at the group’s request. “All we’re trying to do is stop an accident from happening,” group member Don Blaser told him. As the group met, two jet boats loaded nearby and other park visitors waded into the water.

Group member Rania Haddad provided emails from three boaters complaining to authorities in 2016-17 about wakes kicked up by company jet boats. According to the paperwork, two of those incidents were reported weeks or months after they occurred, and one came from a river guide who opted not to sign a formal complaint.

A memo written by Deputy Jason Denton about the incident involving the guide stated that Taylor Grimes “could be cited for Unsafe Operations,” but also that Grimes could swear out a complaint against the guide for “violation of navigation rules.” In the end, neither man chose to sign complaints, and Grimes told the deputy that the two men would “work on better communications through hand signals.”

“They were both in the wrong,” Richards said.

The company takes 360-degree audio-visual recordings of every trip in case there’s any questions about safe operations.

In another action aimed at the company, the citizens group appealed and lost a Jackson County land use decision this year that allowed the company to serve alcohol at its Discovery Park. In another land use matter, the company placed protective rock near the riverbank without first obtaining necessary approvals, which was obtained retroactively this year after the company hired a consultant to demonstrate that the rock was placed properly.

In another enforcement matter, the company in 2020 had its liquor license suspended over a violation of pandemic-era rules regarding the use of masks and social distancing during an event at the Discovery Park. The park had been leased out to a third party, but the agency held the company responsible.

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“Commercial jet boat operations in the Upper Rogue are significantly more harmful to the environment and fish and wildlife because the large jet boats are big compared to the river width and depth and the jet boat wakes contribute to soil erosion and tree loss, degrading riparian habitat. The jet boats disturb fish in their holding areas and eagles, ospreys, herons and other birds along the river and the adjacent Denman Wildlife Refuge.”

— Rogue Riverkeeper

Opposition to the jet boat operation came from Rogue Riverkeeper in November 2022 when the concession was under consideration.

“Commercial jet boat operations in the Upper Rogue are significantly more harmful to the environment and fish and wildlife because the large jet boats are big compared to the river width and depth and the jet boat wakes contribute to soil erosion and tree loss, degrading riparian habitat,” the group said in a statement posted to its website. “The jet boats disturb fish in their holding areas and eagles, ospreys, herons and other birds along the river and the adjacent Denman Wildlife Refuge.”

The company limits trips above the state park and past the refuge to a maximum of 12 daily round trips and only when there’s a river flow at Gold Hill of at least 1,350 cubic-feet-per-second, according to company operating procedures. It’s the stretch above the state park where riverfront homes are located.

‘Every study on this has indicated any effects from jet boats are negligible’

When Rogue Jet Boat Adventures opened 12 years ago, it had one boat and now has three. They hold up to 10, 18 and 25 passengers, respectively. Last summer, the company had four boat captains, one of them a former sheriff’s deputy. The company loads and unloads passengers at the state park by pulling up to shore, where passengers use a ladder to come aboard.

The year 2023 was a good one for ridership. Bookings were up 4,000 from the year before.

The company this year received support from Travel Medford, which granted it $5,000 to promote a company concert series, “Concerts Under the Rocks,” at Discovery Park. Revenue from lodging taxes funded the grant, similar to grants given to other organizations to promote events.

Taylor Grimes said his company has supported riparian restoration and river clean-up efforts and that his customers learn about river ecology and area history during tours. The company cooperates with law enforcement and participates in water rescues, he said.

“We utilize our water craft during non-critical months,” he wrote in an email. “Water levels are up, and fish are not spawning.”

Grimes said jet boats use pump propulsion that creates its thrust at the top of the water line, not underneath the bottom of the boat as do some outboard motors.

“Every study on this has indicated any effects from jet boats are negligible,” he said.

He noted that property owners along the river are sometimes responsible for habitat destruction, including the removal of trees that shade the river.

“We’ve never understood why homeowners feel it is necessary to have manicured lawns right to the river’s edge,” he said.

Without referring by name to Hellgate Jetboat Excursions in Grants Pass, Grimes compared his operations with theirs.

“In most instances during the heart of the summer, operators of vessels 3-4 times the size of our tour boats operate in the same or less water volume than we do just downstream,” he said.

Grimes said he had to combat rumors last year that his company was about to start a tour business operating out of Upper Rogue Regional Park in Shady Cove, where Jackson County was considering boat ramp improvements. Shady Cove is along the river a few miles above Dodge Bridge. Grimes wrote to Shari Tarvin, then the mayor of the town.

“Please let your constituents know that in no way would we ever even consider Shady Cove as a viable option for boat tours,” he told her. “The amount of bedrock present in that area as well as raft traffic are just two of the reasons out of many why this would never be considered.”

He continued:

“We have chosen a section of river totaling 10 river miles with only a half-mile of that having residences who have chosen to purchase property along a state designated highway. The section of river we operate in holds some of the most rich, cultural and historical sites in Jackson County, including the magnificent Table Rocks, and has also allowed us to create a fabulous river park for our customers. We are simply content in our offerings.”

Jon Ball, Shady Cove’s current mayor, said he is looking forward to planned improvements at the regional park and its boat ramp area, where a proposal for a large parking lot was scaled back, leaving most of the park’s greenery untouched.

“They’ve done a great job meeting the city halfway,” Ball said in a phone interview. “It’s going to be an upgraded facility like we have right now. Unfortunately, it’s about four or five years out.”

Ball, a fisherman, isn’t a fan of jet boats in general, but said small “mini” jet boats operated on the river by private parties are the problem in Shady Cove, where they seemed to proliferate last summer. They are fast and noisy, he said, adding that he’s seen them crash on rocks.

“They’re super dangerous,” he said. “They’re just flying.”

Ball was so upset, he wrote to the governor in July.

“As Mayor for the City of Shady Cove, I am writing to you to express the grave concerns of our citizens, businesses, and the City Council regarding the Upper Rogue River and the use of Jet Boats and motorized boats in general,” Ball wrote, saying that there were concerns about erosion, noise and damage to spawning habitat. “Jet boats on our portion of the Rogue River will have a disastrous impact on all other uses.”

Ball invited Kotek to visit, but she didn’t take him up on the offer. However, Jessica LaBerge of Regional Solutions, an arm of the governor’s office, stepped in and suggested the involvement of a third party, which led to the pending involvement of Oregon’s Kitchen Table.

“I do think we’re headed in the right direction,” LaBerge said last week. “They’re all about bringing voices together.”

Note: This story has been updated to state the correct location of Salmon Rock.