This summer when I was asked about Buzzi Unicem closing its section of the Vermilion River to traffic, I told folks I wasn't all that surprised. In fact, on a purely personal level, closing the river cut down on the some of the tourist traffic I'm not real fond of.

I'm sorry if that sounds a little harsh, but every time someone asks me about the Vermilion River, I end up sharing a long list of indignation.

Let's start with the mining industry. Lonestar, Buzzi Unicem and their predecessors have treated the river like it was part and parcel of their mining operations. They have built on it, dumped into it and altered it beyond repair.

The lower stretch of the river from the Ed Hand Highway downriver, through the Thirty-Foot Hole is an industrial ghost town. From Wildcat Rapids, past the remains of Bailey Creek and into the canyon at the Buzzi Unicem plant, the river is more ditch than a waterway.

This weekend, drive Route 178 south from Utica to Lowell. Take a close look at the river valley on your right. Stop at the southern part of Matthiessen State Park and look west. Those ugly mountains of slag are the guts of the Vermilion valley.

The river and the valley should never have been treated this way. Some states, like Wisconsin, have been able to figure out that industry and wild rivers can coexist. Simple solution: the entire valley corridor should be public property, not private, but this is Illinois — the state that ranks almost dead last in public lands.

In Illinois, access is a joke. To really see the Vermilion River you have to trespass. Drive into Oglesby and try to find access to a river that wraps itself around the town, and unless you have a guide or great directions, you won't find any.

I have a lot of respect for Tony Torres, the mayor of Oglesby. I appreciate he is working hard to open up the river, but frankly Oglesby and La Salle County haven't done squat to improve river access.

What river access we do have is seriously neglected. My favorite access area near Lowell often is strewn with garbage. Some of the trails to the river in Matthiessen are close to disappearing. Our local park system is managed by men who love the outdoors, but the state Department of Natural Resources has been eviscerated by politicians and managed for years by overpaid bureaucrats. The DNR hasn't seen a true conservationist since Brent Manning was in charge.

Finally, when it comes to the closing of the river, I think part of the blame has to lie with any outfitter who sends clients down that stretch of river. For years the river was used by fairly knowledgeable people who understood the risks and responsibilities. They also knew proper scouting or portaging meant trespassing.

Don't get me wrong, I know the river also has been home to the "anything that floats" crowd, but the increase in commercial outfitting has turned the river into a serious tourist attraction. I think Buzzi Unicem finally drew the line across the river when companies started sending large groups of inexperienced rafters, often equipped with alcohol, down the river.

They had to see this coming. I did.

• DAVE NEPS of Ottawa teaches at Shepherd Middle School and is an avid outdoorsman. He can be reached through The Times or by e-mailing lonnyc@mywebtimes.com.