The Snake River as it passes through Jackson Hole is crowded and seething with pent-up tensions, judging from public comment received for the Snake River Management Plan.

Some who commented on the county-commissioned study say scenic float trips cause the most problems. Other say it’s fishing outfitters. Still others think all commercial boating should be banned between Moose and South Park.

At least one commenter wrote that ceasing commercial use doesn’t go far enough: “Charge all commercials a back fee for ruining the resource for the last 15 years.”

The management plan is being developed for Teton County by Confluence Research and Consulting as a requirement to allow for a land exchange between the Bureau of Land Management and the county.

Release of the draft plan drew more than 100 comments before the April 30 cutoff date. Most were submitted electronically through a survey form, and most of those were anonymous. More than a dozen citizens wrote letters directly to county commissioners.

Overwhelmingly, commenters supported the need for some kind of oversight of commercial vessels. Few advocated any fees or management for private boaters.

“This parking lot is always dominated by the number of fishing trailers,” one commenter wrote of South Park boat ramp accommodations. “I am not sure how many of those are commercial trips, but it seems like most of them are.”

Others took aim at commercial raft tours.

“It’s not rocket science where all the chaos is coming from at the Wilson Bridge,” a commenter states. “It’s big buses, large rafts and vast numbers of people doing scenics. These greedy few companies are the problem on the entire river.”

“Stop all commercial use at Wilson,” another person wrote, “to allow locals one spot in the entire river system to not have to be pushed aside by commercial interests.”

The inference of widespread conflict between anglers and scenic floaters may have been exaggerated by the anonymous comments. One outfitter who spoke to the News&Guide said he thought relations between fishing and raft guides have actually improved.

“I think it’s a lot better from what I’ve seen,” Mad River Boat Trips operations manager and raft guide K.C. Bess said. “It used to be worse before people started trying to reach an understanding. Two or three years ago we kind of all met up and had a conversation. We’re all making an effort to educate our guides.

“Some of us don’t fish,” he said. “We don’t know we’re doing something to piss them off.”

More than any single user group, it appears to be the sheer number of boats on the river that poses the problem, many commenters said.

“I have stopped floating Wilson to South Park much in recent years, because it is such a zoo with the increased commercial outfitters’ use,” one wrote. “On-stream encounters with commercial trips are way too high here any more.”

Such sentiment was shared by outfitters and private boaters alike, although outfitters such as Bess advocated a temperate response.

“Personally, as K.C. Bess, I would like to see it less crowded,” he said. “As [an employee of] Mad River, I’d like to see it reduced, but done intelligently.”

What an intelligent reduction means varies widely from commenter to commenter. Whether to reduce use sharply, slightly or not at all is one of the essential questions posed by the draft management plan.

“I believe that for the most part the river is still a very enjoyable place,” one writer said. “I think with improved facilities at Wilson and South Park the river can handle current volumes.”

Some thought differently.

“Volunteering for the ramp survey was a real eye-opener for me,” a commenter wrote. “It was a zoo! Anywhere near the same capacity as now would be a mistake no matter what mitigating practices might be adopted.”

Some suggested one day a week off for commercial use.

“Lower the number of commercial raft trips allowed,” one commenter stated. “Keep one weekend day (Sunday) solely for noncommercial use.”

Some wrote that the plan’s options should include no commercial use on the Snake through Jackson Hole while many singled out the stretch between Wilson and South Park as the most acceptable part of the river to maintain current numbers or even increase use.

“Wilson to South Park has the ability to withstand the highest concentrations of boaters than any other section on the river,” a commenter wrote. “Because our tourism market has increased in recent years I find it hard to believe that we will have enough room for our tourist guests if we [reduce numbers].”

While the sense that the stretch is already overpopulated pervaded comments, one writer said commercial outfitters benefit the county enough that it ought to subsidize their activities.

“[T]he public does receive significant benefit from facilities built and maintained and services rendered via collection of commercial use fees,” this person wrote. “Accordingly, I believe the county should be prepared to subsidize the costs of facilities and regulatory operations (including personnel) to some extent, at least to start.”

Others thought it better to solicit money directly from private users. These commenters suggested the county charge private boaters for their use of the county’s boat ramps, with out-of-towners charged an additional fee.

That idea found little support from county commissioners as they prepared the scope of the document last year. And it found little support among the bulk of comments received on its draft.

“At this point there shouldn’t be private use permitting, even for large groups,” a representative comment read. “There should be no fees for launching or parking for private users! There should be lots of education available for private users.”

In addition to collecting comments, researchers are collecting information on numbers of boaters using segments of the Snake to better inform the management plan, Teton County public information officer Charlotte Reynolds said. By mid-June outfitters are expected to be able to log their client and boat numbers electronically.

By early to mid-June, consultants are expected to present commissioners with a report on comments received.

The data will inform the next public workshop, expected to take place in late September, Reynolds said. A final management plan is expected in 2015.

This article appeared in the Jackson Hole News & Guide on May 28, 2014.