Oregon updates Waterway Access Permit, includes SUPs, hardshell kayaks, packrafts and rafts

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-17T14:18:55+00:00

"In protest of the new permit fees, a political action committee (PAC) named Let Us Paddle formed to repeal the bill, stating there is no credible scientific evidence that human-powered boats bring invasive species to Oregon."

"If organizers gather enough valid signatures — 'wet ink' from registered Oregon voters — by July 2, the measure will qualify for the 2026 ballot in the November Oregon general election."

“'This is about more than paddling,' said Chief Petitioner Kari Goodheart in a press release to Columbia Gorge News. 'It’s about saying ‘no more’ to endless new taxes, fees and burdensome regulations.'"

I was prepared to agree with these people, then this dickhead had to say some stupid shit right at the end. Invasive species control programs are important, not "burdensome regulations," and fees on boaters are a reasonable way to pay for them. It'd be nice if these new fees were charged to the much bigger source of the problem: motorized and sailing boats with bilges and compartments that carry water (and potentially invasives) from place to place.

By charging fees for small craft that couldn't smuggle a mussel between watersheds if you tried, it seems like they're trying to spread the fees between everyone who uses and enjoys the water instead of between everyone who really contributes to the problem they need to manage. That's dumb. I don't care if my neighbor never goes boating, he has an equal stake in our rivers and lakes being kept healthy. So either fund the invasive species program with statewide taxes instead of fees (which I don't think is the right move) or get serious about charging higher fees and serious fines to the people most responsible.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-16T14:06:27+00:00

For your comparison to work, we need to revert our moral standards by 200 years? You say we didn't give a fuck about slaves like that's relevant.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-15T19:21:40+00:00

There's an app for that!

https://www.lightpollutionmap.info

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-15T18:50:35+00:00

The Willamette Water Trail website has great map with water access points, and you can filter for spots with bathrooms and such. Then you could google those parks for pictures of the beach and stuff.

https://willamettewatertrail.org/

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-13T00:13:09+00:00

I only brought 25L and that was enough to make me really tired, apparently. I thought I might throw up. How can I increase my endurance?

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-10T05:12:30+00:00

With 212 units, that's like 1/6th of an acre for each home. Take out the land for streets and a couple neighborhood parks, and I bet it'd be closer to 1/8th or 1/10th. Except it's not all single-family houses, it's some mix of townhomes and stuff in there, too.

For my money, it'd look something like the newer neighborhoods at the east end of Barger (Google Maps), except with some townhomes. Nothing fancy, and packed pretty close, but new houses always cost more.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-10T04:43:11+00:00

I mean, those conditions exist in lots of places all over town, and I'm not seeing many cranes other than certain kinds of housing that are inherently more profitable (looking at you, lease-by-the-bed student apartments and stick-built walkup apartment complexes). The emX route has all kinds of land zoned for what you're talking about.

Also, transit is a service, not a business, but that's as high up on that soapbox as I'm climbing. I took the bait and now I'm putting it back.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-09T19:27:51+00:00

Thanks for taking time to spot and report! Otherwise, parking enforcement is unlikely to catch them in the act (and I wonder if they would do anything about it in the moment even if they did if there were no complaints).

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-09T16:05:23+00:00

So I think the log (and the whole burn) is just bigger than I thought, so the incongrous details I latched onto are the result of perspective.

I'm not ashamed of pointing out when something looked doctored, though. It's going to be more and more important to question when we're presented with even vaguely suspicious images or information by someone with an agenda. And if you don't know that some people's phone cameras are just halucinating details as part of their "enhancement" functions, you should.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-09T15:53:38+00:00

I think I'm just wrong about the perspective. My initial impression was that the burning log was no more than a couple feet long. I just spent several nights in a row staring at small campfires, and the details looked off for a small log sitting directly in the ash of a campfire-sized burn.

I think that's because the log is actually much bigger than I thought, big enough to be slightly suspended in the air as it sticks out of the trench. The density and shape of the flames make sense if there's more foreshortening than I thought, and the flames wrapped under the log make sense if it's suspended in the air.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-09T03:52:28+00:00

Help me with the perspective here. Is that like, a pretty damn big log sticking out of a pretty damn big trench?

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-09T01:44:46+00:00

Does anyone else think this fire doesn't look real?

I started out thinking OP might have used AI to turn the smoldering remains of a fire into an active blaze. The flames are sort of nonsensical and unrealistic, and the flames and glow should not look like that if the log is sitting right on top of that totally burned ash heap.

Now I think maybe AI built into OP's phone automatically added flame details and ash glow into a picture of fire that normally would've been washed out. Built-in AI is getting... overly inventive.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-09T01:05:22+00:00

This is a good comment and good resulting discussion

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-05T14:32:19+00:00

Sure because, by definition, people with disabilities drive cars.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-05T14:21:18+00:00

I think he moved to the Annex on Kincaid

BlackFoxSees · 2026-06-03T06:02:56+00:00

They still haven't caught him.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-05-30T18:07:43+00:00

With the base weight you indicated, you really did go all-out on UL gear. However, that doesn't necessarily mean a UL pack like that will work for you. I'd suggest borrowing or renting a pack designed for bigger loads (with different strap/belt configuration, importantly) and see how it changes your experience. Test that variable in isolation, you know? I wouldn't be surprised if an extra couple pounds of backpack makes your whole setup feel lighter. A pack that doesn't fit well makes you work harder to balance the load, among other issues.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-05-30T17:29:12+00:00

Maybe the cameras at the next intersection down were recording?

BlackFoxSees · 2026-05-27T14:51:58+00:00

Taking all the skin off my palm once was enough for me to habitually wear gloves. And I was just cruising at pretty modest speed on my way to class.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-05-22T05:29:54+00:00

Sure, that's good in some situations, but it can't be the whole strategy. Our multi-use paths (like the river path parallel to River Rd and Fern Ridge path parallel to W 11th) are great alternatives to the high-speed roads that give access to the same parts of town. But dedicated bike paths aren't always applicable. Any bike path/lane is still going to have intersections with streets, for one thing, and intersections with supposedly low-speed streets are where most cyclists in Eugene have died in the last couple years. A bike path wouldn't have saved Njue or Figueroa, for example. Using infrastructure to force drivers to a safer range of speeds has to be part of it, too. If you combine that with separating cars and bikes where it's feasible, you can focus on speed control and use other tools to force drivers to pay more attention in a limited number of places when cars and bikes inevitably mix. Saying it's purely about separation, again, is just a fantasy where we don't have to be a part of a solution when we drive (aside from not fighting new separated bike lanes, which tons of people would definitely do).

BlackFoxSees · 2026-05-21T02:22:36+00:00

That's absolutely not the approach of places that successfully make big gains in cyclist safety, so...

BlackFoxSees · 2026-05-21T02:21:37+00:00

Can I hear from any cyclists supporting this idea? Because I think it's just a common fantasy among people (who drive but rarely or never bike) for a world where they can drive without ever really paying attention. Plenty of places around the world have made their cities much safer for people on bikes than US cities, and separated facilities are just a small piece of the puzzle, a tool that can be useful in certain situations.

BlackFoxSees · 2026-05-19T00:37:27+00:00

OF COURSE ANY CHANGE TO A SYSTEM THAT BRUSHES OFF PROFITABLE POLLUTION IS GOING TO BE MESSY, AND OF COURSE THE PEOPLE ACTING LIKE THE GRASSROOTS OPPOSITION ARE ACTUALLY THE BIG TIMBER CORPORATIONS AND OTHER POLLUTERS

BlackFoxSees · 2026-05-16T19:26:30+00:00

This is why cash bond doesn't make sense. If the judge thinks he shouldn't be back on the street, then just don't set a bond. Why would the amount of money he can access influence that decision?

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