Bob Donaldson
commercial passenger

   Once I went down the river with a man who said he was getting a doctorate in "recreation management." An oxymoron if I ever saw one, I thought. Still, the crowds are here, and more to come. The Canyon must be managed, and for the better.

   To survive intact through the next century, the Canyon and its Park will need plenty of dedicated, informed, passionate advocates. How do such people grow? Slowly, and a few at a time. Saturating the Canyon with short-term visitors who are whizzed through it is not the way.

   Better to hope for more quality, less quantity. Longer, slower trips have a better chance of getting people to immerse themselves in the Canyon, to experience its uniqueness. One should not come out the same person who went in. And people's lives have been changed by the Canyon.

   We've all seen passengers jump out of boats and rush to "get" somewhere... up the Little Colorado, to the top of Deer Creek Falls, or over the rocks to Elves Chasm. They are, of course, pressed for time. Think about it: pressed for time in a timeless place. What's the rush? Why such desperate haste? Can we really save the Canyon by destroying its central meaning?

   Motor trips should be phased out, overflights curtailed, trips shorter than 7 or 8 days discouraged, private trips kept at present levels, and guides thoroughly professionalized.

   The Canyon needs fewer Bobby Kennedys and more Francois Leydets. Many people now see a trip through the Canyon as a fast-paced whitewater adventure and little else. If we encourage that point of view, we'll end up equating a river trip to a trip to Disneyland.