OHIOPYLE, Pa. -- A proposal to allow kayakers and canoeists to run Ohiopyle Falls, a prohibited activity that hasn't deterred some whitewater enthusiasts in the past, is being considered by the Bureau of State Parks.

A public meeting to gather input on the idea was held yesterday in the Meadow Run House in this Fayette County community.

As expected, the more than 30 men and women who showed up were in favor of the proposal. They included five kayakers who appeared in their colorful multi-layered clothing while on a break from running the "Loop," a mile-long section of the Youghiogheny River that wraps around Ferncliff Peninsula in Ohiopyle State Park.

Also at the meeting were David Barrett, the bureau's chief of operations and management; park Manager John Hallas and other bureau managers.

Mr. Barrett, the highest ranking bureau official at the meeting, said the bureau prefers to "take things a little slow" when it considers proposals such as running the falls.

"We have to balance the issues of safety and recreational use of the river," he said. "If you permit something like this and get in over your head, you can't easily back out. What happens if someone dies?"

Proposed rules have been drafted for running the 18-foot-high waterfall. It's an imposing watermark, if you will, that convinced George Washington in 1754 that the "Yock" couldn't be used to float freight-loaded log rafts to Pittsburgh.

The rules would require paddlers to use single or double occupancy kayaks and canoes, register before running the falls and go around Ferncliff Peninsula to the take-out there or continue another 6.5 miles to the Bruner Run take-out. The water level would have to be 1.8 feet or below on the official gauge at the launch area.

The falls would be open for runs daily between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. from the first Saturday in May until the second Saturday in September. A launch permit would be required on weekends. There must be at least two paddlers. Running the falls alone is prohibited. The use of rental kayaks and canoes also is prohibited.

"I've been bugging [the bureau] to allow this for 20 years," said Barry Tuscano, 57, of Bolivar, a veteran kayaker and former board member of American Whitewater.

The organization, which represents more than 6,000 members who belong to more than 100 paddling clubs, sponsored the first Ohiopyle Falls Race on Nov. 13, 1999, a sunny, 60-degree day that saw more than 250 paddlers run the falls numerous times. Participants ranged in age from 14 to 63 whose skill levels ranged from intermediate to expert.

The annual event received a big boost the following year when John Oliver, then the secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, ran the falls in an inflatable kayak. The cup awarded to the annual winner of the race bears Mr. Oliver's name. The falls has been run more than 10,000 times since 1999.

Yesterday's informal meeting resembled a family reunion at times. Longtime paddlers, some of whom hadn't seen each other in years, caught up with one another and told stories about running the falls in the "good old days."

It wasn't allowed, of course, so kayakers did it early in the morning or at night, especially when a full moon provided visibility.

Who was the first person known to have run the middle section of the falls?

It was Tony Morris, a river guide for one of the four commercial rafting companies in Ohiopyle, said veteran paddler Scott Patton. "He went over in the spring of 1982. I got a call from someone who witnessed it. I said I'd be there right after work."

Bob Sioa, 63, another longtime kayaker, said the accomplishment led to the "Friday Night Follies" when a number of river guides followed Mr. Morris' example.

Walter Augustine, 37, of Friendsville, now a safety coordinator for Adventure Sports Center International, said he ran the falls in the morning, paddled partway around the peninsula, carried his kayak ashore, stashed his life jacket and helmet in the cockpit and ran back to town to give the appearance to any park ranger of being "an early morning jogger."

The rangers, of course, knew what Mr. Augustine and a few other capable paddlers were doing, but looked the other way.

It wasn't until two river guides ran the falls in the middle of the day to impress the 80-some members of their commercial rafting trip a number of years ago that the hammer came down -- a fine and the banishment from the park.

Although there is no deadline for a decision on the proposal, Mr. Barrett said it would be made "fairly soon."

The public can e-mail comments on the proposal to ohiopylesp@state.pa.us or mail them to Ohiopyle State Park, P.O. Box 105, Ohiopyle, PA 15470. The deadline is Dec. 31.