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New Class IV float highlights local whitewater

BOB BERWYNsummit daily newsSummit County, CO Colorado
Summit Daily/Mark Fox
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FRISCO – Winning a short-term permit from the Forest Service last week, KODI Rafting will begin offering a limited schedule of two-hour runs down Ten Mile Creek beginning at Officers Gulch and ending at the Frisco Marina.The six-mile, Class IV run drops 110 feet per mile and is the newest stretch of commercially permitted whitewater in Colorado. Two other oufitters also applied to offer the run, but Dillon District Ranger Rick Newton and Frisco town manager Michael Penny decided go with KODI rafting.

The decision was made in part to allow for careful monitoring of any potential impacts, said Cam Meyer, who administers special use permits for the Forest Service. Meyer said if the Forest Service decides to issue a long-term permit for the Ten Mile run, other outfitters will have a chance to apply.”The town of Frisco played a big role in the decision,” Meyer said, adding that one of the competing outfitters was upset by the decision, while the other was not.Permitting a single outfitter will help the agency keep track of activity on the river. Of concern are potential impacts to the put-in area and the short, non-system trail from the Officers Gulch parking area to the put-in.

“Our fisheries people have expressed some concern over siltation,” Meyer said. The Forest Service also heard concerns from private property owners along the river, as well as from the Colorado Department of Transportation, regarding possible congestion on the freeway on-ramp, she said.The Forest Service will also try and determine whether the commercial activity leads to an increase in private use.After considering all those factors, the agency will decide if and at what levels any future uses should be permitted. A decision on a long-term permit is at least two years away, Meyer said.



The temporary permit is valid for 10 launches, with trips scheduled for June 5-7, 11-14 and June 20. Participants must be in good physical condition, and have previous paddling experience for this trip. Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.


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