Court Considers Ban on Motor Boats at Waldo Lake

Forest Service set to implement rule this summer.

A U.S. Forest Service ban on internal combustion motor boats on Waldo Lake was considered in Federal Court Wednesday in Eugene.  The ban was initially announced in 2007.  Steve Stewart, a frequent boater on Waldo, challenged it on the grounds the state should have authority over lake activities. Attorneys representing the Forest Service argued the lake is completely surrounded by the Willamette National Forest and therefore falls under control of the federal agency.

Doug Heiken, with the conservation group Oregon Wild, says he’s disappointed the case has been bogged down by legal technicalities.

“Right now it looks like the Forest Service is in the best position.  They’re the ones who have protected the lake all along and now they want to phase out internal combustion motors,” Heiken said.  “I wish we would stop this custody battle and pay attention to what is in the best interest of the lake.”

Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin is expected to issue an opinion before the ban goes into effect in late July.  The case will then go to a federal judge for final review.