tattoobob
05-08-2004, 05:40 PM
thought some of you mass guys would like to read this
bob
Fishermen, boaters deserve new river ramp in Lawrence
By Roger Aziz
Correspondent
A fter $25 million have been spent to make the mighty Merrimack a more usable, people-friendly river, its a a shame that one of its prime functions is now being ignored.
To make matters worse, another $2 million have been spent to assure that fishermen, who are historically the river's primary users, will not allowed easy access to the Merrimack.
Restoring Atlantic salmon to the Merrimack River is a pipe dream that most fishermen are now beginning to realize. For that matter, so is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, other species have provided some excellent fishing through the past 21/2 decades, such as striped bass and shad.
With the facelift Pemberton Park has received, the area will now has a chance to live up to the disaster for which it's named. The Pemberton Mill fire was a terrible event in the city of Lawrence. It is a pity that this prime riverfront land was named after such an event.
In 1978, former Mayor Lawrence LeFebre and I discussed naming the area "Fisherman's Park" because early settlers fished on that site. At that time, I had presented the mayor with a petition signed by hundreds of Lawrence citizens to maintain access for fishermen along that stretch of the river.
The refurbished Pemberton Park completely ignores fishing opportunities. No plans were drawn to consider how fishermen would access the river along the north bank, something they've done for the past 25 years. The fact is that the boat ramp on the north bank of the river between the railroad bridge and the J.W. Casey Bridge is no longer available for fishermen.
Because the ramp is not owned by the state, it has not been considered part of the park and has not been addressed as a viable site for launching a boat. Park supervisor John Faro, with whom both my son, Roger Jr., and I have met with during the winter and again this spring, has been quoted by The Eagle-Tribune saying that the ramp is really a difficult place to launch a boat.
Maybe it is. However, with the exception of a few bent propellers, there have never been any serious accidents attributed to launching at this site.
Over the years, many hundreds of boats have been launched from the ramp. Fishermen are willing to deal with minor difficulties to reach great fishing sites.
What upsets this writer, especially, is the fact that more than 25 years ago when the shad run began in earnest, the ramp -- originally built as an emergency ramp so that firefighters could access the river -- was closed to the public. However, safety of Merrimack River boat fishermen over the years as not been that much of a concern, the drowning of a shore fisherman in an off-limits location on the south bank near the fish elevator being the exception.
In the early 1980s, I spoke with then Alderman Terrance Schiavone, who agreed to open the ramp for fishermen. He had the chain blocking ramp removed and, for the past quarter century, it has remained open to the enjoyment of thousands of fishermen each spring.
Until last year, that is, when the Massachusetts Parks Department decided to improve the park and, in doing so, shut the fishermen out.
If the state parks department wanted to prove good faith, it should have first of all designed the park to accommodate river access, both to the ramp and to the shoreline. Secondly, it should at least leave the gate open from sunrise to sunset to allow fishermen to use the ramp at their own risk.
The only chance for a new ramp now is at the end of the park, where my son and I recently met with Faro and Jack Sheppard, director of the state's Public Access Board. Such a ramp would be just upstream of the J.W. Casey Bridge. It is a shallow area, but since its main use would be in the spring for a six- to eight-week period, all agree that water level will have little consequence.
Best of all, since the park has a large parking lot and it is hardly ever filled, fishermen could easily park their boat trailers.
In order for the new ramp to be a reality, tough, fishermen must immediately begin to let the state and the city of Lawrence know how they feel.
Fishing for shad and striped bass in Lawrence is good for only eight weeks a year. Yet the loss of river access may be forever.
Roger Aziz is the outdoors correspondent for The Eagle-Tribune. E-mail him at sports@eagletribune.com.
bob
Fishermen, boaters deserve new river ramp in Lawrence
By Roger Aziz
Correspondent
A fter $25 million have been spent to make the mighty Merrimack a more usable, people-friendly river, its a a shame that one of its prime functions is now being ignored.
To make matters worse, another $2 million have been spent to assure that fishermen, who are historically the river's primary users, will not allowed easy access to the Merrimack.
Restoring Atlantic salmon to the Merrimack River is a pipe dream that most fishermen are now beginning to realize. For that matter, so is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, other species have provided some excellent fishing through the past 21/2 decades, such as striped bass and shad.
With the facelift Pemberton Park has received, the area will now has a chance to live up to the disaster for which it's named. The Pemberton Mill fire was a terrible event in the city of Lawrence. It is a pity that this prime riverfront land was named after such an event.
In 1978, former Mayor Lawrence LeFebre and I discussed naming the area "Fisherman's Park" because early settlers fished on that site. At that time, I had presented the mayor with a petition signed by hundreds of Lawrence citizens to maintain access for fishermen along that stretch of the river.
The refurbished Pemberton Park completely ignores fishing opportunities. No plans were drawn to consider how fishermen would access the river along the north bank, something they've done for the past 25 years. The fact is that the boat ramp on the north bank of the river between the railroad bridge and the J.W. Casey Bridge is no longer available for fishermen.
Because the ramp is not owned by the state, it has not been considered part of the park and has not been addressed as a viable site for launching a boat. Park supervisor John Faro, with whom both my son, Roger Jr., and I have met with during the winter and again this spring, has been quoted by The Eagle-Tribune saying that the ramp is really a difficult place to launch a boat.
Maybe it is. However, with the exception of a few bent propellers, there have never been any serious accidents attributed to launching at this site.
Over the years, many hundreds of boats have been launched from the ramp. Fishermen are willing to deal with minor difficulties to reach great fishing sites.
What upsets this writer, especially, is the fact that more than 25 years ago when the shad run began in earnest, the ramp -- originally built as an emergency ramp so that firefighters could access the river -- was closed to the public. However, safety of Merrimack River boat fishermen over the years as not been that much of a concern, the drowning of a shore fisherman in an off-limits location on the south bank near the fish elevator being the exception.
In the early 1980s, I spoke with then Alderman Terrance Schiavone, who agreed to open the ramp for fishermen. He had the chain blocking ramp removed and, for the past quarter century, it has remained open to the enjoyment of thousands of fishermen each spring.
Until last year, that is, when the Massachusetts Parks Department decided to improve the park and, in doing so, shut the fishermen out.
If the state parks department wanted to prove good faith, it should have first of all designed the park to accommodate river access, both to the ramp and to the shoreline. Secondly, it should at least leave the gate open from sunrise to sunset to allow fishermen to use the ramp at their own risk.
The only chance for a new ramp now is at the end of the park, where my son and I recently met with Faro and Jack Sheppard, director of the state's Public Access Board. Such a ramp would be just upstream of the J.W. Casey Bridge. It is a shallow area, but since its main use would be in the spring for a six- to eight-week period, all agree that water level will have little consequence.
Best of all, since the park has a large parking lot and it is hardly ever filled, fishermen could easily park their boat trailers.
In order for the new ramp to be a reality, tough, fishermen must immediately begin to let the state and the city of Lawrence know how they feel.
Fishing for shad and striped bass in Lawrence is good for only eight weeks a year. Yet the loss of river access may be forever.
Roger Aziz is the outdoors correspondent for The Eagle-Tribune. E-mail him at sports@eagletribune.com.