Whitewater rafters may apply for a chance to win the annual float lottery

A lottery begins today that promises winners a million-dollar view, a priceless ride and an invaluable experience.

And all it takes to enter is six bucks.

Today marks the first day for non-commercial whitewater enthusiasts to apply for the 2005 Rogue River float permit lottery. They have until Jan. 31 to apply for a permit to float the wild section of the lower Rogue River next year.

Out of last year’s roughly 5,800 applicants, a few more than 800 were awarded a permit, observed Chris Dent, river program manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s Medford District.

However, only about 50 percent were used by the winners, he said. Unclaimed or non-allocated permits are awarded to rafters on a walk-in basis at the BLM’s visitor center near Galice.

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The permits are for the roughly 33 miles of the river’s wild section immediately downstream from the mouth of Grave Creek near Galice downstream to Foster Bar.

Although the river flows through both BLM and U.S. Forest Service lands, the permits system is administered by the BLM.

The lottery, which began in 1978, is held to regulate the flow of river traffic through the river corridor in an attempt to preserve the wild character of the area. The regulated float season is from May 15 through Oct. 15.

Applications are being accepted by Tioga Resources Inc., a Roseburg firm contracted by the BLM to manage the annual lottery.

For permit applications and instructions, call Tioga Resources at 541-672-4168 or see www.umpcoos.com/rogue on the Web.

The firm’s mailing address is TRI, P.O. Box 5149, Roseburg, OR 97470.

The computerized lottery drawing will be held in February, with successful applicants notified around March 1.

The last names of successful applicants will be posted around mid-March at www.or.blm.gov/rogueriver on the Web

Commercial guides, who operate under different regulations, and the people who hire them are not affected by the non-commercial lottery.

Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at pfattig@mailtribune.com