Palisade Kayak Course Still in Rocky Waters

Avid kayakers may be in a bit of a quandry-- they love the environment, but four endangered fish --the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, bonytail chub, and humpback chub-- are endangering one sweet stretch of whitewater.

The Town of Palisade's master plan to improve tourism continues to snag over the issue of a proposed whitewater park in the Colorado River. Grand Junction Free Press Reporter Marija B. Vader writes that Palisade Town Manager Tim Sarmo, "--questions whether the federal government wants a whitewater kayak park in Palisade, with its continual requests for more information.

"Late last week, Sarmo fired a request of his own to the federal government: a U.S. Freedom of Information Act request of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In it, Sarmo asked a long list of questions about funding and other details of the endangered fish recovery program.

You can read the full article here.

Palisade, Colorado Whitewater Park Now Viewed As Unlikely

Fruita and Moab have the Fat Tire following of inveterate mountain bikers, but will Palisade have to say adios to its attempts to win over the kayaking crowd?

The tourism efforts of the town of Palisade received a major blow this month. According to Town Administrator Tim Sarmo, writing in the Palisade Tribune, the long fought for efforts to build a whitewater park in the Colorado River may be at an impasse. The town's endeavors have hit troubled waters.

Sarmo writes: "After a failed attempt to build the project in conjunction with a fish ladder at the Price Stubb Damm in DeBeque Canyon, the Town of Palisade regrouped, found a new location and has attempted to make one final effort at constructing a whitewater park..."

That effort, Sarmo writes, has met with too much resistance to continue.

To read about the growing list of questions from a plethora of Federal Agencies, read the Grand Junction Free Press article here.