Wilderness, Motorized Rafts, and the Grand Canyon

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It is widely recognized, even by those advocating wilderness designation, that the river corridor through the Grand Canyon has been noticeably and almost certainly irreversibly modified as a result of the construction and operation of Glen Canyon Dam, just upstream from the Park. The Colorado River corridor downstream from the dam is no longer an “unimpaired natural area,” a fact amply illustrated by the available scientific literature. That humankind has left an imprint on the Colorado River corridor within the Park is beyond dispute. The impacts caused by Glen Canyon Dam were not considered during the original formulation of the National Park Service’s proposed Grand Canyon wilderness recommendation twenty-two years ago, and are a principal reason why today, that recommendation may not remain valid.

Motors and Wilderness

Given the exceedingly high demand for recreational whitewater trips through the Grand Canyon, motorized access is essential in order to provide the current level of public access for all types of visitors while continuing to meet strict resource and visitor protection mandates. Without such motorized use, the number of participants able to enjoy a professionally-outfitted trip could be reduced quite drastically, from about 19,000 to as little as perhaps 8,000 or 9,000 annually. This is simply not what the American people want. Many wilderness advocates, however, see such a dramatic decrease in public visitation as a positive outcome.

The continued use of motorized rafts neither affects any ultimate judgment by Congress nor would it likely be inconsistent with any action that Congress would take if it were to consider a wilderness recommendation for Grand Canyon National Park. Congress, both in the Wilderness Act and in statutes establishing specific wilderness areas, has recognized that motorized use and wilderness are not necessarily incompatible, especially when that use is already well established. Under the Wilderness Act, wilderness areas are to be “devoted to the public purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use” and managed so as to preserve the wilderness character of the area.

Section 4(c) of the Act generally prohibits activities such as timber harvesting, as well as roads, structures, and facilities, in wilderness areas. Although public use of motorized vehicles generally is prohibited in wilderness areas, section 4(d)(1) of the Act includes an exception specifically allowing for the continuation of motorboat or aircraft use if those uses were established prior to an area’s designation as wilderness by Congress.

In addition to provisions like section 4(d)(1), Congress, in a variety of wilderness designations, has authorized uses that might otherwise be restricted under the Wilderness Act. For instance, Congress has authorized use of motorized watercraft, motorized land access, aircraft use, and water infrastructure projects, among other activities, while designating specific wilderness areas. As a result, wilderness designation does not mean the same thing in every designated area.

Consequently, the continued use of motorized rafts is fully consistent with the requirements of the Wilderness Act and with all current National Park Service management requirements applicable to Grand Canyon National Park. The existing level and type of motorized use does not harm the resource and does not adversely affect the suitability of any area of Grand Canyon National Park for possible future congressional designation as wilderness. In any case, section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act itself expressly contemplates the continued use of motorboats in wilderness areas where such use was “established” prior to designation of the area.

Motorized rafts are very much an established institution in Grand Canyon National Park. The have been used on the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon to run professionally-outfitted river trips for the public for the past five decades. They are a part of the Park’s history, even assisting in its preservation. It was on motorized trips that large numbers of citizens in the late fifties and sixties, including many prominent, public figures, were first introduced to the Grand Canyon. This public exposure helped turn the tide away from the day’s dam building proposals and helped build the public understanding that the Grand Canyon should remain protected.

Today, motorized trips are a principal reason why Grand Canyon river trips are accessible to a very broad range of the general public, from young children to the elderly, to those with even severe disabilities, to those who are spending the first night of their lives sleeping outdoors on their Grand Canyon river adventure.

The Future
The principal benefit motors provide along the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon is greater and broader public access. The level of visitation along the Colorado River within the Park, while meeting today’s high standards for resource protection and visitor experience quality, simply would not be possible without the use of pontoon boats powered by low-emission, low-noise outboard motors. That segment of the American public able today to experience the Grand Canyon by river would be dramatically narrowed as a consequence of the elimination of this type of use.
 
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