As some of you in the southeast US are aware, the Tallulah Gorge
State Park in GA does not allow riverboarding on the Tallulah River
in the gorge. The Tallulah is a steep creek with a few very large
slides in it. Here is contact info for David Perry, Acting
Superintendent of Tallulah Gorge State Park:
david_perry@.... He can also be reached at (706)
754-7970. Please send him an email or call him expressing your
interest in riverboarding the Tallulah. Southeast boarders, you
have a big stake in this. Everyone else, please help us out. This
is an awesome river and if ever opened to riverboarding would be
worth the drive as well. Plus getting access on this one would be a
big precedent for other rivers in the future. If anyone knows of
any other rivers (I've heard the Lower Yough in PA doesn't, which
puzzles me because they let people board on the Upper Yough in MA,
which is a lot more difficult), and has contact info for the
decision makers on those rivers, post the info and we'll mobilize on
them too.
Here is my ideas on the Tallulah and you may want to mention these
if you contact Dave Perry. First, I think that a team of
riverboarders should at least be given the chance to run the
Tallulah. I believe that a group of experienced boarders wearing
maximum protective gear, scouting, and setting safety, could safely
run the river, and also determine any recommended portages. We
deserve a chance to at least prove if the river is runnable on a
riverboard or not.
Second, if access was granted, in order to maintain safety, all
riverboarders would have to have and use certain protective and
safety gear.
Thanks everyone, perhaps post on here if you contact Dave and what
his response was.