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HELLO MEMBERS
By Gary Yantis, Manager
The good times of 2010 are history. It will not be long before we will have a gleam in our eye as we dream of the excitement on Lake Powell for 2011. Water recreation is hard to beat and what better place is there than Lake Powell. Here you get water sports and so much more! For this issue I am updating several projects and covering several other topics. If you have an interest in having me report on something in particular, contact me. Or perhaps you would like to see something else included on a regular basis in the Fore’n’Aft. Please let me know. Now, on to other things.--
Antelope Point Marina (The Point) is one of the hot places to go for most holidays. Located on the water’s edge of Lake Powell, the aesthetics are outstanding, and they really go the extra mile to accommodate their guests. Take in one of their special event celebrations to soak in the festive atmosphere and you will become a believer. This year’s New Year’s event features a balloon drop, music and a champagne brunch. You may go to their website to get information about specific events throughout the year. Their newest addition as they expand their services is in the dry storage yard, a huge 97,000 square foot boat storage facility with in-floor heating, which is to be opened in December. Incorporated within the building are 28 private 14’ x 14’ x 45’ storage units. Go to www.antelopepointlakepowell for further information. Thanks to Steve Ward, Marketing Director for this information.
A survey of the Wahweap Marina customers will be distributed sometime soon to seek suggestions for new facilities to replace the current marina office/store and maintenance buildings. The new facility will be built next year, to be completed by late 2011 or the spring of 2012. Some of the Wahweap marina’s docks are receiving some revamping to accommodate the swing toward bigger boats. The dock fingers on the east side of G dock has been replaced with new longer fingers. 
The 24’ slips have been removed to accommodate the larger slips for boats up to 75 feet. To allow more maneuvering room for the larger boats, F dock has been moved over some. The E dock will be moved to the current location of H dock for their overnight customers. The old H dock, with its crumbling Styrofoam floatation will be dismantled.
Upgrades are also planned for the Bullfrog Marina. The L and M docks are to be replaced first, with the new ones to be in place by the fall of 2011. J and H docks are next in line for replacement. Due to the demand for larger slips, the 50’ and 60’ slips will be replaced by 60’ and 70’ slips. These replacements are subject to National Park Service and Corp of Engineers review. Thanks to Dean Crane and Dan Resmondo for this information.
Kerry Nystrom, Uplake Manager states that the Lodge at Bullfrog will remain open all winter. Reduced winter rates are at $79 per night. Boat repair service will also remain available. Some of the projects for the offseason include: repaint 80% to 90% of the buildings, electrical upgrades on end of N dock and provide water to the end of all slips.
The ferry between the Bullfrog and Hall’s Crossing marinas will be out of service from the end of December until April. A federal grant of $300,000 will enable repairs on the hull and engines and also to upgrade the docks. The ferry saves travelers 130 miles of driving. By water the distance is only about 3.1 miles and takes about 30 minutes from one marina to the other. Although it receives only minor traffic in the winter, the locals especially, will be pleased when it resumes operation.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is in the process of producing an environmental impact statement (EIS) to assess the management of off-road vehicle (ORV) use in the Recreation Area.
The EIS will evaluate a range of alternatives for recreational ORV use and their environmental impacts. Off-road driving occurs at Lone Rock Beach and several of the lake’s shorelines to fish, camp, picnic, boat, etc. Evaluation of the high ORV use at Lone Rock Beach, ATV use on park roads and ORV use at the Ferry Swale area is included. Public scoping has been completed, so the Alternatives may be posted for comments early in 2011. The decisions that are developed from this EIS will dictate your use of ORVs in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area.
To stay informed on this action go to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/glca , then click on “Off-Road Vehicle Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement”
Lake Powell remains Mussel Free! The battle to protect Lake Powell from Quagga mussel contamination continues.
At the latest monthly meeting of our Lake Powell Invasive Mussel Prevention Coordinators Group, we were treated to a presentation which shockingly illustrates the continuing impact of the Quagga Mussel on the lower Colorado River. Leonard Willett, Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colorado River Quagga Mussel Coordinator, shared pictures of mussel covered monitoring plates, spillway gates, and underwater facilities at Parker Dam, Davis Dam and Hoover Dam (Lake Mead). Severe impacts to boaters and water users were also displayed. The first Quagga Mussels found in the west were detected at Lake Mead in 2007. Invasive Aquatic Weeds are also growing abundantly in some of the same water bodies. The mussel and other invasive species control strategies in the lower Colorado River were also a hot topic for discussion. Research has not provided a way to control, or even reduce the mussels in larger bodies of water. The current answer to control or reduce the spread of invasive species lies largely with the mandatory and voluntary actions of the boaters as they move from one body of water to another. Protect our waters: Drain, Clean and Dry your boat!
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in its 3rd year of the mussel program. The program involves 78 personnel and operates at 34 water bodies. In 2010, nearly 8000 decontaminations were conducted. 97% of Utah boaters report being aware of the mussel issue, which is up from 89% in 2009. 71% of Utah boaters indicate that they routinely clean, drain, and dry their vessels after each use.
At Lake Powell entrance stations, new automated fee machines allow better tracking of visitor use throughout the park. As anticipated, the largest amount of vessel use is based out of Wahweap and other lower lake locations (over half of all launches). Bullfrog is a close second at about 40%. The next busiest location is Halls Crossing, which represents only 2.4% of boater launches. More complete information on Mussels and the prevention efforts is also provided by the fee machines to the visitor.
In August a vessel was inspected at Wahweap with adult mussels found on the anchor, but nowhere else. The vessel had been recently used in Lake Havasu. Mussels had apparently moved onto the anchor as the craft was anchored overnight. The vessel was decontaminated and placed in quarantine after the mussels were discovered. When the Glen Canyon laboratory staff were sent to filter and process the engine cooling system water from the boat. Three mussel veligers were detected. It is unknown whether they were alive or not, but it was clear that their bodies, inside their shells, were not decomposed.
You have stored your boat for the winter and all is well. Other things are on your mind for several months. Your vessel is “out of sight, out of mind”, until spring or summer when you head for the water for another Lake Powell Experience. Prepare for your safety, or at least make sure your vacation goes as planned by scheduling a safety check and get any needed maintenance done early. Early in the spring is a good time to have your craft and power units checked out. The marine service providers get very busy along into March and April. It can surely ruin your whole day (or vacation) to have your engine(s) run rough or quit in the harbor or maybe up-lake. Worse yet, older boats can have fuel lines fail, causing an explosion and/or a fire. Schedule your maintenance and especially big jobs, early.
Regardless of where you come from or where on Lake Powell you are launching, take the important measures necessary to insure that you do not transport quagga mussels or other invasive species on your boat or equipment. Lake Powell is still Mussel Free!
Contact the office to store your houseboats, cruisers, PWCs and also RVs in the Yacht Club storage yard. It is lighted, secure and you can work on your boat with personal access 24 hours a day. Reserve your space by contacting the office at 928-645-3992, or email at
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Enjoy your winter sports, but get ready for warmer weather. – Lake Powell 2011 is only a few short months away.
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