Management for the rapids queues

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 21

Management for the rapids queues

From

TESSA WARD

» in the United States

In America, some whitewater rafting companies are helping to pay for river protection campaigns that will allow their customers enjoy a wilderness experience even when stretches of rapids get crowded. A queue of rafts waiting their turn to shoot the rapids may sound far-fetched in New Zealand, but American rafting — responding to a popularity built up over 20 years — has become the largest and most sophisticated industry of its kind in the world. "Most rafting companies support management plans for the rivers which often limit the number of companies and/or passengers,” says Bill Center, whose parent company, the American River Routing Association, is California’s oldest

He founded the American River Recreation Association, which is responsible for preservation of the south fork of the American River. An active conservationist Bin Center is chairman of the Environmental Planning and Information Council, a group in Placerville, west of Sacramento. For some rivers, management plans mean that private rafters also have to obtain permits if they try to operate commercially on the side.

"River management plans can include specific times for each company to begin its rafting trip so that all the rafts are spaced well apart on a river throughout the day,” he says. Disposal of rafters’ waste has been a growing responsibility for the companies throughout the years. Until recently, rafters

travelling through the Grand Canyon could bury their waste beside the Colorado River.

“Now they have got to carry all their waste out,” says Mr Center. For 25-person, 12-day trips, that can add up to a lot of waste, too. Many companies have

to provide portable toilets or install composting toilets at convenient riverside spots along the route.

"Caring for the river environment is a major priority of many American rafting companies. Not only do they want to avoid spoiling the resource that they depend on for their livelihood,

but many people running the companies are also particularly conservation-minded.” Groups trying to conserve rivers and wilderness areas can draw on much-needed funding from a battery of rafting companies. In 1968, only 11 river areas were protected by the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, today, there are more than 60.

Bill Center’s parent company runs on a non-profit basis “because it feels that the use of public lands for private profit is inconsistent with its philosophy,” he says. “Any profits are generally used to replenish rafting equipment “Rafting trip fees are kept as low as possible, and whitewater schools are run to encourage as many people as possible to experience river environments first-hand.” The company “believes this is one of the best ways you can help to protect those environments.” Controls to safeguard passengers from rafting accidents abound in the American rafting scene, like the lining up of rafts to avoid congestion on a rapid. Although passengers may sign liability waivers, in court they can claim hefty sums from a company when negligence can be shown.

“Our legal system dictates thjit

anyone who receives money for a service assumes liability,” says Mr Center. “So rafting companies go to a lot of trouble to ensure a safe ride for the passengers.

“River rafting in this country has a reputation of being one of those sports with an apparent high risk and a low actual risk. In California, the number of rafting accidents has always been low, and deaths and injuries are virtually unheard of.

"We are definitely beyond the frontier of sorting out a maximum safety code for rafting.” Bill Center anticipates renewed conflict over the use of rivers for generating. more hydro-electricity, particularly if oil prices rise again. “With the continuing urban sprawl into the foothills, particularly in California with 25 million residents already, I expect to see growing pressure for domestic use of river and groundwater.’’

There could also be more attempts to dam rivers aS a measure against freak floods and their threat to life and property. “Future battles over river resources are likely to make large headlines since Americans are generally becoming more conservation minded in spite of the current economic and political conservatism.”