Don't Get Stranded at Agers Falls on the Moose: Always Sign In & Out (NY)

Boaters planning to paddle the Bottom Moose should be aware that all boaters are required to sign-in at the Fortis Hydro office (located between Agers Falls and the take-out overlooking the right left side of Crystal) before accessing the river. On release days a sign reading “Whitewater recreation sign-in” is placed by the side of the road at the entrance to the office.

The sign-in process is painless…takes about 30 seconds….and can be performed while running shuttle. This procedure has been in effect for 16 years but recently many new boaters apparently are unaware of the requirement (or are simply choosing to ignore the policy).

However—the dam operators do not start the release over Agers until paddlers sign in. During the spring—there are many weekends when because of lousy weather of high water—no one wants to boat the Bottom. And if no one shows up—the hydro folks don’t bother to shut down the turbines. But over the past three weeks—I’ve heard two reports of groups of boaters who arrived at Agers on a release day only to find no water spilling over the falls. Sucks to be them…but they’d have had water if they’d signed in.

In addition—boaters are asked to stop by the office at the end of the day and sign-out. The hydro personnel keep the water running until everybody is off the river…but they like to get home on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. There have been many instances where they’ve remained in the office waiting unnecessarily for groups to finish when the boaters have been off the river for several hours and simply neglected to sign-out.

The hydro folks are genuinely nice folks. Wendel Roberts has been in charge from the beginning and he’s always been friendly and cooperative. All boaters need to do is help publicize and then observe the simple, established sign-in procedure and boaters won’t get skunked when they arrive at Agers.