People for and against jet boat use on the Rogue River in Jackson County have turned out in force for two public meetings held in the past week, with a third meeting set for June 17 at the Medford library.

An estimated 125-150 people turned out last Thursday in the gym at Shady Cove Middle School, and about 100 people turned out Tuesday at TouVelle State Recreation Site, located on the river north of Medford, as part of meetings arranged by a group of state agencies to gauge public opinion.

The Shady Cove crowd Thursday was overwhelmingly concerned about jet boats or opposed to them. The boats were viewed by many at the meeting as noisy, dangerous and a threat to fish and wildlife habitat — although there are disputes over just how noisy, dangerous and damaging they are. There have been calls to ban the boats in certain stretches.

The TouVelle crowd, which met at a picnic pavilion, was more evenly divided on the issue. Besides the meetings, the public may comment on the issue via an online survey. A report with findings is expected to be issued in early August.

At TouVelle, opinions varied, with some speakers accusing jet boat operators of being rude, uncaring and unsafe, while others said otherwise.

“I’ve never seen a disrespectful jet boat operator,” one man said.

“The river should be divided,” another man said, calling for jet boats to be banned on some stretches.

“Keep it open to everyone,” said Chuck Gros, a boat builder, adding that there’s stretches of the river where boats don’t run. “We’re all on the same team here. There’s always a bad guy who screws it up for everybody.”

Another speaker, who declined to give her full name, said she goes down to the river to fish or hang out with her dog at the Kenneth Denman Wildlife Area immediately upstream of the state park.

“Jet boats have come around the corner,” she said. “It’s tight and there’s nowhere to go.”

She felt that the wakes kicked up by jet boats were a hazard.

Another speaker countered that entering the water was inherently dangerous.

“Wading in the river is a risk,” he said.

“It’s a river,” another man said. “Boats go on a river.”

Rogue Jet Boat Adventures, in its 13th year, has provided jet boat tours that travel about 5 miles in each direction from the park, from near Lower Table Rock east of Gold Hill to Rattlesnake Rapids, well downstream of Shady Cove and south of Highway 234. Boats also take passengers from the state park to the company’s Discovery Park across the river from Lower Table Rock. The boats are allowed to use the park to load and unload, just as any other boat users would be allowed to do, although some oppose the practice.

The gatherings are being held to give people a chance to air their views in a mutually respectful forum and “to create a space where people can hear from each other,” said Eliot Feenstra, project leader for Oregon’s Kitchen Table, a consultant hired by the state of Oregon to conduct outreach on river use issues.

The meetings and survey are underway at the request of four state agencies to gather public opinion about jet boat use on the river from the former Gold Ray Dam site near Gold Hill to the William L. Jess Dam at Lost Creek Lake, a distance of about 31 miles. The state agencies include the Oregon State Marine Board, Oregon State Parks, Oregon Department of State Lands and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

At the Shady Cove meeting last week, only a few people raised their hand when Feenstra asked how many thought jet boats could coexist with other river users, which include swimmers, fishermen and rafters. Safety was an oft-mentioned concern.

“What’s a life worth?” someone asked.

Noise was a typical concern.

“We picked this part of the river because of the tranquility,” said Max Yager of Shady Cove, explaining his move to the area.

Commercial jet boats also operate on the river near Gold Beach and Grants Pass, in addition to Jackson County.

“There is so little that doesn’t have jet boats on the Rogue,” Yager said.

Nick Fitzpatrick, who is a boat operator with Rogue Jet Boat Adventures and a fire agency captain who lives in Eagle Point, agreed that safety needs to be primary, but that jet boats can stop and turn quickly.

“They are highly maneuverable,” he said. “Their stopping ability far exceeds older-style jet boats.”

Fitzpatrick also said good jet boat operators pause before entering channels.

“You are ensuring that that lane of travel is clear prior to committing to that channel,” he said.

Other concerns about jet boats included fish spawning beds, riverside vegetation and sediment stirred up by the boats and their wakes.

“There needs to be an environmental study,” one man suggested.

The need for law enforcement as well as education was brought up, too.

Wendy Willis, director of Oregon’s Kitchen Table, said the Shady Cove gathering was the largest ever held by the organization, which is affiliated with the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University.

“This is an amazing, amazing set of recommendations,” Willis told the crowd in the gym.

To take the online survey, visit tinyurl.com/okt-upperrogue-survey.

Four state agencies, prompted by public concerns about jet boat use on the Rogue River in Jackson County, are conducting public outreach with a consultant, Oregon’s Kitchen Table, to gauge public opinion about use of the river upstream of the former Gold Ray Dam site east of Gold Hill. Two community meetings have been held, with a third set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. June 17 at the Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave. in Medford.

Registration is requested, at tinyurl.com/okt-upperrogue-register. Walk-ins are welcome, and food is provided.

The organizations also are asking Jackson County residents and visitors to the Upper Rogue River area to fill out an online survey, at tinyurl.com/okt-upperrogue-survey.

For more information, contact Oregon’s Kitchen Table at 503-725-5248 or info@oregonskitchentable.org.