n mid-September, Superintendent Arnberger announced a ban on possession or use of Personal Watercraft (PWC), including jet skis, within Grand Canyon National Park. They have always been prohibited between Lees Ferry and Separation Canyon (Mile 240), but use was unregulated from there to the Lake Mead boundary. Increasing PWC use in the last few years forced Grand Canyon National Park to re-evaluate protection for the area below Separation Canyon. According to Superintendent Arnberger, "we subscribe to the fact that PWC use is not appropriate anywhere within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park and in fact their use runs contrary to those regulations established to protect park values. The resource values below Separation Canyon are no less significant than any other part of the park. The values that exist above Separation Canyon exist below as well and should be afforded the same protection. It is important to be consistent with legislation establishing the park and the legislation governing the National Park Service. As a place of national and global importance, Grand Canyon is managed to preserve and protect its natural and cultural resources and ecological processes, as well as its scenic, aesthetic and scientific values."

   Signs will be posted at the park boundary near Lake Mead National Recreation Area. In addition, handouts will be available at visitor contact stations and on the internet.

   Grand Canyon River Guides applauds the Superintendent's position and action in banning pwc use in the lower canyon. It is a significant step in recognizing the importance of preserving and protecting the canyon as a whole, not just the stretch that contains a living river.