Most commenters mistakenly to make the assumption (as does the 9th Circuit) that the bed of this river is federal "public land" simply because there is federal land on both sides of the river.  In fact, a court previously held (long before the Preserve was established or the NPS started dreaming up ways to keep Alaskans out) that the bed of the river was in fact State land.  Thus Mr. Sturgeon was on State land, not federal land, when over-zealous park rangers decided to assume non-existent authority.  Sturgeon will ultimately win this case at SCOTUS level and the liberal activists that comprise the 9th Circuit will once again be slapped down.