The boat ramp on the Roaring Fork River in Carbondale did not open last week as officials with the Colorado Division of Wildlife and attorneys for the owner of the land around the boat ramp had hoped.
“We’re all working together to get it done,” said Glenwood Springs attorney Walt Brown, who represents Stan and Valerie Koziel.
Brown said he thinks the new lease between the Koziels and the DOW will be signed and the boat ramp re-opened for river users sometime this week, although he was hesitant to name a target date.
The boat ramp just below the Highway 133 bridge at Highway 82 is one of the busiest DOW boat ramps in the state, and is heavily used by fly-fishing guides taking clients on float trips and by local rafters and kayakers. The boat-ramp is the put-in for the “pink bridge to black bridge” run on the Roaring Fork River.
“It is definitely putting a crimp in our business,” said Tim Heng, general manager of Taylor Creek Fly Shop. “Definitely. And it is difficult to get information from the DOW. All we are hearing is that ‘we are trying hard,’ but I don’t think they are trying hard enough.”
Perry Will, the area manager for the DOW, was not available for comment Friday, but attorney Brown said Will was still working with DOW attorneys in Denver to finalize the details of the new five-year lease. The state agency and the landowners are working through issues such as liability and road maintenance.
bgs@aspendailynews.com
