I'm Steve Ponder, age 54. I've been a rafter since taking float
trips on the Main Salmon and the Middle Fork nearly 25 years ago.
Mostly I concentrate on rivers on Oregon and Washington, with occasional
trips to Idaho, depending on permits and invitations. I''ve rowed three
trips on the GC, most recently in 1993, on other peoples' permits. The
last time I got a report on my list status, it was somewhere in the 2Ks,
which gives me faint hope that I may get near the top about the time I
qualify for Medicare. On the other hand, considering the newly imposed
annual fee, I may abandon the list and hope for invitations.
(That's a hint, by the way. Anyone headed for the GC who is
looking for an experienced, mature, congenial oarsman? Available:
mild-mannered, professor type with proven ability to co-exist with
kayakers. Prefer late August, September.)
I want to urge the private boaters' association to continue its
inclusive approach to working with the NPS. I've had enough political
experience to know that finding common ground among user groups is
essential to gaining leverage with government agencies. I have no
problem with forming a united front, whenever possible, with the
commercial operators. Having once been part owner of a now-defunct guide
service, I am sympathetic to many of their concerns, although certainly
not all of them. There's nothing like losing your shirt in the guiding
business to change your outlook a bit, at least toward the smaller
operators.
This list has been interesting so far, and I look forward to
future discussions.
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