Of course, for the homeowners right next to the proposed development, making the Oxbow riparian area into a put-in must be a heartbreaking issue. Just like the noise, pollution, crowds and often disrespect shown to families living near the existing put-ins has been terrible.

For me, being against developing and paving a significant portion of the Oxbow area is more about protecting wildlife and preserving a precious “greenway” area. And it’s more about leaving the area for residents to enjoy on a bike ride (once the bike trail is complete) or to enjoy a peaceful upstream paddle on their local river.

To paraphrase what someone pointed out at a recent city meeting: The river is not just a water slide for commercial use, but a beautiful riparian resource for the residents, including wildlife. I see more and more families paddling upstream on their stand-up paddle boards, with their young children. Outside of it being peaceful, almost anyone can paddle these boards on flat water, which is not the case for navigating craft downstream from 32nd Street through rocky rapids.

As well-behaved as most commercial trips are, this peaceful float would change if large parties of commercial rafters were floating through the area above 32nd. Would affecting and perhaps severely damaging the Oxbow riparian wildlife area actually alleviate the now highly used commercial put-ins downstream? Have studies shown this? Or does the city need to, somewhat belatedly, regulate the two existing put-ins we have and limit the number of allowable commercial user days? And perhaps charge a reasonable fee to commercial river passengers for enforcement and maintenance?

Louise Teal

Durango