News Photos by Crystal Nelson Kayakers prepare to put into the Au Sable River near Mio last week. Though the U.S. Forest Service has backed off a proposed alcohol ban, several businesses linked to the river say the proposal alone was enough to hurt their business.

MIO — Although the U.S. Forest Service has rescinded its alcohol ban on a portion of the AuSable River, businesses in communities near the river continue to feel the repercussions of the federal agency’s initial decision.

The Forest Service announced in early February that it would ban alcohol on the portion of the AuSable River stretching from the Mio dam pond to the canoe landing in Alcona County and the land 200 feet in front of the river.

But the agency backtracked after backlash from the public. The agency then announced later that month it had rescinded the ban and in June announced its plans to pursue an educational campaign in lieu of the ban.

Kyle Yoder, chairman of the Oscoda County Board of Commissioners, said commissioners were “entirely blindsided” by the announcement, and that the public initially found out about the proposed ban on social media.

He said the impacts of the Forest Service’s decision were felt immediately: The county started getting cancellations for its campground along the Mio backwaters the day the announcement came out.

“This area, in particular, has to have (tourism) to be financially viable,” Yoder said. “That’s the only thing that keeps them afloat is that people come up to visit the river. One of people’s favorite things to do is either canoe or sit in the tube and have some adult beverages and most of them do it responsibly.There are some that get out of hand.”

The iconic Hinchman Acres Resort is located on the stretch of the AuSable River where the ban would have been implemented. Owner Craig Thompson said the business got a lot of phone calls and cancellations immediately following the Forest Serivce’s announcement.

Thompson said that, from the volume of calls they received, he anticipated he would see business reduce by half this year. He said some of those cancellations have since been rebooked, but business has been off to a slow start this year.

Thompson isn’t sure whether the slow start is related to the now-rescinded alcohol ban or if it has more to do with the cooler weather this spring.

“Things are starting to pick up, but, just my gut feeling tells me we’re off a little bit from where we should be,” he said. “We get several phone calls a week asking if the ban is still in effect because there are so many people who have heard about the ban but they haven’t heard it was rescinded for this year.”

NOT JUST A PARTY

Forest Service spokesman Nathan Peeters said his agency is responsible for managing the wild and scenic portions of the AuSable, Manistee and Pine rivers that pass through the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

Peeters said officials had observed numerous behaviors on the rivers, such as littering, not using the designated restrooms, trespassing, and harassment of other river users. Officials noticed those behaviors were often associated with excessive alcohol.

The Forest Service ultimately decided to impose the ban on a 23-mile stretch of the AuSable River, starting at the Mio dam pond to the canoe landing in Alcona County. Peeters noted that, while some groups responded with positive feedback, officials also heard from a much more vocal group.

“I think a lot of people felt that they were being punished for the actions of other people,” Peeters said. “What we noticed in all of that feedback was that there’s a lot of passion for these rivers, and the Forest Service saw an opportunity to harness that passion and come up with a community-driven solution.”

The Forest Service has been working with a group of community partners to develop an action plan to educate the public about the values and benefits of the river through public service announcements and outreach efforts.

Additionally, the Forest Service will do more to educate the public during public safety patrols on the rivers.

“Our goal all along has been to attract people to the rivers because these are wild and scenic rivers and they are to be enjoyed by all Americans, not just people who want to have a party,” Peeters said.

‘THERE HAS BEEN BUSINESS LOST’

Yoder, the Oscoda County board chairman, said that, since the alcohol ban has been rescinded, the county was able to get most of their reservations back. But he says there are some people who made other reservations at other locations, such as the Rifle River, and will not be coming back.

“There has been business lost because of this,” he said. “It’s one of those things that you sure wish they would have had the courtesy to have let people know ahead of time, so that we could have had this discussion that’s taking place now.”

Yoder said the U.S. Forest Service is still tentatively talking about implementing an alcohol ban for next year.

The county board “would definitely plan on being involved if they decide to move forward with an actual alcohol ban,” he said. “It honestly could bankrupt some of our businesses here.”

Dave Simpson owns Rainbow Resort, a canoe livery and resort on a stretch of the AuSable River that would not have been under the alcohol ban. Simpson says he often receives calls from people who are not familiar with the area, wondering if the alcohol ban is still in place before they make a reservation.

Simpson said there are sometimes problems with people drinking too much while on the river and with people littering, but there are already laws in place that aren’t being enforced. Simpson said people are not allowed to take Styrofoam or glass on the river and there is a limit of a six-pack of alcohol per canoe.

Because the forest rangers don’t enforce the existing laws in the region, Simpson doesn’t think they would be able to enforce a ban, either. People vacationing in the area also look forward to drinking on the river.

“Even if there was a total ban, people are still going to drink on the river,” he said. “They’re going to find a way. They’re going to hide alcohol in a Coke bottle or a Pepsi bottle, there’s no way they’re not going to drink on the river even if there is a ban.”

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.