Issue: In June a landowner threatened boaters with a rifle; however the boaters acted quickly, turned the tables, and had the landowner arrested for third degree assault. American Whitewater also received unverified reports in March that someone had deliberately felled trees in the river to block navigation and force boaters to trespass while portaging around the obstruction. Another landowner was rumored to have posted a "No Floating and No Trespassing" notice in 1999. Additionally, there have been stories of conflicts between commercial rafters and ranchers. The arrest of the gun-toting landowner is true; however the truth of these other stories is unverified. Regardless, the fact that so many of these stories in the past 2 years indicates that issues are quickly coming to a boil.
Goal: Research who is causing the problems that boaters are reporting. Proactively work to resolve the issues and bring reports to the attention of the local district attorney. Work with the local law enforcement to ensure that they are aware of the problems with the landowners and are aware of boaters rights to float the Taylor.