Changes and Thanks to the Board of Directors

The gcrg board elections are officially closed as of this writing, and you’ll notice three new names on our masthead: OC Dale, Jocelyn Gibbon and Jayne Lee. Matt Kaplinski will be returning for a second term, and Jeri Ledbetter and Bob Dye will remain on the board for one more year. We really look forward to working with the new board of directors. It’s going to be a challenging and interesting time, however, the board line-up looks strong. I’m always amazed at the ability of new board members to come together and work effectively, although I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised as it’s rather akin to good guide dynamics on a river trip – dealing with problems intelligently and anticipating what lies ahead.
Normally, GCRG elects three new board members each year, but the recent resignation of Mike Caifa necessitated choosing the top four. Mike is pursuing nursing school — time constraints and distance inhibit his ability to continue working effectively as a GCRG board member.
We completely understand – after all, directorships are volunteer positions and yes, there is life beyond GCRG! Mike would make another perfect poster boy for the Whale Foundation’s efforts to raise awareness of post-guiding career paths! Our sincere thanks to Mike for stepping up to the plate and helping us for the past year. He was a great addition to the board and really we’ll miss working with him.

I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the other outgoing board member, JP Running, as well as to outgoing GCRG president, Michael Ghiglieri. Thankfully there is no need to say goodbye to Matt Kaplinski as he’ll be around for yet another term. It’s been an extremely busy yet educational year with experimental flows, CRMP meetings, the GTS, and many more issues and activities that required a concerted effort from everyone. Through it all, we worked exceedingly well together and our cooperative efforts were very productive.
As “trip leader” of GCRG, president Michael Ghiglieri was superlative and brought to the table his extensive knowledge of guiding, river politics, ecology and an overriding sense of the true need for protection and preservation of the Colorado River corridor over the long term. His in-depth involvement along the way was crucial to our success, his penchant for creative analogies gave us fresh perspectives, and his leadership capabilities were strong. We sincerely hope he’ll continue to stay involved after his term ends. Additionally, it was wonderful working with JP Running over the past two years. He provided important balance to the board, his contributions were many and he’s an all around great person, dedicated to the Canyon and the river.
Overall, one of the joys of working for GCRG is the ability to work closely with such wonderful individuals. Their intelligence, knowledge and passion for the river and the canyon carry us onwards. They may be “leaving their posts” so to speak, but stewardship and involvement is in their blood. We know we’ll be seeing them again and sharing ideas (and maybe more beer and pizza). It’s been a privilege and even a whole lot of fun.

Lynn Hamilton
Executive Director