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Show As noted in the appendix, the lease for the commercial harbor at Black Rock has been issued. Policy should dictate whether navigation throughout the entire lake, particularly accessability to the north arm, is advisable or not, considering the bird rookeries on the north- arm islands. DWR currently manages WMAs by limiting access at critical times and recommends that other land owners do likewise. Activities on sovereign lands are reviewed by DWR and recommendations are made to DFFSL. 8.2 Navigability of GSL Those who commented supported alternative C which proposed that the state should allow for unlimited access through causeways. Some noted the public trust responsibility involved in this decision and others were interested in the benefits related to recreation and commercial activities by having a completely navigable body of water. Over 25 percent of the respondents had some comment on navigation on the lake. The preferred alternative should allow for unlimited access/ navigation through the causeway by reducing or altering existing dikes and causeways. The northern railroad causeway limits navigation for the benefit of private interests and constitutes a breach of the public trust doctrine. Navigation is critical to safety, search and rescue, research and data collection, monitoring, recreation and commercial activity on the lake; at a minimum a marina for public access in the north arm of the lake. The plan must consider the risk associated with loss of ownership due to failure to maintain navigation since sovereign lands are deeded to the state on this basis. Consider the existing salinity difference between the north and south arms of the lake in this decision. Limited recreational and commercial boating access into the north arm of the GSL is available through the northern railroad causeway breach near Lakeside, Utah. At current lake levels, navigational access is open to vessels under 25 feet in width, 15 feet in height above the water's surface, drawing less than 5 feet of water. Although the northern railroad causeway breach acts to restrict, through size limitations, the number of vessels capable of navigating into the north arm, sensitive ecological interests are buffered by the reduced access. The small islands located in the north arm of the lake provide critical habitat and nesting grounds for American white pelicans and other shorebirds. Gunnison Island hosts one of the three largest nesting colonies of American white pelicans in North America. The pelicans and other shorebirds rely heavily upon the habitat provided on these isolated islands during the annual nesting season, and significant human presence has been shown to disrupt them to the point that they move off the island to less productive habitat. Despite the waterbird disruption concerns associated with the increased boating traffic in the north arm, the GSL CMP presents alternatives for increased boating access in the north arm. The plan advances three possible alternatives with respect to navigability on GSL: 1) continue the status quo which allows limited navigation through the existing breach in the northern causeway; 2) alter the existing causeway to increase navigability; 315 |