View From the Rim

   Last November I had the occasion to attend one of the GCRG board of director’s meetings at Brad’s house. After a good deal of arguing back and forth with the board on various issues, we settled into some very productive dialog. I think the meeting ended on a positive note, with GCRG and myself making a strong commitment to strive to improve relationships between the Park Service and the river community.

   The most interesting thing to come out of the meeting is that I think we all realized that we all wanted the same things on the river - resource protection and an incredible client experience. As I see it, many of the NPS\river guide conflicts over the past few years seem to have been based more on historical problems and personalities than on the concrete issues and problems.

   The keys to improving our working relationship are communication and cooperation. Rather than automatically taking an adversarial and negative stance on every issue coming from each other, we need to sit down and discuss how we can cooperatively deal with the complex problems and issues facing the river, the canyon and our livelihoods. I have seen over and over again minor problems blow up because the responses on both sides have been based on rumors and inaccurate information. When the Park Service hears of some incident on the river, we have to go the source before reacting. When the guides hear of an NPS proposal or operational change, they need to contact the Park and get accurate information and explanations.

   As the liaison between the Park and GCRG, I will be attending the board meetings and keep you informed of any new NPS thrusts, projects and developments which have potential to effect the river community. This will also afford me the opportunity to see what you are thinking and which direction you are going. I also plan to make periodic submissions to your newsletter to keep you informed of anything major that may be in the works.

   I realize that we will certainly encounter conflicts and problems with each other in the future, so it is vital to remember that there are mechanisms in place that we can use to fix the problems.

   I have to echo Brad’s last editorial - it’s time that we forget the “them and us” and start working together on some of these issues which demand the immediate attention of us all. We have long been saying and wanting the same things for the Colorado River - now we need to start saying it together and get to work.

Dan Davis
Canyon District Ranger
Grand Canyon National Park