Jim & Bev Heumann
private boaters

   The place that is the Grand Canyon is sometimes so overwhelming that to quibble about things like user-days almost seems sacrilegious. The history of river running in the Grand Canyon, how we got where we are today, feels so sacred that to think about changing things seems audacious. But whether we like it or not, times are changing; times have already changed. This publication is about where river running in the Canyon is going as we look to the new millennium, about how we respond to the changing times.

   It is time to take a fresh look. It is time to look back and find the good things we want to preserve and the not so good things we want to leave behind. Let’s take this opportunity to leave the status quo behind and try to do the right thing.

   The first right thing, most everybody will agree, is to protect and preserve this place we love so well. Remember that this place is a proposed wilderness. Let’s not allow greed, whether it be for a trip, or a job, or a company, to lead us into actions we will regret.

   The next “right things” are not as clear. It kind of depends on your perspective; whether you are a guide trying to earn a living, an outfitter trying to keep a business afloat, or just a regular person who wants a chance to run the river. There are, however, some things that most people think are right. One of these is fairness.

   The statistics show that there is a group of people who now must wait nine to ten years to get a permit to run the river while there is another segment of the population that must wait less than a year to go on a trip. Fair?

   The reality of river running today differs significantly from the circumstances which existed when the system under which we are now operating was created. The current system of commercial/private allocation is based on historical paradigms which are now suspect. The public, especially the river running public, is much different than it was in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Also, the technology for running rivers has changed dramatically in that time period. The river running public has grown up. As we head into the next century, let’s try to institute a system that protects the resource, that is fair and that promotes a quality experience for all.