- By
Tom Martin
Floating
down the Colorado River past bands of rock dating back two billion
years, it is easy to
understand why the Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders
of the World, as well as a World Heritage Site. A journey through
the depths of the canyon is an experience that changes visitors,
a rare glimpse of nature’s power and one of the most wild
and spectacular landscapes in the world. It is a place that facilitates
transcendence, inspiring awe and revealing one’s connection
to a community of life far greater than what we sense in everyday
life. In short, a trip through the Grand Canyon is the quintessential
wilderness experience – or at least it should be.
The National Park Service (NPS) is currently drafting a management
plan for the Colorado River that will be essential for the preservation
of the Canyon’s unique wilderness character. Though the river
corridor is not designated Wilderness, the NPS proposed in the
past that the area receive designation pending the elimination
of motorboat use by river concessionaires. Three quarters of the
river concessionaires have ten- year contracts permitting the
use of motorized tour boats – an activity that fails to conform
with the agency’s own directives for administering the river.
In addition, NPS policy dictates that potential Wilderness be
managed as Wilderness, requiring managers to “seek to remove”
non-conforming use. Unfortunately, the parks very own river concessionaires
have fought wilderness protection for the river for the last thirty
years.
Despite these mandates it is unclear which way the management
plan will swing, as the river concessions operating motorized
trips on the river form a powerful lobby. In May, Representative
Rick Renzi (R-AZ) introduced HR 4162, the “Grand Canyon Hydrogen-Powered
Motorboat Demonstration Act of 2004.” The proposed legislation
calls for a three-year test period at $400,000 per year to assist
in the development of a hydrogen fuel powered motorboat on the
Colorado River. The bill would force the continuation of motorized
tour boats on the river for another 10-15 years, thus constricting
the alternatives presented in the pending Colorado River Management
Plan.
At a recent congressional hearing on the proposed legislation,
Grand Canyon River Outfitters Trade Association Director Mark
Grisham testified that the river concessions expect a six to eight
year period to develop and test the hydrogen technology for river
use. His statement reinforced the concern that any legislation
regarding this kind and duration of test period would likely impede
a fair Colorado River Management Plan outcome that should include
motor-free alternatives, while costing taxpayers upwards of 2.4
million to 3.2 million dollars.
Also present at the hearing, Kim Crumbo of the Arizona Wilderness
Coalition noted that HR 4162 “at best, anticipates a decision
by the National Park Service to continue motorized use on the
Colorado River in Grand Canyon, and at worst, legislates that
decision.” Crumbo pointed out that some of the objectives
of the proposed legislation, including near-silent watercraft
operation, zero emission, and reliability and the safe conveyance
of passengers and crew, are already available with present technology.
He noted that these goals “are currently achievable by the
use of oar-powered craft with no extra cost to the American taxpayer”
and thinks a savings of 1.2 million dollars is easily achievable
as “a pair of oars costs about $300.”
Compatible Use? – The question of “quiet technology”
in Wilderness
In an increasingly violent and polluted world, there can be no
question that the quest to identify alternative energy sources
is vitally important. New developments, such as the hydrogen fuel
cell technology mentioned above, seek to curb emissions of sound
and pollutants while lowering our dependence on nonrenewable resources.
While such efforts are largely noble, they raise new and challenging
questions for Wilderness. In the case of the Grand Canyon, should
motorboats be prohibited in an area managed as Wilderness when
they are virtually silent and produce negligible emissions? Does
the presence of motors - even if they are not evident to visitors
through sight, smell, or sound - somehow insult and degrade the
wilderness character of the area?
The quick answer to this question can be found in the opening
sentence of the Wilderness Act, which states that Wilderness was
established in order “to assure that an increasing population,
accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization,
does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States…”.
Even back in 1964, Congress recognized the threats mechanization
posed to wild places and thought. Today, in an increasingly hectic
world, the values of solitude, self-reliance, and freedom are
increasingly hard to achieve. A true wilderness experience is
contingent upon the knowledge that you have slipped the bounds
of society, allowing you a glimpse of how our ancestors lived
and how it feels to be part of a larger community of life.
That Wilderness offers the opportunity for this type of experience
is part of what makes it invaluable. Yet something changes with
the introduction of technology, no matter how quiet or environmentally
benign. The balance one finds in Wilderness is broken once we
lose our self-reliance and our humility. Many of us have experienced
the disappointment and annoyance when someone uses a cell phone
in a wild place – the use of motorboats in a Wilderness canyon
is largely the same. It seems a small thing to ask, that some
places in America be set aside, when 96% of the country is largely
roaded and motorized. Unfortunately, those who prefer things to
be faster and easier continue to have a voracious appetite.
Before
founding River Runners for Wilderness, Tom Martin co-founded the
Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association, the Grand Canyon Hikers
and Backpackers Association, and the Grand Canyon Wilderness Alliance.
Tom currently works as a physical therapist at the Grand Canyon
Walk-In Medical Clinic at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National
Park. Tom is author of Day Hikes from the River, the first hiking
guide written for river runners in Grand Canyon National Park.
