GERING, Neb. — Attention, Memorial Day weekend campers, boaters and picnickers:
Read the fine print of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's decision Friday to lift a 15-year ban on alcohol consumption in state parks and recreation areas.
A new regulation permitting an angler to drink a beer while fishing from the shoreline or campers to enjoy wine while grilling steaks will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2011.
Nebraska's parks officially remain dry during this summer's big three holiday weekends: Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.
In fact, the regulation still must be reviewed by the state attorney general and signed by the governor. And Game and Parks officials will be reviewing whether alcohol consumption still should be prohibited in select state park and wildlife management areas with the use of signs.
The issue set off a flurry of public reaction after commissioners signaled in March that they were sympathetic to lifting the ban because surrounding states are less restrictive about drinking, and a change would make Nebraska parks more welcoming and possibly boost attendance.
After voting 8-1 at the Gering Civic Center to lift the ban, commissioners said they will not allow parks to slide into rowdiness or lawlessness.
“If it doesn't work, there's not going to be any lollygagging around by anybody on the commission,'' said Ron Stave, a commissioner from Waterloo.
Commissioner Lynn Berggren of Broken Bow said alcohol use at parks with repeated drinking-related problems will be shut down “in a heartbeat.''
Berggren and Stave were joined in voting to lift the ban by commissioners Jerrod Burke of Curtis, Rex Fisher of Gretna, Kent Forney of Lincoln, Mick Jensen of Blair, Norris Marshall of Kearney and Mark Spurgin of Paxton.
Commissioner Mark Pinkerton of Wilber voted no. He choked up before the vote, saying he wanted to set the right example for his young sons.
Many of the commissioners voting to lift the ban said they were reflecting the sentiments of the majority of people who contacted them.
The vote came after a 70-minute, standing-room-only public hearing. About 100 people attended the hearing. All but one of the 20 who testified opposed eliminating the restriction.
Among the opponents were the sheriffs of Keith and Scotts Bluff Counties, the Scottsbluff police chief, a fire chief who answers rescue calls at Lake McConaughy, a state senator and a delegation of eight Ogallala students wearing BUD (Banning Underage Drinking) T-shirts.
Keith County Sheriff Kevin Mueller said he faced riot conditions by parties of 200 to 300 people on Lake McConaughy beaches in the early 1990s.
“We had to back out,'' he said. “Our cars were pelted with beer bottles.''
He questioned the ability of Game and Parks' limited number of law enforcement officers to monitor parks for drinking violations.
Law enforcement and rescue officials told poignant stories of alcohol-related drownings and other tragedies, such as a man killed when a drunken driver drove over the camper's beach tent.
State Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff said opening parks to drinking isn't the correct way to solve Game and Parks revenue problems.
Diane Riibe, executive director of Project Extra Mile, which works to prevent underage drinking, urged commissioners to keep the ban.
“With a full ban in place, enforcement issues are clear,'' she said. “We cannot honestly expect that drinkers would simply stop drinking once the bell tolls 10 p.m., can we?”
Joan Fisher of Gering said Colorado and Wyoming visitors to western Nebraska parks tell her they enjoy the clean and alcohol-free areas.
“We don't need the trash. We don't need the worries,'' she said.
Darlan Rezac of Ogallala was the only person at the hearing to testify in support of lifting the ban. He said the Lake McConaughy area's economy depends on travelers.
“Anything that brings in numbers helps,'' he said.
Stave, the commissioner who made the motion to lift the ban, said he supported the change to make parks available to more people.
“A lot of people aren't using them right now because they aren't allowed to drink a beer,'' Stave said. He said the issue is not about underage drinking.
Commissioner Spurgin said he believes park-users today are more “self-policing'' than in past years. He said he doesn't expect the troubles of the early 1990s to resurface once the ban is lifted.
Before the ban was adopted in 1995, people could drink at any time, including during campground quiet hours.
They could drink in parking lots and on beaches and bring kegs of beer to parks.
The proposed new regulation, which also would affect wildlife management areas, includes restrictions:
• Consumption would be prohibited between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and on all roadways, at designated swimming areas and in parking areas.
• No alcoholic beverage container greater than one gallon would be permitted.
Commissioner Norris Marshall of Kearney said the ability to retain the ban in certain areas is an important regulatory tool previously not available.
Rex Amack, the commission director, said the staff will fine-tune policies for specific parks during the next several months.
“This is not 24-7 (drinking),'' Amack said. “This is not kegs of beer.''
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