No Wake Zone Length May Be Reduced

Loves Park, Illinois- Boaters are already starting to take advantage of the warm weather, but they may be in store for some changes in the "no wake zone" at Martin Park. The Department of Natural Resources is considering shortening the length of the low speed zone from more than 2,500 feet to 400 feet. But the width will still be from bank to bank, and that`s too wide for the group that founded RRNoWake.com. "If they just left the river open and boaters could come and go," says Steve Lucas, RRNoWake.com co-founder. "Everybody would be happy." The group says the length is satisfactory, but the width should only be the customary 150 feet encompassing the dock. So they put out their own buoys showing where they think boaters should watch their speed. "Weve shown where the buoys are 150 feet out from the shore and there`s plenty of room in between for four boats to pass at one time," says Lucas. Winnebago County Sheriff Richard Meyers says, "They have no business putting buoys out there because they don`t patrol the river." Meyers supports the bank to bank restriction because he says the sand bar across from the dock is a safety issue. Lucas disagrees. "At any time any spot on the river can be a safety issue, you just have to use common sense," says Lucas. "All the sheriff has to do is replace our buoys with his buoys." The sheriff says he`ll treat the buoys as river debris. Public protest on the no wake issue lasts until May 8.