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Show A Letter from Pearl, lona and Barbara... . Petition Asks Re-Allocation of Man-Use Days in Grand Canyon H Pearl Baker The National Park Service is facing a sticky problem in administering wild and scenic lands of the nation. A few years ago the problem was self-limiting by the number of people who wanted to and who could penetrate remote areas. With the burgeoning boating opportunities and available equipment, as well as more money and leisure by literally thousands more people, the picture has changed radically. Fewer than 200 people had boated the rapids of the Grand Canyon by 1955; in 1972 the Park Service limited the user days to 80,000. roughly 17,000 persons or 92 to commercial river guides and 8 to the general public. This was fair enough then, but the percentage per-centage is completely out of proportion now with the general public, qualified by experience and with safe equipment wanting to organize organ-ize parties on a share-the-ex-pense basis applying for permits, but not being able to get them. This year the date for application was January 6; one of the local boaters (not a commercial guide) sent in his application, which was returned return-ed because the postmark was after noon. These same people could take a commercial trip at about twice or three times the share the expense cost. The question now is: What are the public rights to the Grand Canyon river run, and by extension into the future, to all public wilderness and scenic experiences: Joe Munroe, a nationally known photographer and documentary do-cumentary movie maker from California and an enthusiastic non-commercial river runner, is petitioning the National Park Service through Nathaniel Na-thaniel P. Reed, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, to re-allocate the privileges for running the Grand. The top figure of 18.000 plus man-days is realistic; the division between be-tween commercial and personal per-sonal recreational uses is under fire. To quote from a news release put out by Wilderness Public Rights group under Munroe, "The petition claims present National Parks Service policies to be arbitrary, capricious capri-cious and illegal. "After a detailed recounting of public trust doctrines and legislative background that established the National Parks, the petition asks that, 'National Park Service policies should establish a priority of right to all not-for-profit or non-commercial permit applicants appli-cants whenever the number of applications for river trips exceeds the "Available supply" sup-ply" of user days.' ...The petition concludes by asking that until the commercial operators prove their need, they should receive no more than 50 of the available permit applications, beginning immediately. "For the coming 1975 season a total of 166 bona fide non-commercial permit applications appli-cations representing about 2.500 people qualified in terms of safe equipment and personal person-al expertise was received by the NPS office at Grand Canyon. Refusing to change the' 1972 allocations, NPS officials have accepted 41 applications, put 25 on a substitution or 'wailing list" and rejected 100 applications. Each trip application included an average of 15 people, members of the general public from all walks of life. "No changes or rejections were made in the commercial allocations over 80.000 user days, roughly 17,000 persons. This currently works out to about $4 million gross business busi-ness for the commercial guide services on this one river each year." Saying that: "If what is happening in Grand Canyon is not challenged, the whole concept of public use of the wilderness can be adversely affected for generations to conic." Joe Munorc has organized a Wlltlcrnciiii Public Rights Fund to handle this petition and the follow-up work that needs to be done to assure the general public of a fair share of participation in wilderness experiences. A copy of the petition can be obtained for copying and mailing costs from the Wilderness Wilder-ness Public Rights Fund, Joe Munroe, P.O. Itox 308, Or-inda. Or-inda. Ca. 94563; Richard Siiltonstall, Jr., 9310 Georgetown George-town Pike, Cireat Falls, Vn. 22066; or Fred Eisenmn, Jr., 13025 Mountain View Rd., Scollsdnle. A. KI.'SI. |
