Drifter,

I too live by the river-I'm probably minutes from you. Though I can't claim 30 plus years experience here I can claim 20+. A reply to some of your points:

1) The only way the guides will leave the river is with a motor ban.

2) Times change. Not so many years ago, I could live with amount of sled traffic on the river but their use is increasing exponentially. It's too much. Singularly, the river could handle "a" sled as you state but not a dozen or more. What I see happening is ever since the cowlitz blew chunks in 95-98 the guides have shifted to easy pickings on the nooch. The non-guides with sleds see everyone else and think "if they are-so can I"
So now, you have a mushroom effect where the sledders have lost sight of the bigger picture and the effect their sheer numbers are having on the fishery. It is litterally out of control.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. The river is not the same river it was10-15 years ago. It is hitting critical mass and the issue has to be addressed at the county or state level.