On Thursday, March 24 at approximately 11:18 a.m., Grand Canyon National Park was alerted of an emergency by a personal locator beacon from a non-commercial river trip near Hance Rapid on the Colorado River. The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center then received a report that CPR was in progress.Mary Kelley, 68, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, …
GCPBA. River News 3/25/2022 Fatality – Hance Rapid Read More »
VRP finishes successful river patrol mission The Division of Visitor and Resource Protection (VRP) recently concluded a 14-day Colorado River oar-powered patrol mission. Canyon law enforcement rangers including Lisa Hendy, Ryan McDonald-O’Lear, Dan Hovanec, and Hunter Hamm were joined by South Rim Patrol Ranger, Mike Pakes. The river mission was focused on providing an NPS …
GCPBA River News 3/14/2022 Report on River Patrols Read More »
GCPBA, as part of its tracking and analysis of both commercial and private usage of the Colorado river corridor thru the Grand Canyon, has converted the tabular data provided by the NPS at https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/Backcountry_and_River_ Use_Statistics_2019.pdf into plots by season for years starting in 2007 thru 2019. The data show an 12 year historical trend for each of …
The Colorado River Basin History Symposium was held in Kanab, Utah from October 13th through the 17th, 2021. GCPBA was one of the symposium’s sponsors. Board members Helen Howard and Rich Turner attended. You can read Rich’s report here.
Part 1 announces the appointment of 2 new members to the Board as well as the Board’s discussion with Park Superintendent, Ed Keable. Part 2 discusses the possibility of Glen Canyon Dam not generating electricity and petitioning the Department of Interior to exercise the adaptive management option and cease fluctuating flows when lake levels again …
GCPBA River News 10/24/2021 President’s letter in 2 parts Read More »
On July 14 at approximately 6:00 p.m., the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of two individuals missing and multiple parties injured after flash flood activity impacted Tatahatso Camp near River Mile 38 on the Colorado River. Grand Canyon Search and Rescue sent two paramedics to the scene to assess and treat patients. …
GCPBA sent a May 25, 2021 letter to the Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District petitioning the suspension and subsequent revocation of the permit granting the Navajo Nation permission to construct boat docks 1 – 2 miles downstream from Lee’s Ferry. The Navajo’s stated purpose is to conduct river patrols because of the trespass and …
On April 26, 2021 at approximately 11:00 a.m. MST, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a satellite phone report of a boating accident on the Colorado River near Kwagunt Rapid at river mile 56. A commercial river trip requested assistance with an overturned motorboat and reported boater injuries. The park swiftwater rescue team …
GCPBA RiverNews 4/27/2021 – One Fatality and Two Injured on Colorado River Read More »
GCPBA has received an alert from river runners of a steel cable sticking out from the left side river bank near the old Bat Cave at mile 267. Be very cautious when floating past here. Stay away from the left side! This is the note GCPBA received from Kyle P.: “I recently got off of …
GCPBA RiverNews 4/13/2021 – River Hazard Alert! Tram Cable Near Mile 267 Read More »
I do not have to tell any of you about the disruptions that the Covid-19 Pandemic has caused to our lives and schedules. Until June we were still discussing having our annual GCPBA meeting in Flagstaff the last weekend of September. By July, the decision had been made to have a tele-conferencing meeting that weekend …
The Colorado River through Grand Canyon will be open starting June 14th. We will be able to use our Noncommercial River Permits. We have been in contact with the Grand Canyon River Permits Office for what river trip participants need to be aware of when river trips resume. Below is what we received. First, for …
GCPBA RiverNews 6/7/2020 – River Precautions When River Trips Resume Read More »
On May 4, 2020, GCPBA President Richard Harter mailed a letter to Grand Canyon National Park which reviewed the 134 noncommercial river trips that were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. They were scheduled to launch in March, April, May, and June of this year. There is a new announcement May 27 from GCNP that …
Precautions are being taken due to coronavirus (COVID-19). Confirmed cases in Grand Canyon National Park : 2 (confirmed on 4/24) Grand Canyon National Park is extending the suspension of administrative, research, private and commercial river rafting trips through June 13, 2020, in order to comply with the local health guidance to slow the spread of …
GCPBA RiverNews 5/1/2020 – Grand Canyon Extends Suspension Of River Trips To June 13 Read More »