I may be a bit old-fashioned, but I believe in what former President Ronald Reagan once said, “Trust but verify” when it comes to dealing with some government agencies.

And after attending a public meeting in Meadview on December 6, 2022, I did just that. The National Park Service has provided information on plans for various launch areas on Lake Mead, including South Cove. This was called the Lake Mead Sustainable Low Water Access Plan, part of an environmental analysis that NPS was conducting.

What really annoyed a lot of people, myself included, was that NPS suggested at the time that they had no plans to do anything about the South Cove launch pad. This is despite South Cove being of particular importance to the community of Meadview, Mojave County and Arizona.

A presentation by NPS said that NPS had no plans to install a ramp of any kind at South Cove in the near future. The stated plan was “no expansion or relocation of his NPS launch ramp in the future.”

I decided to contact the Arizona Game & Fish division’s Region 3 office in Kingman to see if they could confirm why NPS did nothing in South Cove. This division sells many fishing licenses to anglers who use Lake Mead. As a result of the launch closure at South Cove there will be a clear economic impact on that agency. And what about Meadview and how it will affect them? You have to influence the number of visitors who use it. A place to buy fuel, groceries, fishing gear, and bait for your outdoor experience.

Some time ago Justin Pattison, Deputy Superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, told me that the South Cove/Pierce Ferry gets more visitors than Temple Bar. Still, Temple Bar is currently the only location on Lake Mead, Arizona, that has a dock that safely launches boats of all sizes.

Finally, we spoke with Matt Chimir, the regional fishing program manager, about the situation in South Cove. Or the NPS is the one who decides whether to verify the information they were using to justify abandoning the South. Cove.

I have also written to several of the Arizona Game and Fish Commissioners asking for the agency to intervene in the situation.

I contacted Cantrell and asked if the agency could confirm the NPS report that an AZGFD engineer had met, or at least consulted with Pattison, stating that building a ramp in South Cove was impractical. I asked if it is possible to determine whether Cantrell noted that Pattison said he was not planning to build at South Cove “due to engineering and budgetary issues.” Cantrell said his office was happy to see the data from NPS and see if they agreed there was no action plan by NPS.

Later, at a Zoom meeting held on March 16, 2023, attended by Pattison, Chmiel, and AZGFD State Engineer Gordon Blyle, data, including bathymetric maps and other information, was sent from Pattison to Blyle and Chmiel. sent by email.

Cantrell noted that Pattison said they (NPS) were not planning to build at South Cove due to “engineering and budget issues.” Cantrell said AZGFD could build a launch ramp, but said it would be “expensive and fraught with challenges.” I called Pattison to confirm that NPS plans to take no further action at this time, in accordance with the proposed environmental analysis.

However, Pattison said he expects the EA to go public in the near future once it is released, and that the public will have an opportunity to comment.

“The public can continue to comment on EA and express their concerns over the fact that the South Cove launch will not take place,” Pattison said.

Also, the Arizona Game & Fish Commission explained how important it is for NPS to have a launch ramp in South Cove, and how officials and Arizona citizens can benefit from the lack of a launch ramp. Does it help? Who knows, they plan to stay involved.

In my opinion, everyone, including elected officials, from City of Kingman and Mojave County Supervisors to Congressmen, should take an interest in and submit comments on this NPS EA.

This is the last chance for the public, you and me, to try to convince NPS that the actions they are proposing are totally wrong.

Next Week: There’s not much optimism about what will happen at South Cove, but new information has been released next month that may be of interest to those who use Lake Mead and South Cove.