Save ULLB letter to the Commissioner! Please contribute!

[jason morton]

Dear Commissioner Ellertson-

My name is Jason Morton. I am a 40 year old, avid kiteboarder from Salt Lake City. I work as a Physician Assistant in the Interventional Radiology Department at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. I love Lincoln Beach and have been recreating there for years. I will often drive down from SLC after work through hours of traffic to kiteboard and enjoy the magnificent sunsets at Lincoln Beach. Losing access to this spot would be a devastating blow to our windsports community. We are a decent group of individuals, who leave a virtually invisible footprint on the shores of Utah Lake. The local windriders community and the Utah Windriders Association would appreciate the opportunity to meet with the Pulic Works Office to come to an amicable resolution to the recent events which have transpired. Lincoln Beach is a special place that should be enjoyed by all. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely- Jason Morton

[Marty Lowe]

i got a reply from larry:

"I am just learning of this issue. I am pursuing it with the intent of addressing our problem and to allow your continued use of the lake. Larry."

Yahoooo

Hope it not to early to celebrate.

Billy, Chris, thanks for finding Larry,
this sounds like he is the helpful individual we needed to contact.

Great Job, ALL!!!!

[ChrisPSherwin]

Nice!

[bradsaxe]

Haven't had time but for a quick scan of some of these posts and I for sure will contributed a letter when in the coming days. With that said I couldn't agree more with Kenny's suggestions about short and professional. To me this means we should keep the Camp Host and his behavior out of the discussion. Sure the guy was unkind and certainly unreasonable and most certainly overstating our impact however, I fear that attacking him is on the fast track to failure.

There has been talk of access issues in Utah and everywhere else in the world for some time. If we highlight the problems with the Camp Host then we will not come off looking very good to the guy that hired him to do a job. I just don't see any good coming out of that. Let us keep the focus on us being safe and respectful users of State run/owned land and facilities that we, as taxpayers, have a right to enjoy.

Letter sent.

[ChrisPSherwin]

Brad, you have some valid points worth considering. However with regard to...

"If we highlight the problems with the Camp Host then we will not come off looking very good to the guy that hired him to do a job."

I am going to have to clarify and disagree with you. We already don't look "very good to the guy that hired him." The camp host has provided almost all of the information to his boss and has convinced him that were are nothing but trouble. He has lied repeatedly in his campaign to slander us. That boss, upon hearing our legitimate complaints has accused all of us of being liars. He is already about as adversarial as he can get. If we bow to him, we will have limited access to Lincoln at best. A reasonable solution may lie with the Commissioners. I like our odds much better in that forum. The dialogue with the camp host's boss has already reached a dead end.

There are other fish to fry for sure, but the host and his boss are the biggest fish right now. Once our fate is in the hands of reasonable people, we can discuss, and should discuss those other fish. But right now we need laser focus on the people that are not even giving us a chance / due process and are obviously influenced by other things. In Kelly's case, alcohol while on the job. If someone won't listen to me and fifteen plus other people telling him the truth, I don't mind not looking very good to him.

[Marty Lowe]

I received a response from Larry also,
I assume we all did.
He has heard our voices!

[John Guay]

I would like to thank Billy and Chris for their involvement in a very difficult situation. I would also like to ask that we stay focused on our primary objective which is access to Lincoln Beach and we work to diffuse conflict with the Ranger and Host. The Campground Hosts behavior was way out of line,that has been shared and that is not our battle. If the people who run the park have genuine concerns about kiters we need to address them in a calm and professional manner. We are not bowing down by demonstrating a sincere effort to address their concerns about park property or our impact on other park guests.

Billy if you are our spokesperson with Larry Ellertson please stay on these points. If you are asked about Kelly's rant then share an honest account of it but don't dwell on it. Be clear that we are good citizens who have used this park for years without problems. We are also willing to work with the Park Ranger and Host to address any concerns they have to ensure our continued access.

[bordy]

John,

I think we have overcome a major issue. When I spoke with Kelly he told me Roger had asked him to present a plan of how we should be regulated, I was told by Kelly, there will be changes next year. I hope through our letters and contacts Kelly will no longer have this duty, He expressed he dislike for our community and said he was given the power to set policy according to him his policey would be reveiwed at a meeting in Jan or Feb by the Commissioners. Besides his unfair treatment of several kiters this was my concern, since he is not a sane sober person trying to work with him was not working at all.

As I mentioned earlier his accounts of the issues I witnessed personally were so twisted, so was his accounts of the issues with his boss, simply he was liying through his teeth. I would guess we will have a new park host next year and will have no issues. My goals are to reperesent the community and our years of flawless usage at ULLB, I and Chris offered to work with Roger to help bridge the gap between the camp host and the kiters, Chris and I left contact information and Roger who said he would contact us to discuss any future plans. This never happened but policies were changed via the parks dept with out any input from the community, Roger told me this would not happen, but based on the phone conversations that took place with him and his secerety we were a "gang" that was ruining the beach..

I think we have proven to the Commissioner this is not the case. I hope to maintain all of the current pleasures we enjoy at ULLB at that is what I will shoot for. I have worked very hard to get us the oppertunity to send letters to, and speak with the Commissioner it took hours of leg work and know it will pay off. I am of course flexable and through conversation with many of our kiting community beleave I have a grasp of the communitys wants.

I have pounded the camp host behavior to death on our forum becuase I was involed in 3 of the outburst he had with our group. At first Chris and I tryed to keep our comments to Roger as simple as possible with out bringing up him drinking or being violent, but after time on the Phone with Roger it became clear we had to get after it and tell the entire story, so we did. The reason was becuase we were being blamed for any vandilism/damage in the park. I can understand wanting to keep us on a higher road but the circumstances did not allow it. Trust us we tried.. Even when I told Kelly we would do what ever it takes to maintain access, he respose was "you kiters started this fight, I am going to finish it". The only point we agreed on was that the park is a place for us all to have fun, he didn't think we allowed this for others.

Please anyone feel free to add any comments you think are in line with the current issue that you think are important, I welcome all ideas that are on topic. As you can see I have been following this thread closley to understand the communitys views on the issue at hand. aswell as reading all the letters that have been posted to be aware of everyones concerns about the topic. I am fearful that someone will write a letter with off topic suggestions however. It was a simple call to ask for the communitys help here, but one with possible faults.

Just going to do my best...

[Craig Goudie]

I sent an email to Chris Sherman to forward to whomever is appropriate.
He can post it here if desired.

-Craig

[ChrisPSherwin]

Sir,
My name is Craig Goudie. By profession, I am an Electrical Engineer for an AeroSpace company in Salt Lake City. I am a long time waterman, and outdoor recreation enthusiast. I also do an improvised weather forecast for The Utah WindRiders Association (a collective of outdoor enthusiasts dedicated to the enjoyment of wind propelled recreation in any form).
It has come to my attention, through the Association, that there have been recent conflicts between the Lincoln Beach Camp Host and users of Lincoln Beach, Kite Boarders included. I have no direct knowledge of these specific conflicts, nor do I Kite Board, so I shall not address those conflicts.
What I do know is the character and nature of the local Kite Boarders, many of whom are longtime friends. The majority of the local Kite Boarders are upper middle class 30 to 50 somethings who have families and jobs. They tend to be well educated and lean toward the technical. As outdoorsman and specifically as Kite Boarders they have a real sense of community and responsibility. While in and around the water they tend to police themselves very well with regard to their safety, and the safety of others, and they leave the environment better than they entered it. I have never been at issue with a Kite Boarder at any time, and I spend a large quantity of my recreation time in and around the water, on windy days, when Kite Boarders are also present and enjoying themselves.
Being mostly middle class, they also tend to spend a lot of money on recreation, which includes a lot of fuel purchases, grocery and beverage purchases, dining out, clothing purchases and entertainment purchases, thereby improving the local economies near the sites they frequent. While I haven’t first hand knowledge, I suspect that like me, they pay their taxes, vote regularly, and enjoy time at the beach with their spouses, kids and grandkids.
Limiting or eliminating, whether officially or by intimidation, their access to a Public Beach, seems not to be in the best interest of the local community. I hope you may consider this in your deliberations upon how Lincoln Beach or any other City, State, or Federal park should be managed.
If you have interest, or wish clarification, I can be reached via email at clubberrrr@gmail.com
Respectfully,
-Craig

[Don Losee]

This is so cool to see the Crew rally to set things right. We have power. This is the way to use it. Billy and Pepe, thank you for stepping up and being a smart leaders.

[MikE mAy]

Hope this helps....


Dear Commissioner Ellertson-

My name is Mike May. I am a 31 year old, avid kite-boarder from Salt Lake City. I manage a 4th generation family run manufacturing facility that has been in the Salt Lake City community for 100 years. I love Lincoln Beach in Utah County and have been recreating there for years. Losing access to this spot would be a devastating blow to our wind sports community. We are a decent group of individuals, who leave a virtually invisible footprint on the shores of Utah Lake. I have recently learned that our access to this beach for the use as a launching point for kite-boarding has potentially been threatened and thus I am writing to you to plead our case for access. The wind sports and the even bigger alternative sports market is one that Utah has embraced for years and provided a much needed economic base for the state in the form of tourism, manufacturing, retail sales, and tax revenue. Lincoln Beach specifically is a special place for the growing wind sports market in Utah in that is the most consistent and easy to access point of entry for Utah Lake. This is a fact both by beach infrastructure as well as its geologic position on the lake in relation to wind and weather patterns. The loss of this beach would be devastating to our community and in my opinion a dangerous precedent to the parks and recreation departments in relation to how Utah is viewed in the outdoor sports market. The local wind riders community and the Utah Windriders Association would appreciate the opportunity to meet with the Public Works Office to come to an amicable resolution to the recent events which have transpired. Lincoln Beach is a special place that should be enjoyed by all.
If you have any specific questions or if I can aid in any manner, please let me know. The Utah Windriders Association has a diverse member base whose members include lawyers, manufacturers, local business owners and executives, doctors, outdoor sports instructors, etc. I believe that our ties within the community and services we offer can be of aid to your office if you need more support to help get the access situation solved. I specifically have contact with Governor Herbert’s office if you need some top down support and would be glad to help the cause if you see fit.

Your time is appreciated and I thank you for reading this letter.

Regards,

Mike May
May Foundry and Machine Co.
454 W 600 N Salt Lake City, UT 84103
801.531.8931 W 801.521.0641 F 801.971.2380 C

[Marc Hauver]

Dear commisioner Larry Ellertson at larrye.ucadm@state.ut.us,

I am a Electrical Engineer working over 25 years in the Semi-conductor industry. I moved to Utah with High Tech engineering firm 5 years ago supplying engineering support to Micron Factory in Lehi and Boise Idaho. I have a family with 5 kids and with my limited time I try to get out in the water when I can. I love to ride my jet ski when the water is glass and wakeboard but when the wind fills in and it gets choppy I enjoy getting out on the Kiteboard. As a teen I was a taxi boat driver at Echo bay marina on Lake Mead and have always enjoyed getting out on the water on nice days.

Compared to Portland and Seattle areas Utah is somewhat limited on water and beach areas that are close. Recently I was made aware of a concern of a potential shutting down or limiting use of one of the biggest lakes in Utah to people who want to Kiteboard.

I windsurf, water ski, wakeboard, swim, fish, play Frisbee, kayak etc.. on this lake and question why anyone would try to single out only people who Kiteboard to restrict lake access?

I know that Snowmobiles were restricted from Yellowstone Park and a few other lakes have gone non-motorized for reasons of environmental impacts to eco system. But I have never heard of this because someone may have accidently dented a picnic table seems absurd. If someone fishing was throwing rocks and hit a boat would you restrict boats to 13 max at a time and none on weekends. Or Jet skiers were playing Frisbees and accidently hit a tree and broke a branch would you restrict all Jet skiers to 10 at a time and none on weekends. Of course not if there are any activities that violate rules or break laws we would expect to identify the individual and hold them accountable for what they did. When I worked a marina on Lake Mead several years I saw just about everything. Very few times did I call police and make reports but if someone was shooting cross bows off the dock I told them to stop, called the game warden took the complaint and gave them a ticket. If someone was drunk driving recklessly or if someone was disturbing the peace by screaming at people I simply called police and let them handle it and take them into custody.

Utah Lake is a public property lake which is available to be used by citizens and members of the community. It appears that there is a “host” who thinks the best use of the Lincoln beach area is for his own private lake area and personal drinking area. I see many people who enjoy the lake in many areas canoes, swimmers, fishermen, boaters, Jet skiers, sailboats to list a few.

My experience with other area parks Camp Host’s has been they are friendly, informative workers who make the park visit more enjoyable for the end users hence the name HOST paid by the taxpayers.

Also I wonder where the priority of loss of $$ to the local community falls. I think most would desire the benefits of this type of sport to its community. Having moved here from such an area as Portland Oregon where I enjoyed the same water activities in the Columbia River and many lakes nearby. If you ever go or have been in the area you will see that places like Hood River brings in millions of dollars in tourism and businesses from windsurfing and kiteboarding.

I hope that reasonable heads prevail and that we will see more hosting and less trying to shut down selected activities as some petty form of retaliation by one power hungry individual.

Sincerely,

Marc Hauver

[BradHuber]

Here is the letter which I have just emailed to Mr Ellertson,

<Sender info redacted>

Larry Ellertson
100 E. Center Street, Suite 2300
Provo, UT 84606
801-851-8133
larrye.ucadm@state.ut.us

September 26, 2011


Dear Mr. Ellertson,

I am writing because I am a Utah County resident and a recreational kiteboarder and it has come to my attention that kiteboarding access at Utah Lake Lincoln Beach is currently under threat. I would like to voice my support and opinion for our continued use and access at this wonderful location. We are extremely good and considerate park users that represent a very low impact upon the county park and resources.

Kiteboarding is a forming of sailing and ideal venues are hard to come by. Ideal venues require just the right kind of geography. Critical elements are weather patterns which create reliable wind, shallow protected water, and an operational area which is devoid of obstacles for rider safety. Lincoln beach has just this combination and is actually the best spot in the whole state of Utah from many standpoints.

To give a little background about myself, I am a 32 year old Software Engineer with a master’s degree in Computer Science. I work for a small Aerospace company located in Utah County. I have been living in Utah County since 2002. I am originally from Maryland and I was drawn to Utah in large measure for its excellent recreation opportunities including mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, camping, and now kiteboarding. I am married and have two children. As a Utah County resident I would like to feel that my tax dollars which are used for creating and maintaining parks would not be put to use against me (barring my access). I love living and working in Utah County and I hope I can fully communicate that recreation is a major priority for me and if I feel that opportunities and venues are unavailable here I would seriously consider relocating out of state for this reason alone. I also feel that like myself, most riders in our community (Utah Windriders Association) are hardworking, professional adults and are not “punk” kids that are poor stewards of park resources.

I understand that the issue of a possible ban has come up because of a particular “camp host” (and his immediate supervisor) who is currently employed at Lincoln Beach. Many people in our kiting community have raised concerns about this individual’s behavior, drinking, and treatment of park users. I cannot specifically comment about all of the concerns but I can comment about the interactions that I have had with him.

A short time ago several kiteboarding friends including myself were playing a game of bocce ball while waiting for the wind to arrive. Unfortunately we made a small error in judgment and played near the picnic tables where we inadvertently put some small dents in one of the tables. A short time after this the camp host came rushing toward us. As he approached he was yelling at us and swearing profusely as well as behaving in a physically threatening manner. I have not included all the details of his offensive behavior, but please contact me if you have any questions. The individual who was the game leader worked with the camp host and offered to pay for any damages. I do not mean to justify our small indiscretion in denting the table, but I do feel that the camp host’s response was completely inappropriate.

My understanding is that because of this occasion and other innocent interactions, the camp host “has it out” for us and is seeking to get us banned. He has done this primarily by misrepresenting events to his supervisor. My main concern here is that our community could be steamrolled and we could lose our park access that we value so greatly. I would like to work together with you or any appropriate contact to constructively seek a way that we can maintain our unfettered access. Please feel free to contact me at any time to resolve this issue. Also please reply to let me know that you have received and read my letter and have taken this issue into consideration. I will be transmitting this letter via email as well as US post so that you may receive it using your preferred method. Thank you in the utmost for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,

Brad Huber

**EDIT 9/26 -- Noon**
I received an email reply from Mr. Ellertson this morning saying, "I am just learning of this issue. I am pursuing it with the intent of addressing our problem and to allow your continued use of the lake. Larry."

[Todd Jacques]

Hello Mr. Ellertson

My name is Todd Jacques. I am a 45 year old Energy Engineer with a sustainability firm in Salt Lake City. I am also a avid Kite Boarder. I started windsurfing in 1991 and have enjoyed numerous water riding locations throughout world. I ride at other Utah water locations including Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Willard, and numerous other locations. I began kiting 6 years ago and still enjoy the same launches including Lincoln Beach. I drive two hours each way to get to Lincoln Beach because I enjoy all the amenities it has to offer. I normally visit this park 20 plus days a year.
I have been a member of the Utah Windriders Association (UWA) for 15 years. I hope I speak for most in our community in saying we respect our communities and the other users who use the same beaches we do. We would like to have the opportunity to be a part of your community. The incidents that have happen this year are completely not the normal and I assure you we will work with your staff in solving the issues they have with us.
Thank you for your valuable time. I would very much appreciate a response

Todd Jacques

Reply from Larry this morning.
I am just learning of this issue. I am pursuing it with the intent of addressing our problem and to allow your continued use of the lake. Larry.