n 1869, the Colorado River in Grand Canyon didn’t need much managing. John Wesley Powell and his men didn't have any problem finding a beach to camp on. Beggars though they were, they had the place to themselves. By most accounts, it wasn’t until 1949, eighty years later, that the first 100 people made it all the way through the Canyon. By 1955, the year Georgie Clark put her first big-rig on the river, things were changing. Seventy people took river trips that year alone, starting with swimmers Bill Beer and John Daggett. Grand Canyon National Park began requiring river permits about that time, if only to facilitate a rescue effort if necessary. Dan Davis, canyon ranger at the time, can recall denying only one permit; an attempt to float a sea plane without wings down the river.

   In the early l960s an environmental consciousness sparked by efforts to stop construction of Echo Park and Glen Canyon Dams, helped attract attention to Grand Canyon river trips. The Concessions Policy Act became law in 1965 and sanctioned outfitters became part of the National Park landscape. In 1968, the year the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was passed, about 3500 commercial passengers traversed the river. Noncommercial use accounted for 154 people that year. River trips routinely buried their trash or “deep sixed” it in the river.

   In 1971, 14,000 commercial and 550 private passengers left Lees Ferry and the first commercial permits were put into place recognizing historic use. Blue-goo potties replaced the Army shovels and toilet paper rolls. All trash had to be carried out. The National Park Service, concerned about protecting the resource and quality of the visitor experience, established a “user day” quota system, closed commercial access to heavily used areas, and placed regulations on commercial and private access. (A user day meant one person in the Canyon overnight... in the days before human waste removal, probably the most significant and quantifiable impact that came to mind was the bowel movement). In 1973 overall use was decreased by 16%, to 96,000 user days. At the time, private river runners were awarded 7,600 user days- their current use level that year. Firepans replaced campfires built directly on the beach. The 70’s saw increased visitor use and the first slim Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP) which included the now famous garbage bag carryout toilet system. Cooking fires were replaced with camp stoves and campfires finally banished to the winter season.

   In 1982 the first major revision of the CRMP was completed in a contentious atmosphere over the elimination of motor trips. Total user day limits were raised to 169,950, with 54,450 for private boaters and 115,500 for commercials. A non-motor period was set aside in the fall. A separate winter season quota was created and allowed fewer launches and longer trips to provide visitors with a different experience. The CRMP was reviewed again in 1988 and minor revisions adopted. The high water of the early 1980’s slowed the growth in demand for both private and commercial trips, but by 1991 both quotas were completely filled. During this period, Resource Management division of the Park began annual resource trips to eliminate multiple trailing and revegetate and protect heavily used areas of the river corridor.

   The issues since 1988 have centered increasingly on sociological rather than resource impacts. Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC’s) were established by the Park to monitor and manage the number of encounters on the river and at popular attraction sites. Layover days were discouraged during the primary season and deadheads were required to “expedite travel” to their pickup points. Research trips for the Glen Canyon Dam EIS compounded the congestion, contributing more than 14,000 additional user days annually (many of which were winter trips) during the early 90’s. Efforts to lower encounters by both the Park and outfitters produced voluntary adjustments to the launch schedule. Several outfitters chose to increase trip lengths to address the issue, and one large company shifted its traditional weekly launch days with favorable results.

   By 1991, the Private Trip Waiting List, established in 1980 when sector demand exceeded sector capacity, was at a bursting point. Fairness, equity, and efficiency are all at issue. Some individuals take one or more private trips each year while others patiently wait years for the opportunity. Several attempts to adjust the system to be more fair and equitable have done little good.

   Times have changed, and will no doubt keep changing. The good news is, along the way, we've met some of the toughest challenges. The canyon resources are in better shape than they were 25 years ago, beaches are cleaner; no longer littered with charcoal and blue stained sand. River equipment has improved. Guides, outfitters, passengers and private boaters are all more well informed and sophisticated. The rest of the story? The management plan we’ve got isn’t bad, but it may not be perfect either. We might be able to gain a little ground in the months ahead.

   The questions before us today are: what are the best aspects of the Grand Canyon river experience right now, and how can we hang on to those for another ten—or twenty years? Or make them better? And, what are the low points? Can we upgrade those in a viable way?

   The purpose of this issue is to bring together a broad variety of viewpoints and opinions. We call them perspectives. We asked respondents to stick to 350 words but found that an impossible task. There is no coherent theme, no attempt at consensus. That can and should come later. (At GCRG we haven’t yet sorted out the sticky issues ourselves. Look for our official opinions in the next Boatman’s Quarterly Review.)

   The future of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, however, lies in the ideas captured within these pages. How those ideas are shaped into management depends on those who feel strongly enough about the place to help shape it. Perhaps there is a coherent theme here after all... one of passion and feeling for a special place and its future. These writers feel strongly enough to shape the future, we encourage you to join them.

   Each of the following perspectives was submitted in response to the question: If managing Grand Canyon whitewater recreation was your responsibility, what would you do to facilitate a "quality experience" for everyone on the river? What, in short, are the answers to caretaking the Grand Canyon in the 21st Century?