Beach Bag mess

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Kevin G said:
Camp sites should not be allowed to be reserved on the shores of Lake Powell. That is just privatization of lands within the public's National parks. Part of the lottery of Lake Powell is finding a good camp site and enjoying your time there. If these companies are allowed to gobble up all the good sites and make you pay a fee to them to use them, they are making money off the backs of the taxpayer. This needs to end immediately. This stuff just drives me crazy. They regulate every other move you make at the Lake, but allow stuff like this to take root because someone gets a few bucks thrown at them. Public should not stand for this to continue. I hope a good number of unattended beach bags start to have big holes poked in them. Hence forth, users of beach bags shall be known as D-Bags.
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I agree with your frustration but in no way am I suggesting anyone damage the beach bags. I do not want this to become an excuse for people to damage property.

I just hope we can get this solved and not have our beaches littered with these big ugly bags that for sure do damage to the landscape. Or lock up beaches for people that just show up and need a place to camp.

If it was up to me I would come up with another solution to the problem like filling the holes. Sometimes the simple solution is the best but with filling the holes nobody gets rich.

but I bet with the investment this company has made in these bags they wont go away without a fight. Clearly they have money behind them and some "in" with people of power with the NPS.

Mike
 
Why would they make the bags a different color than the environment that they are going to be placed in? Confusing. I wouldn't mind tan/khaki bags without any pins.

This system is not going to work. First come first serve is the way of the lake. I can already imagine the mid-lake arguments between houseboats anchoring in spots that are "reserved". There are some crazies on the lake who would actually throw hands over this kind of stuff.
 
John-UTAZ said:
The referenced material/links doesn't mention above or below the waterline. Either location does the same damage to the shore.

Boaters are reminded that pin anchoring is illegal. This practice damages resources, creates safety hazards, and is a form of vandalism. Houseboaters that utilize any form of pin anchoring are subject to enforcement actions, including the requirement to relocate or end their journey. For more information on safe and legal conventional methods for anchoring your vessel, please visit: Anchoring A Houseboat - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

The practice of pin anchoring within the boundaries of Glen Canyon NRA is considered injuring, defacing, and disturbing to mineral, archaeological, and paleontological resources. Pinning into sandstone creates a permanent hole. As lake levels rise and fall, water rapidly dissipates carbonate minerals from the pinning hole, weakening the surrounding stone. This increases the development of geological hazards and rock falls as the sandstone fractures and flakes at an increased rate. Glen Canyon NRA has over 2,500 documented archeological and paleontological sites throughout the park. Pin anchoring can cause irreversible damage to these resources. Pins sometimes become permanently lodged in the sandstone, posing a significant safety hazard to visitors and vessels.
Approved May 26, 2022. William Shott, Superintendent
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Thanks John for that recap. I was told by a NPS employee at Halls Crossing, the wrong information. Glad you have updated me. I would not ever be doing this EVER. But it's nice to know the law. We always leave a person when saving a spot.
 
Does it say anything about a “fee structure” for use of the bags or how long they will be in 1 spot? Sq
 
Squirrel said:
Does it say anything about a “fee structure” for use of the bags or how long they will be in 1 spot? Sq
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Fees see article very expensive I doubt people will pay for it

beachbagsanchors.com

2022 Services

We are taking reservations for the 2023! Flop, Fill & Chill …or just chill Inquire today for pricing, sizing, and availability for your houseboat and vacation dates. Full Service Relax, we'll do it all. Purchase Custom Anchor System Full-Service Anchoring Sit back and relax. It's in the bag...
beachbagsanchors.com beachbagsanchors.com
 
I support first come-first serve. Spot reservations are (like chair, tent, cooler) actually spot is in use and we have left to play, goto marina, etc. and are coming back, chair, tent, cooler, etc. show up when the people occupying the site select it and occupy it for camping - even if not present 24/7 due to water activities - and get removed when the campsite is being vacated.
 
The service as listed on their website gives me no heartache and indeed I applaud them for thinking outside the box. Everyone is entitled to provide a service for a fee as long as the service follows regulations and guidelines. That being said, the service specifically reads that the company will meet you at your site and set up the bags, then remove them when you are ready to leave. If the company is indeed leaving the bags unattended for days prior to, and after, then they are not following the websites stated services and plan. That I am not OK with. As to the saving campsites with personal items, I respect that and have used that system myself however that gets abused as well. Many times over the years I have seen a campsite with a few lawn chairs and left it alone only to watch as the site sat vacant for days on end as a group has friends coming “in a few days” and leaves something out for them as the first group leaves. Sometimes a wind storm comes up after 3 or 4 days and the chairs are gone in the morning. Karma, these things happen. It is amusing to watch a houseboat come in and take a spot that had chairs for a number of days but lost them after a windstorm. Then a day or two later another houseboat comes in and tells them they had the spot reserved. Abuses of the system happen because not everyone has the same values and ideals. I try to avoid camping near anyone at all and I do respect personal items on the beach because in the end I am at the lake to de-stress and avoid conflict. At any rate I have asked the NPS for clarification on the beach bag system and I will share the response when I get it.
 
TR. said:
The service as listed on their website gives me no heartache and indeed I applaud them for thinking outside the box. Everyone is entitled to provide a service for a fee as long as the service follows regulations and guidelines. That being said, the service specifically reads that the company will meet you at your site and set up the bags, then remove them when you are ready to leave. If the company is indeed leaving the bags unattended for days prior to, and after, then they are not following the websites stated services and plan. That I am not OK with. As to the saving campsites with personal items, I respect that and have used that system myself however that gets abused as well. Many times over the years I have seen a campsite with a few lawn chairs and left it alone only to watch as the site sat vacant for days on end as a group has friends coming “in a few days” and leaves something out for them as the first group leaves. Sometimes a wind storm comes up after 3 or 4 days and the chairs are gone in the morning. Karma, these things happen. It is amusing to watch a houseboat come in and take a spot that had chairs for a number of days but lost them after a windstorm. Then a day or two later another houseboat comes in and tells them they had the spot reserved. Abuses of the system happen because not everyone has the same values and ideals. I try to avoid camping near anyone at all and I do respect personal items on the beach because in the end I am at the lake to de-stress and avoid conflict. At any rate I have asked the NPS for clarification on the beach bag system and I will share the response when I get it.
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X2 @TR.

There’s legitimate and there’s abuse. We’ve witnessed the ’saved beach’ abuse for over 25 years at Powell, Mead and Havasu.

Thank you for the inquiry, looking forward to your update (y)
 
TR. said:
This person works for the Grand Canyon section and is not the correct person to contact….
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NPS Announces Pilot Program - Beach Bags Anchor System​

https://beachbagsanchors.com › Beach Bags News



A proposed 3-year pilot study by the National Park Service would seek to safely ... about the proposed pilot study, please contact Erin_Janicki@nps.gov.
 
fishingfoolBG said:

NPS Announces Pilot Program - Beach Bags Anchor System​

https://beachbagsanchors.com › Beach Bags News



A proposed 3-year pilot study by the National Park Service would seek to safely ... about the proposed pilot study, please contact Erin_Janicki@nps.gov.
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this may be old. She was very clear in her email that she transferred 2 years ago. She also just emailed back that she received 4 more emails since I emailed her lol. She is definitely not it, use Tiffs’ addresses.
 
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Dougie said:
At major ski resorts these days, you can pay $50 -$100 supplement for your lift ticket each day and go to the front of the lift line. Disney charges $20 per person per ride to do the same thing over and above their Genie+ or FastPass system. Two tiers for those who have the money. Kind of like flying first class. First to board, extra room and services. It’s a growing mentality getting out of control.
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Ski areas and Disney are private and access is sold. Seems very different than it’s all paying to use the NRA equally.
 
Their were bags set up in Last Chance last week and unoccupied for five of the days. A couple of houseboats set up just down the beach from the bag location, I guess that was a little to close for the boat (120' X 22') laying claim to the site so they moved a couple if coves down.
 
Dane Coyle said:
Their were bags set up in Last Chance last week and unoccupied for five of the days. A couple of houseboats set up just down the beach from the bag location, I guess that was a little to close for the boat (120' X 22') laying claim to the site so they moved a couple if coves down.
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So, if there is a bag on an empty beach can’t you just pull up and camp there? When the offending party arrives they would just have to move on wouldn’t they?
 
BobT said:
So, if there is a bag on an empty beach can’t you just pull up and camp there? When the offending party arrives they would just have to move on wouldn’t they?
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You could. But you would probably end up in a confrontation over the spot. There are plenty of entitled hot heads that would make a confrontation not only unpleasant, but potentially dangerous...which is not how most want to spend their vacations. NPS needs to step up on this...
 
Michael Pyle said:
I agree with your frustration but in no way am I suggesting anyone damage the beach bags. I do not want this to become an excuse for people to damage property.

I just hope we can get this solved and not have our beaches littered with these big ugly bags that for sure do damage to the landscape. Or lock up beaches for people that just show up and need a place to camp.

If it was up to me I would come up with another solution to the problem like filling the holes. Sometimes the simple solution is the best but with filling the holes nobody gets rich.

but I bet with the investment this company has made in these bags they wont go away without a fight. Clearly they have money behind them and some "in" with people of power with the NPS.

Mike
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Laketime, who manages my houseboat, offers these bags as an option, but you take them along with you on the boat, and they do not mention drilling holes to keep them in place.
 
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