OOD THINGS GCRG IS DOING:

Standing up.
Being a forum for airing issues important to the canyon, river, and boatman.
bqr, oral history, spring training.
Publishing a consistent forum.
Much. bqr. gts.
Being a river guide is not a job; it is a way of life with certain qualities most people will never get to experience. The love and respect for the Canyon is great… let's protect those qualities and our way of life! We are not getting rich working here but we all are richly rewarded each and every day!
bqr, boatman training seminars, proactive in canyon management issues.
bqr, gts, trying.
You're awesome. Keep us the great work and dedication. It's ok that not everyone agrees with you all the time!
bqr, gts…. What else?
The bqr is absolutely wonderful – it's something to be very proud of.
Being non-profit, supporting/battling/informing on issues (i.e. Tusayan, H20, and Wilderness status)
Publishing bqr, thinking expansively.
Keeping us informed. Natural history and past river runners.
The bqr and gts.
Supporting the bqr, great gts's.
All!
Bringing river guides together.
Garnering guide opinion yet remaining neutral on controversial issues for the membership. Social and educational opportunities (gts).
bqr/gts, training trips.
Keeping the community informed.
Everything. But mostly keeping communication going between all those involved.
Bringing great people together who darn better love the Canyon.
gts trip. bqr.
Good info in newsletter. Great biographies.
Adopt-a-Beach, gts, Wilderness designation, bqr!!! Excellent as always.
Keeping the river community informed. Presenting information in a positive manner.
Newsletter A+.
gts, bqr…..Find me a job?!
The gts land and river sessions are the best and most important thing gcrg offers its members. Steiger's history lessons are a close second.
Being fair and diplomatic in representing the guiding community!!
bqr! Adopt-a-Beach!
gts. Action alerts. bqr is tops! Truly building a community of boatmen.
Offering multiple perspectives.
gts, organizing a group of folks, synergy.
Maintaining a vigil on the canyon we all love and on the people.
Keeping a dialog happening about stuff and preventing the bureaucracies from getting out of control.
Promoting beach restoration.
Everything—love the historical recognition and articles in the bqr.
Publishing the bqr and maintaining a broad spectrum of points of view.
Assembling river history, codifying a dialog.
The bqr is the best!
Excellent newsletter, guide services (but there is a need to better publicize these). Exploring the political fringe.
Communicating with boaters of all sorts.
bqr is great. I put it by the jon for guests' reading enjoyment.
bqr! Listening to all views on the big issues and gts.
Newsletter. Active in issues surrounding the canyon. Not giving support to the draining of Lake Powell (which is a pipe dream and misguided activism).
gts, oral history, wfr classes and recerts, keeping us up to date on: politics, crmp, and other canyon concerns. Giving boatmen a voice. Art & poetry.
Re-engaging with outfitters.
Newsletter is the best! Keep it up. Keep encouraging new voices. Do not let a rift open between oars vs. motors.
You guys are great! The newsletter is awesome.
Keeping the spirit of the community and the members of gcrg together in an open, positive format.
History goodies.
Keeping it all going. It's so important. Keep up the great work. Thank you!

MISGUIDED THINGS GCRG IS DOING
Getting kinda stuffy and predictable in an “old man's social club” sort of way. Perhaps your sum is getting to be less than the total of its parts.
Be more careful about falling into the trap of collective bargaining.
Cuddling up to the outfitters. Afraid to take a stand. Do what is right for the place, not the people.
Keep working to get more guide involvement. This will be a constant battle.
Not requiring all companies to provide health insurance, retirement programs and fair wages. We work 0500– 2100 and everyday! We are paid for 8 hours. That is an outrage. We are not animals! Idea: find out profits of all companies and publish same in the bqr.
Supporting draining Lake Powell.
Being gutless on two major issues 1) Drug tests—unconstitutional and wrong. We are citizens of the US. And 2) Wilderness and Wild river designation is the best thing!
Letting the jerks bum you out. Don't. You guys are the greatest!
Kowtowing to nps and outfitters.
Don't get cozy with the nps. Unionize guides for better strength against outfitters in pay, medical, retirement and profit sharing.
Out of touch with the outfitters and not representing the outfitters in the Adaptive Management process. Pushing Wilderness when Wild & Scenic status is more appropriate.
gcrg is the only real voice for the Canyon on the Adaptive Management Work Group – be more vocal.
Being too reluctant to take an organization position
(i.e. Glen Canyon Dam).
Supporting removal of the Udall Factor.
Nada.
It is extremely difficult for me to criticize gcrg, for the organization and the bqr are important to me. Ideally, fewer bqr pages would be spared of political opinions and/or arguments.
God will take care of Glen Canyon Dam. Let's stick to Adopt-a-Beach and the excellent newsletter & gts.
Can't think of any. I enjoy the bqr and even enjoy the articles I may not completely agree with.
Our weaknesses as an organization are the same as our weaknesses as individuals – and that's not a bad thing.
Overall, I think you're doing a great job. Anyone's opinions can differ on details so lets not even go there. Good job.
It's all good!
Change the name of the newsletter from Boatmen's Quarterly; a sexist name. Even if current female guides don't have any issue with this name, what about the next generation? This just perpetuates an attitude.
Provincial viewpoint.
Pandering to the radical agendas of some stakeholders who seek to curtail commercial use in Grand Canyon.
While balance on the key issues (e.g. wilderness, waiting list, etc…), it can easily become paralysis. I would like to see forceful leadership on the heinous helicopter invasion; at least requiring noise reduction and less impacting routes, etc….
Not getting real—by failing to seek funds to hire staff.
Condoning the current commercial/private trip user-day ratios.
Wilderness.
Stop slamming short motor trips. Folks leave with a lasting impression even if the boatmen leave fried.
Stance on private trips. Very poor stance.
Back off the river corridor wilderness designation. Better stay neutral on that one.
Not working harder to get more guides on board. Give 'em an issue or two of the newsletter free to entice them.

THINGS GCRG SHOULD BE DOING
More statistics in the bqr – formatted and updated each year.
Get tough on greed of outfitters. Stand up for reasonable cost for ordinary people to go on commercial trips.
Not worrying about what people think. You do a great job and you're very needed.
bqr. It's fantastic. More poetry please.
Not worrying too much about what the outfitters or nps think. Go with your hearts.
Get solidly in the fight to stop Grand Canyon overflights.
Remember the roots. The true guide professional and their issues.
Promoting more dialogue between boatmen and owners.
Continue to encourage research & writing about legends.
Push for Wild & Scenic status. Improve dialogue with the outfitters. More vocal presence on the Adaptive Management Work Group.
Like Kenton said, “Time to stir things up again.”
Keep a list of upcoming private trips that want more participants or boatmen.
Opposing Wilderness. Maintaining credibility by not supporting the draining of Lake Powell. Supporting guides forming consensus with outfitters when possible and keeping up the fantastic work! Printing at least black and white photos of candidates running (who are some of those guys?). It would make voting easier.
Protecting the Grand Canyon and thinking about its future.
Not worry about giant corporations who own outfits now. They all sell for big money and leave! The future preservation of the River and her Canyon come before any corporations wishes! Whatever it takes to protect her….
More programs to help guides prepare for life outside the Canyon.
Keep motorized boats in Grand Canyon.
Keep up the open forum and unbiased stance on user issues and wilderness opinions.
Keeping the guide profession and Grand Canyon as priorities.
Work towards diffusing the rift between the public (commercial) and private (a.k.a. the “waiting list”) interests in the Grand Canyon. Using truth, logic and reason as tools.
“Job Bank” (yeah, right)
More stories, more history…. Stories, stories, stories…. Involve/ask for younger guides to input opinions.
Develop, promote and/or direct a guide education program.
Direct political advocacy—remove Glen Canyon Dam and designate wilderness as well as guide communication/dialogue. Meeting in places other than Flagstaff. Better publicizing guide services and facilitating guide inter-communication.
Class action vs. Park regarding drug testing. Grounds are unreasonable search and seizure; innocent until proven guilty.
More discussion about ways to get folks down the river that don't have the bucks for commercial trips. Also education.
Be more proactive in supporting commercial boating as a majority user in Grand Canyon.
Reminding folks that as long as the private wait list is, there are a number of repeat floaters in the private arena!
Keeping an eye on the power managers in regards to flows.
Somehow figure a way out to speed up the geologic time scale, when all the problems will go away!
Trying to find more ways to lessen the total impact. We spend an awful lot of time on the politics.
Actively pursuing better job security for boat folks.
Comparing wages again.
Don't want wilderness designation in Grand Canyon.
Oppose mandatory drug testing.
Fostering a better relationship with private boaters and their organization.
Getting a majority of guides to join.
Working with gcpba on the “waiting list problem”.
Whatever happened to the Michael Jacobs Award thing?
Continue dialogue with outfitters about taking care of their most vital resource while providing the benefits we deserve to have.
Keep the gts trip alive!

BETTER WAYS FOR YOU TO BE INVOLVED IN GCRG
Maybe a couple of big open house outdoor parties in various plateau cities – with the board and officers present.
Write an article or two… maybe try my hand at some poetry and submit it to the bqr.
Just keep me informed and provide a means of feedback.
Maybe email lists of volunteer work available to do.
Attend meetings. Help develop agenda issues such as flooding.
Write a story.
That is difficult to figure out because every member has a different approach to being “involved”. Writing letters or mail-in questionnaires is easiest for me.
I think it would be easier to be more involved if I lived in Flagstaff.
Update the website more often. Send out updates on email.
That's a hard one because I feel like I already can't keep up with my own life, but I'll think on that one.
Marry one.
Live closer to Flag (but I like it where I live so I'll let you guys and gals keep up the good work).
Just want you to know that I really appreciate the effort you all go to in keep us informed. I'm on the perimeter these days, but value the education you provide, inspiration and sense of community.
Have a meeting in Salt Lake City. Move the meetings around. You guys in Flag like to travel—let's act like it. What's the next metropolitan area with the largest gcrg representation?
Attend gts and Fall meetings.
Fall meetings are too late in the season. Spring sessions are too early.
E-mail! Current events can be updated easily.
I should move to Arizona. If only I could get a job!