New NC bill criminalizing boat launching.

[driver]

🚨 URGENT: Protect Our Public Waterway Access – Oppose NC Senate Bill 220 Section 4 🚨

North Carolina's rivers and streams have always been open for the people to enjoy – it's a right and a tradition. But a new bill in our legislature threatens to block that freedom. NC Senate Bill 220, Section 4 would restrict public access to navigable waters from highway rights-of-way, turning everyday anglers, kayakers, trappers, and hunters into potential criminals for doing what they've done responsibly for generations. We cannot let this stand.

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🚫 What SB 220 Section 4 Would Do

Under this proposed law, if you launch any motorized or non-motorized watercraft from a public road or highway right-of-way into adjacent water, and it's not an official boat ramp, you'd be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. In simple terms, pulling off at a bridge to fish, trap, or put in a kayak would become a crime.

This bill would instantly outlaw many beloved trapping locations, fishing spots, and paddling launch points across North Carolina – places where there may be no formal boat ramp for miles. It effectively criminalizes access to public waters that we, the public, have used for generations.

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🎣 Who SB 220 Hurts: Hunters, Fishermen, Trappers & Outdoorsmen
 • Trappers 🦫: Many trappers use canoes and kayaks to check sets for beavers, otters, and muskrats along streams and creeks. This bill would cut off access to these waterways, making it nearly impossible for some trappers to run their lines. For those who trap to help manage wildlife populations, protect farmland, or supplement their income, this restriction is devastating.
 • Fishermen 🎣: Local anglers often park by bridges and road shoulders to cast a line or reach a favorite honey hole. Not everyone has a boat or a dock; roadside access is the only way many can enjoy fishing. These informal spots are used regularly by responsible fishermen. If SB 220 passes, a grandfather taking his grandkids to fish under a highway bridge could be breaking the law.
 • Kayakers & Canoers 🚣: Paddlers love exploring our rivers and creeks – often launching at grassy road edges or under overpass bridges where no marina or ramp exists. This bill would cut off countless blueway adventures.
 • Hunters 🦆: Many waterfowl hunters use small boats or kayaks to access blinds on public waters, launching from bridges or roadside pull-offs before dawn. This bill would block access to many of these hunting spots, severely limiting opportunities.
 • Rural Communities 🏞�: In many rural areas, the nearest public boat ramp might be 20+ miles away. But a highway bridge over a river has always meant anyone can slip a small boat in or wade into the water. That public right-of-way access is a great equalizer – you shouldn't need to own riverfront land or drive an hour to enjoy our waters.

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🏞� Our Heritage and Rights to Public Waters

North Carolina's navigable waters belong to the people, held in trust by the state for our use and enjoyment. Under the public trust doctrine, citizens have the right to navigate, boat, fish, trap, and hunt in these waters without interference, as long as we access them lawfully. Traditionally, a public road right-of-way has been a lawful access point – a way to get to the water without trespassing on private land.

North Carolina even amended its Constitution in 2018 to declare that the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife is a part of our heritage, "to be forever preserved for the public good." This bill directly contradicts that constitutional right by making it illegal to access public water from a public road.

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💰 Economic & Community Impact

This issue isn't just about recreation – it's about jobs and local economies.
 • North Carolina's outdoor recreation industry generates about $28 billion in consumer spending each year and supports over 260,000 jobs statewide.
 • Many trappers rely on beaver and otter trapping as a way to offset costs of living or supplement income in rural areas. If access is restricted, trapping operations will suffer, impacting fur sales, landowner contracts, and wildlife management efforts.
 • Bait shops, tackle stores, hunting outfitters, trapping supply shops, and kayak rental businesses all depend on public access.

By denying citizens easy access to public waters, SB 220 will hurt small businesses, tourism, and those who rely on outdoor activities for income.

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📢 Stand Up and Take Action

This is a pivotal moment for everyone who loves North Carolina's outdoors. We can still stop this bill – but only if we speak out!

✅ Contact Your Representatives: Call, email, or write to your NC State Senator and House Representative and tell them you oppose Senate Bill 220 Section 4. Remind them that blocking access to public waters is unacceptable and unconstitutional.

🔎 FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE HERE 👉 https://www.ncleg.gov/findyourlegislators
Simply enter your address, and it will show who represents you in the NC Senate and House. Tell them NO to SB 220 Section 4!

✅ Sign the Petition: Join thousands of fellow North Carolinians in signing the petition to prevent the passage of SB 220 Section 4 👉 https://www.change.org/p/prevent-passage-of-nc-senate-bill-220-section-4-that-limits-public-access-to-waterways/psf/promote_or_share. Every signature sends a message that we won't give up our rights to our waterways.

✅ Spread the Word: Share this post and the petition with your friends, family, hunting clubs, trapping groups, and outdoor organizations.

North Carolina's outdoor heritage is on the line. For centuries, we've been able to walk down an old path to the river, launch a small boat, and enjoy the bounty of our streams and lakes. Don't let a new law take away what's always been ours.

👉 Take action now – our rivers, our rights, and our way of life depend on it. Say NO to SB 220 Section 4! 🚫

[driver]

Here is the emails of your Republican bill sponsors

Rabon@ncleg.gov
Tom.McInnis@ncleg.gov
Danny.Britt@ncleg.gov
Steve.Jarvis@ncleg.gov
Todd.Johnson@ncleg.gov

[Woolly Bugger]

Rabon@ncleg.gov isn't a valid address?