hat do you get when you combine river guides, top-notch interpretive training, a great networking opportunity, and loads of fun? Of course, it’s gts time! This year’s Spring Guides Training Seminar land session will be fabulous (but of course!) and the topics run the gamut: fossils, trails history, archaeology, reptiles and amphibians, water quality, flood flow results, basin hydrology, the drought forecast, sediment/camping beaches, Bert Loper, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (gcmrc) activities, landslides in Grand Canyon, the Stone, Eggert and Eddy expeditions and more! Sounds wildly interesting, right? It darn well is! Some of the best researchers and most knowledgeable historians will be at the gts to share their knowledge with you and answer all of your burning questions. Not to mention, you get to see river buddies that you haven’t seen all winter. What an opportunity! We’ll round out gts talks with fun and interesting movies and have a little Easter egg hunt for the kiddies on Sunday morning. Festivities abound!
And, of course, that’s not all. The Whale Foundation will be hosting their second annual Health Fair at the gts. This is your opportunity to “talk to the docs,” get good health information, receive free vouchers for all sorts of testing, etc… We want all of you to head upstairs at Hatchland and check it out. Don’t be shy! If you want to guide in Grand Canyon, you simply must take care of yourself, and the Whale Foundation will be there to help you do just that. And, the best part is, the Health Fair doesn’t cost you a dime but you’ll really benefit!
One of our talks scheduled for the gts deserves special mention: Richard Quartaroli will be presenting a talk about gcrg’s River Runners Oral History Project. As you know, oral history segments magically appear in the newsletter, but we’ll provide you with a “behind the scenes” glance at what’s involved, how the program developed and where we’re going with it. Recording and publishing these reminiscences captures the river experience in all its wonderful, poignant, funny, whacky and wild forms. Lew Steiger is still jaunting around the west, prodding older (and newer) river guides for their great stories. This part of the gts program is made possible by the Arizona Humanities Council (ahc), although any findings do not necessarily represent the view of ahc or the National Endowment of the Humanities.
Speaking of interesting activities—Joe Shannon and Emma Benenati will be conducting their own mini-river trip in the Glen Canyon reach above Lees Ferry. On Friday, March 25 they will launch a 21-foot aluminum hard shell fishing / work boat from Lees Ferry that will hold five to six people (besides themselves). They will head up to the dam and back, stopping at a couple sites and talking about river ecology and dam effects on the Colorado River (especially as it relates to the food base). Each trip would be about three hours in length and there is no cost. The first trip will leave at 10 a.m. and the second trip at 1 p.m., weather permitting, of course. Participants should have rain type gear/warm clothes because (as you probably already know) it can be pretty darn cold in Glen Canyon in a motorboat. If you’re interested in this unique opportunity to “head up the river” and learn more about the ecology, you can contact Emma at (928) 226-0163.
We’re working on developing the land session agenda right now, and we’ll post it on our website, www.gcrg.org when it’s ready, so check it out! As usual, the gts land session is open to the general public. If you want to learn more about Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, this is the place to be, whether you’re a guide or not! We encourage you to sign up in advance so we can get a handle on numbers. Towards this end, we will provide a discount for those of you who sign up by March 1st.
And, speaking of “river”, let’s not forget the gts river trip—ah, only the best thoroughly cooperative training trip on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon! As most of you know, we take the interpretive training of the land session and put it on the river, so you can see, hear, or touch the things you’re learning about. Plus, it’s a

great opportunity to learn (or teach) boating and guiding skills. It covers the gamut—great interpretive training in the cultural, natural and human history of Grand Canyon, coupled with guiding skills. If that weren’t enough, those lasting connections you make with guides from other companies are simply invaluable. Talk to anyone who has gone on the gts river trip in the past, and they’ll tell you all this is true!
For the river session, first priority will be given to guides sponsored by an outfitter, then to all interested guides and trainees who have trips for the 2005 season. If you want to be sponsored by your outfitter for the gts river trip, start talking to them now! If you’re not sponsored for the river trip, you must have all your medical requirements and other guide certifications fulfilled as specified by Grand Canyon National Park, or you must be a licensed guide on another river, actively working towards becoming a guide in Grand Canyon. Also, freelance guides must send us a letter or resume with your background—tell us who you are, how you meet these requirements and why you should go. This will help with our selection process. Send us a check too, although we will hold it until we make our decision. The gts postcards have been sent to guides, so look for it in the mail, fill it out, and send it back to us as soon as you can.
So, here is the deal. Write it down on your calendars! Tell your friends! Make plans!

Friday, March 25th
• Food Handler’s Class, 10 a.m.—2 p.m. at Old Marble Canyon Lodge. Contact Marlene Gaither at (928) 226-2769 to sign up.
• Guide testing at Lees Ferry, 11–5 without an appointment.
• Glen Canyon float/talk—Meet at Lees Ferry. Trips leave at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m.. They will motor up to Lees Ferry and back. See article above for details. Contact Emma Benenati to sign up at (928) 226-0163. Space is limited, so call right away!
• Grand Canyon River Guides’ Spring Meeting: 3 p.m. at Old Marble Canyon Lodge. Nomination of officers, conservation issues, etc…Please join us!
• Dinner and party at Hatch River Expeditions warehouse.

Saturday and Sunday, March 26 & 27
GTS land session at Hatch River Expeditions Warehouse in Marble Canyon, Arizona.
Lodging: on your own (camping or staying at one of the local lodges).
Cost: $35 (covers food for the weekend) or $30 if you sign up by March 1.
Note: if you’re sponsored by an outfitter, please sign up and we’ll bill them later.
Bring: a camp chair, a mug, dress warmly and in layers and plan on staying for the weekend!

Guide testing will be available at Lees Ferry both Saturday and Sunday from 11–5 p.m. without an appointment.

Tuesday, March 29 through Monday, April 4
Upper half of the GTS river trip—
Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch.
Cost: $165
Note: if you’re sponsored by an outfitter, please sign up and we’ll bill them later.
Requirement: The river session is open to guides/ trainees with work for the 2005 season.

Monday, April 4 through Tuesday, April 12
Lower half of the GTS river trip—
Phantom to Diamond Creek.
Cost: $185
Requirement: same as above

The gts is made possible in part by funding from the Grand Canyon Conservation Fund (a non-profit grant-making program established and managed by the Grand Canyon river outfitters), the Grand Canyon Association and Teva. As we mentioned previously, the oral history presentation is funded in part by the Arizona Humanities Council. We thank all of our funders for their generous support, all the speakers for giving us their time and imparting their knowledge, and all the participants for their eagerness to learn more about this special place. And, you can be a part of it, so hurry and sign up for the best and most thorough training around!

Lynn Hamilton
Executive Director gcrg