Five years ago, I sat through exhaustive hearings on the issue of appropriate usage for Lake Nighthorse. More than two-thirds of the people present were in favor of a non-motorized lake, citing the following reasons:

Uniqueness. We have Vallecito and Navajo and McPhee all in easy, motorized reach. We have no other lakes easily accessible to the public that offer a nature-based, non motorized opportunity. It would also potentially take some of the pressure off of the Animas River stretch from Oxbow to 33rd Street, where countless tubers go to cool off. Lake Nighthorse is an artificial reservoir, not a much-used wildlife corridor unnecessarily affected by recreational tubers.Size. The surface area of Nighthorse, approximately 1,000 acres, is such that any motorized vehicle, at any other than “no wake” speed, will directly affect all of the lake. A boat going 40 mph – the average for waterskiers – would disrupt all other users.Potential profitability. Bruce D’Andrea and others involved with competitive rowing made an excellent case that Nighthorse could offer Durango the same training reputation that the much vaunted – and controversial and expensive – “repairs” to the Animas River have offered. This could be a world-class training facility.Bio-contamination. Motorized vessels, dipping first into one zebra and quagga mussel-filled lake after another, introduce real risk to this important water supply. Why risk that? Instead of paying for an inspection station and staffing for motor boats that might be on Lake Powell one weekend and Nighthorse the next, why not limit the number and availability of craft? It would save money and might well save an important water supply.I understand that boat-ramp funding through Wallop-Breaux mandates motorized craft. Fine. Make them use electric motors, as small as possible, preferably confined only to Nighthorse, not trailered from lake to lake.

I grew up on the second largest lake in the state of Maine. In the ’60s it was glorious. Today, without regulation but with a whole lot of users, it is algae filled and pretty nasty.

Why can’t we keep a few places less developed? You know, for our grandchildren?

Anne Markward

Durango