> This is a pretty complicated issue, and there are many ways to look
> at it. Consider the following argument for the commercial boater
> perspective:
>
> The percentage of people who are capable of running their own trip
> is miniscule compared to the much larger group who love the Canyon
> but don't have the skills, time, or physical abilities to do their
> own trip. The commercial boaters serve this much larger segment of
> the population, and thus the much larger allocation of userdays is
> justified.
This argument used to work when commercial trips were more
reasonably priced. Now, concessionaires serve only a very small
percentage of that "much larger segment". Every one else
is priced out.
> Also, I think that the idea of a new intermediate between commercial
> trips and private trips is good -- a "paid freelance guide" trip,
> sort of...
This would be a great step.
Ben
-- -------------------------------------------------- -- Ben Harding blh@hydrosphere.com -- -- Hydrosphere Resource Consultants -- -- Hydrosphere Data Products -- -- 1002 Walnut, Suite 200 -- -- Boulder CO 80302 -- -- -- -- 303-443-7839 voice 303-442-0616 fax -- -- -- -- Publishing Natural Resources Data on CD ROM -- -- Consultants in Natural Resources Planning -- -------------------------------------------------- ==================================================================== To subscribe, send email to majordomo@songbird.com, with "subscribe gcboaters" as the only line in the message body. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe gcboaters". For further information send "info gcboaters", or see http://www.songbird.com/gcboaters ====================================================================