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The Poly Grand Canyon Trips Due to popular demand this is going to work slightly differently to our original ideas. Dan is now maintaining a list of all those people who want to go down the Canyon. Rich has put in for the first permit and we intend to apply for one a year. Then once a permit comes up (hopefully around 2001 onwards) the trip will be filled from Dan's list, ordered by the date you paid up.
To go on the list it's a tenner to Dan who can give you the "Grand Canyon" bank account details. Hopefully everyone on the list will eventually get to go as there will be more than one permit running at any one time.
Hope that's clear enough, obviously the higher up the list you are the more chance you have of going on an early trip.
Here's some Canyon links to wet the appetite;
Grand Canyon permit
information.
Grand Canyon private boaters
association.
Latest news;
We're now at 6000 and something....
CONTINUING INTEREST UPDATE Grand Canyon National Park, River Permits Office WELCOME The time is here again to renew your place on the Colorado River permit waiting list. Several significant changes are occurring over the next year. The following information explains the changes in fees, winter launch dates, and provides this year's CI form. Hopefully you saw some water this year and kept the "sunny side up and the wet side down." Patrick Hattaway, River DR CONTINUING INTEREST The form on the last page of this mailing is for your 1999 Continuing Interest. DO NOT throw this form away unless you are not going to renew in 1999. We ask you use the form and not a letter to simplify the tracking process. Please read the form carefully. THERE IS NO FEE FOR RENEWAL IN 1999. Remember you can only miss one continuing interest and remain on the waiting list. Once you have completed the form, it must be mailed / faxed to the River Permit Office between December 15, 1998 and January 31, 1999. The River Permits Office fax number is (520) 638-7844. RIVER FEE UPDATE Here we go again! We heard from many of you following the fee increase in 1996, listened to many river runners during the CRMP scoping sessions, and have listened during public meetings on river fee revenues. With this information, we believe your primary issues were: 1. Annual $25 renewal fee 2. Complexity of fees 3. Separate legislative authorities In response to your comments, we are modifying the fee system. This system will be implemented on December 1, 1998 and apply to trips launching after February 28, 1999. The system will be managed under the Recreation Fee Demonstration program and consist of the following: New Additions fee $100 Renewal fee $0 Per Person Permit fee $100 This means the fee to join the waiting list will remain at $100. While many of you feel this fee is too high, it has reduced frivolous applications. Prior to a river permit being issued, the fee for each participant on a Grand Canyon river trip will be $100. This fee includes the individuals entrance fee, permit fee, and impact fees. The fee (potentially 16 people × $100) will be due ninety (90) days in advance of the scheduled launch date, is the responsibility of the permit holder / trip leader, and is nonrefundable. If the River Permit Office does not receive the trip leaders application packet and full payment 90 days in advance of the launch date, the trip will be cancelled and become available to waiting list members. We are allowing only two exceptions to the $100 per person fee: > Everyone filing a continuing interest form this year has previously paid an annual renewal fee. We are tracking this money (either $25 or $50) and it will be credited to the trip leaders permit fee. > Individuals with Golden Access, Golden Age, or Golden Eagle passports, OR persons under the age of 16 will pay $90 per person. If you know someone with a river permit launching after March 1, 1999, please have him or her contact the River Permit Office. We will also be contacting the scheduled 1999 season permittees by mail. UNSCHEDULED LAUNCH DATES The River Permits Office traditionally held unscheduled launch dates until the first working day of a New Year. However on January 5, 1998, over 2,000 telephone calls came into Northern Arizona over a two-hour period locking up the circuits and frustrating river users. Therefore any unscheduled launch dates, often those in the late fall or early spring, are incorporated into the winter use test discussed below. NO group of unscheduled dates or cancellations is being saved for release on January 4, 1999. RIVER PERMITS HOTLINE Last year I provided the wrong number to River Permits Office - the correct one is: 800-959-9164, Option 4 = Cancellations, Option 5 = Diana or Andy Remember Option 4 will only be answered if there is a cancellation. If there are no cancellations, you will hear a voice message. Patrick Hattaway YEARLY SCHEDULING The River Permits Office receives questions every year about scheduling. The following outlines this process. 1. The top 300 individuals on the waiting list are contacted each fall. These individuals are asked to select 15 dates for the rafting season two years away. This fall, the top 300 are picking dates for 2000 - 2001. June, July, and August are the most popular months. You may not defer. 2. When the scheduling forms are returned, the launch dates are selected by an individual's waiting list position - #1 gets their first choice. Around #70 or so, you start getting your third or fourth choices. 3. If none of the 15 dates you request are available, your name is returned to the top of the waiting list for the next years scheduling and the process begins another year later. 4. Scheduled dates may not be deferred for any reason other than a medical incapacitation of the trip leader. Duane "Andy" Anders Our newest staff member assisting you in the Permit Office is Andy. He joined us in the middle of last year's CI period and since then has processed much of the paperwork regarding private permits. He is often the person you will reach by telephone. Andy is originally from the mid-West but served in the Army, worked several seasons in Mesa Verde NP and enjoys assisting you whenever possible. Andy also completed his first river trip in Grand Canyon this fall. Diana Pennington is still with us, however we've asked her to work with commercial scheduling and other special use permits. CONSOLIDATION OF GRAND CANYON PERMIT OFFICES On September 13, 1998, we began consolidating the River and Backcountry Permit offices in Grand Canyon. This effort was made to centralize permitting functions and combine the automation used to issue permits. We hope to provide "one-stop" shopping for permits in the near future so river runners wanting to hike can get their backcountry permit at the same time a river permit is issued. Steve Sullivan is the new program manager for this function. He is learning the intricacies of river permitting from River District Ranger Patrick Hattaway and will soon assume responsibility for both functions. TWO-TRIP RULE We still receive many questions and letters regarding this rule. Many boaters feel this rule is unfair and restricts their access or conflicts with our recommendation (this is not a requirement) for a trip leader to have previous experience in Grand Canyon. This rule was implemented after the 1989 CRMP and serves several purposes. 1. It prevents any particular group from combining their efforts to encumber the list with their names and continually take trips. 2. It assists in moving names up the list. By encouraging individuals to make a choice -"do I take another trip on a friends permit and get bumped off the list, or do I wait until my turn comes up". We believe a more diverse group is provided the opportunity to raft in Grand Canyon. In the future, this rule may not be necessary but 100 - 200 names are presently removed yearly from the waiting list through this rule. WINTER USE TEST ARRIVES As part of the Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP) review, we are trying to determine the interest in secondary season use. The Superintendent has approved a test for this winter to judge this interest. We do not know if this will be repeated in future years. We ask you look at the dates listed below and follow the steps to request one if you are interested. 1. If interested, select a minimum of one date. 2. Check your wait list number. 3. Call the Permit Office's 800 number on the day your wait list numbers is listed. 4. Select Option #6 to speak to a River Office Ranger. If all dates have been taken, a recording will notify you of this. The Permit Office will assign the launch dates as calls are received on the dates listed below. Winter Test Launch Dates Saturday Monday Wednesday 12/12/98 12/14/98 --- 12/19/98 12/21/98 --- 1/02/99 1/04/99 1/06/99 1/09/99 1/11/99 1/13/99 1/16/99 1/18/99 1/20/99 1/23/99 1/25/99 1/27/99 1/30/99 2/01/99 2/03/99 --- 2/08/99 --- 2/13/99 2/15/99 2/17/99 2/20/99 2/22/99 2/24/99 --- --- 3/03/99 When to Request Winter Test Dates Wait list number Call in date 301-1000 November 16 301-2000 November 17 301-3000 November 18 301-4000 November 19 301-5000 November 20 301-6000 November 24 301-6500 November 25
Frazer Pearce, F.R.Pearce@durham.ac.uk
23-Mar-98