USS Inner Tube

Springfield News-Leader

The National Park Service is seeking public comment on a proposed rule change that would require everyone floating down the Current, Jacks Fork and Buffalo rivers in an inner tube to take along a personal floatation device. Our comment: Let the air out of this unnecessary new plan.

Declaring inner tubes "vessels" that require PFDs would be costly to business owners, wouldn't necessarily increase safety and would be difficult to enforce.

Tubing is a popular summer activity on the spring-fed Current and Jacks Fork rivers, and to a lesser extent on the Buffalo. It is hardly an extreme sport; what few rapids exist are relatively minor, and the rest of the time the pace is leisurely.

Tubing accidents on the river are rare. Business owners have found tubing safety records don't exist, making the rationale behind instituting the new rule more dubious. Forcing outfitters to buy hundreds of PFDs would be a financial burden with no clear point.

We agree that young children should be required to wear PFDs anytime they are floating, tubing or playing at the river. But that is a responsibility of parents. Enforcing such rules on the river would be difficult. Furthermore, how would the park service ensure people who bring their own tubes to the river had the required PFDs? This new rule makes no sense on Ozarks scenic rivers. ...