Public Access GONE on the Lower Yuba

[Bob Laskodi]

Yuba Outdoors Adventures (YOA) is a for profit "fishing club" in which they have leased access/trespass rights from many of the land owners above the HWY 20 bridge. Last I heard (several years ago), it cost $1500 annually for "membership" in YOA. In years past, YOA has hired security guards (IMNSHO armed thugs!!!) to "patrol" the Yuba above the bridge and has actively harassed anglers who are fishing the river for "illegally trespassing". In years past, YOA was VERY aggressive in harassing anglers, and IMNSHO their actions bordered on illegal. I have personal experience with the security guards and their harassment program and I have heard from other anglers of similar harassment. Apparently, their active angler harassment program has mellowed recently!!! Randall Jarvis is the person from YOA who I have interacted with the most. I am not sure if he is the actual owner of YOA or just the manager. YOA believes (incorrectly) that they "OWN" all the access on the Yuba River above the HWY 20 bridge and any one fishing there is trespassing. AFAIK, YOA has threatened trespassing charges against many individuals, but has never actually successfully prosecuted a trespassing charge. The Yuba River is listed by the US Army Corps Of Engineers, the US Agency responsible for administrating Navigable Waters, as being a navigable river from Englebright Dam to the mouth and can be legally accessed by the public via the easements under the HWY 20 bridge and below the "normal" high water mark of the river according to both Federal & State laws. Thusly, any one can legally access the Yuba River to fish, contrary to YOA claims. IMNSHO, these laws really "piss off" YOA!!!!!!

[Mike R]

Why wouldn't these laws piss off YOA? They are getting people to pay for access to a public access river. Nice work if you can get it, I guess. It would be like the rv park on Putah Creek trying to offer "private access" to the water above and below the bridge.

Mike

[Darian]

This type of situation isn't really anything new. There're private reserves (based on leases from government agencies) on public lands and have been for many years. Some along navigable rivers/streams. Pleasant Valley Preserve comes to mind. Landowners along the Sacramento River (below Sacramento) have been running off bankies with local Police Departments support for quite a while now. Even if they're unsuccessful in prosecuting in court, a person accused of trespassing is on the defensive throughout the process (a process that can be expensive and time consuming). Is it worth fighting I guess that's a personal choice.

I don't like the prospect of it but that seems to be the way things are going....

[Tom Page]

Spey fool, Randy Jarvis is the lease holder on the property and you are furtunate that you have not been talked to about going up there. I brought this to Hogans attention at the begining of this week and it is no joke. I sat in at a meeting about a month ago. The way I understand it is that SYRCL is hurting for money and Randy Jarvis knows this, when he found out that Western aggregate wanted SYRCL to match dollar for dollar that is when his greedy a$$ steped in. I was told by a former freind who's the lawyer that is representing Randy Jarvis that he will be charging $15 per boat if he matches the money how long do you think it will take to make it back ( 15 x 365 x lets say 5 boats per day) I have several freinds and a former freind that belong to YOA and this has been Randy's dream come true. I can see it now we will have some walk in access for a year or two than it will be no tresspessing after that unless you pay the big bucks. He charges his members now $1000 for 9 months how much will he charge for 12 months. One thing Hogan did not mention is that their will be two places to park and they are only allowing 6 cars total. The next meeting will be some time in December when I get the date I will let you all know. Lets win this battle together!!!

[speyfool]

I've always heard that the property owners along the Yuba (above hwy 20) will get in your face if you aren't in the water or very close to it. Perhaps all this time it wasn't really the property owners, but YOA. Interesting. I had no idea that a fishing club was possibly behind all of that.

Now that YOA now appears to be wanting to put a fence along the river below the bridge, it just looks like they are trying to remove all public access to this river for their own private fishing reserve.

If I were part of this club, I would be ashamed.

[Tom Page]

Spey fool, Randy Jarvis is the lease holder on the property and you are furtunate that you have not been talked to about going up there. I brought this to Hogans attention at the begining of this week and it is no joke. I sat in at a meeting about a month ago. The way I understand it is that SYRCL is hurting for money and Randy Jarvis knows this, when he found out that Western aggregate wanted SYRCL to match dollar for dollar that is when his greedy a$$ steped in. I was told by a former freind who's the lawyer that is representing Randy Jarvis that he will be charging $15 per boat if he matches the money how long do you think it will take to make it back ( 15 x 365 x lets say 5 boats per day) I have several freinds and a former freind that belong to YOA and this has been Randy's dream come true. I can see it now we will have some walk in access for a year or two than it will be no tresspessing after that unless you pay the big bucks. He charges his members now $1000 for 9 months how much will he charge for 12 months. One thing Hogan did not mention is that their will be two places to park and they are only allowing 6 cars total. The next meeting will be some time in December when I get the date I will let you all know. Lets win this battle together!!!

[speyfool]

I can see it now we will have some walk in access for a year or two than it will be no tresspessing after that unless you pay the big bucks. He charges his members now $1000 for 9 months how much will he charge for 12 months. One thing Hogan did not mention is that their will be two places to park and they are only allowing 6 cars total. The next meeting will be some time in December when I get the date I will let you all know. Lets win this battle together!!!

This is all very concerning. However, I'm baffled to think that this Jarvis fellow can somehow get around the public use rights. I can understand he may have the ability to eliminate parking in some areas or boat launches. But, I'm not sure how he can remove walk-ins if they come under the Hwy 20 bridge.

Where exactly is YOA's "property" boundaries? Is it immediately above the 20 bridge? Or a ways up river?


Whatever the case, I'm on board to try and stop this from happening. The Yuba is one of my favorite destinations. I'd hate to see it come to an end.

[Tom Page]

The YOA property starts just above the bridge. If I am right and please correct me if I am wrong but as i understand the easment for public access is 80 feet on either side of the bridge. The land below the bridge all belongs to western aggragete. So if you stand back and look were we drive in to launch the boats it can be cosidered treaspassing.

[Bob Laskodi]

AFAIK, YOA does not actually own any property, they are only leasing trespass rights from the various owners. And reportedly they have all the land owners locked up from the bridge until the UC property upstream. There actually are several public easements around the HWY20 bridge. While Western AG actually owns all the land having the public easements, they have no legal say in the public easements or their dispositions. They can not legally block access to the public easements for any reason. Basically, right now, SYCRL, YOA, and Western can't change the easements without a lot of wrangling with County officials (maybe that will happen). About the only thing they can legally stop right now, is direct road access to the river by vehicle (bad for drift boats, a non-issue for inflatables and walk-ins). And you are so right about Jarvis, IMNSHO-he's been trying to get the entire Yuba locked up in his back pocket so he can make money. He wants everything from Englebright to Daguerre in his control. Again, what I don't understand is how a respectable conservation organization like SYCRL would want any association with any of YOA's activities. Don't they know about Jarvis and his shenanigans? GEEZ, I wouldn't even want my name mentioned in the same sentence!!!! Yeah, they need money, but .........
PS: I think it's 20 feet either side of the bridge, but I could be wrong.

[nightgoat]

I sat in at a meeting about a month ago.

So what is this project? Is it part of the HEA? That's about all I've been able to find on the net regarding the Yuba and there is no mention of a fence or YOA in the information available.