VAN BUREN -- A consistent law enforcement presence within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways has helped curb the rowdiness once prevalent on Current River and in the park's campgrounds.
Rangers with the National Park Service work side-by-side with Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers to enforce the federal and state laws governing the river and park.
"Several years ago, we wanted to get a handle on the behavior" and be stricter with such items as beer bongs and glass bottles, both of which now are banned within the park, explained Lindel Gregory, ONSR chief ranger.
During about a 10-year period from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, portions of the Current River had a Mardi Gras atmosphere. Excessive drinking, blatant drug use, profane language and nudity were prevalent during that time.
If an area is let go with no enforcement, it becomes an area where no one wants to come, Gregory said.
"We can change people's behavior" by having a presence on the river and in the campgrounds, Gregory said. "... We're out here day in and day out."
Now, "we definitely don't have the behavior we had years ago," he said. " ... We will still have areas, little pockets, of problems, but overall consistent enforcement" has reduced the problems.
Floaters, he said, now know not to bring glass bottles to the river.
The campgrounds, according to Gregory, also definitely get less of the "big parties, large groups" causing problems.
Campers, he said, now know they "have to behave and be courteous to other campers."
The campgrounds that reopened after the 2017 flood inundated the park fill up on most weekends, particularly the electric sites, said Gregory, who indicated the campgrounds may soon be redesigned to accommodate larger campers.
The park, he said, also may have to become stricter regarding food storage in the campgrounds due to the increasing numbers of bears being spotted in the area.
"A lot of our western parks have strict food storage" regulations, but "we haven't been" as strict in recent years, he said.
Rangers, he said, not only patrol the waterways and campgrounds, but also have an active presence on the park's roads.
This summer, he said, rangers have arrested more than 20 for driving under the influence in the park as they work to ensure "the roads are safe for all those who come here."
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NUMBERS UP
The park's numbers for the summer are comparable to its 2015 and 2016 numbers, Gregory said. The devastation left behind after flooding in 2017 reduced use of the river.
"Honestly, I think (the numbers are) better than that since we've had a dry summer, not a wet one, with not a lot of rainouts," Gregory said.
Increased numbers are good for "our concessions," as well as the park itself, Gregory said.
After the flooding, "we were definitely down in revenue, fee revenue," Gregory explained. "We use that to keep up with repairs and maintain our park.
"We need the revenue coming in like the businesses as well. It's good to see the businesses back opened up."
On any given weekend, "we'll have thousands of floaters up here," he said.
Along with park's high volume of tubes, "kayaks are everywhere" now, said Gregory, adding the number of "Walmart kayaks" has grown in the last 10 years.
"Our boat use has exploded," said Gregory, who indicated many visitors who used to come to float now have boats.
While some of the boaters will navigate upstream through the "high density area" of floaters, most, Gregory said, will put in at the Chilton Creek access above the floaters or put in at Van Buren and hang out on nearby gravel bars until later in the day.
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READY TO HELP
On a recent Saturday, Gregory made a loop through the campground and checked in with its hosts, Earl and Ann Brinley, before launching his boat at Chilton Creek.
Once on the water, Gregory only made his way down river a short distance past Waymeyer when he was radioed to return to that access regarding a medical assist.
A woman in her 50s was having an asthma attack and didn't have her inhaler. She needed to be transported across the river to meet an ambulance.
With his boat's emergency lights flashing, Gregory maneuvered up river through the throng of floaters.
"Get out of the way; move one way or the other," Gregory yelled as he continued upstream.
As Gregory neared the gravel bar across from the Waymeyer access, the woman could be seen sitting in the shallow water surrounded by family members.
"Bring her to me," Gregory said.
Once the woman was helped onto the bow of Gregory's boat, he motored the short distance across the river where law enforcement specialist Jodi Towery waited.
With the help of the woman's family, she was helped up the bank to Towery's vehicle.
Due to traffic congestion, the ambulance was unable to get to the river access, so Towery took the woman to a location where they met the responding ambulance. The woman was taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center for treatment.
A short time later, Gregory responded again upriver for another medical assist. This time, a woman, who was on oxygen, had flipped her kayak.
The woman repeatedly said she was fine and declined to be transported even after Gregory told her she had another eight hours to float in the heat of the day.
As the morning continued, Gregory motored his boat between Waymeyer and Raftyard, the half-way point for floaters.
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'FOR YOUR SAFETY'
On that particular Saturday, Gregory was the visible NPS presence on the water, while Pat Jackson, district ranger for the Lower Current River District, and Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Cravens and Cpl. Logan Monahan worked covertly, focusing on enforcement.
From hidden locations along the river, the officers checked each passing canoe, kayak, boat or tube for potential violations, as well as watched the activity on nearby gravel bars.
Many times throughout the day, Gregory warned tubers and rafters not to be tied together.
"You can't tie together," Gregory warned. " ... It's for your safety. People have died from (being tied together). If you get in a bad spot, you can let go and go around it."
Gregory told each group he spotted they could "tie one cooler to one person. ... You can hold on; you just can't tie together."
Otherwise, Gregory warned, it would be "$80 a piece for a lesson."
On several occasions Gregory stopped to speak with floaters whose radio was blaring as they floated downstream.
"We don't have a problem with radios," Gregory told the floaters. "Keep it a reasonable level within your group, so you don't ruin anyone else's trip."
"Their right to have fun, it ends when it interferes with someone else's rights," Gregory said.
Later in the afternoon, Jackson radioed Gregory regarding two orange kayaks in which the female kayaker had a small glass wine bottle.
"I'll watch for them and take care of it," said Gregory, who was given a clothing and physical description for the woman.
Gregory subsequently stopped the kayak and found the woman did have an empty glass bottle. When Gregory checked her cooler, he found all the other bottles were plastic.
"Right now, all you have is one, so I'm not going to write you a citation," Gregory told the woman.
The bottles, he said, all look the same, and he gave her the "benefit of the doubt. I could make the same mistake."
A short time later, Gregory said, Jackson stopped three tubers from Paducah, Ky., because he thought they had glass bottles and one looked "pretty young."
When Gregory checked their coolers, he found the bottles were plastic; however, Jackson found one person who was under 21. Jackson issued that floater a ticket for minor in possession of alcohol, and another in his party a ticket for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
"For the number of people we have, I think we do a pretty good job of keeping them corralled up," said Gregory.
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'BE RESPECTFUL'
Those with families on the river, he said, like to see law enforcement out and keeping everyone in line.
"I don't want to be exclusive to families where others can't come and have a good time," but they need to "come and be respectful of other users" by not being vulgar and obscene.
"This was a pretty wild place when I started back here" in 2000, Gregory said. " ... It's been years since we've seen any nudity on this river (in) this stretch (above Van Buren).
"That's a change from what is used to be."
Thousands, he said, floated on a recent Saturday, and there were "no obnoxious, out of control people."
Current River, according to Gregory, is probably one of the most enforced rivers in the State of Missouri.
As Gregory headed back toward Waymeyer on a recent Saturday afternoon, he stopped to rescue two tubers who were panicked because they were stuck in a downed tree.
Gregory used his boat to push their tubes toward the bank where they could stand up. He then gave them a ride back to Waymeyer.
"So many think this is a water park, a lazy river," Gregory said. "You've got to look ahead and plan.
"Ninety percent of obstacles in the river can be avoided if you look ahead and know where you're going ... paddle away (and) don't panic."