Grand Canyon National Park released the long-awaited CRMP/Final Environmental Impact Statement on Nov. 9, 2005. Unfortunately, it preserved all the worst elements of its preferred alternative H and adopted some even worse ones. The waiting list, with its embarrassing mass of patiently-waiting future permittees, is on its way out--a full 66% of waiters on the list will be thrown to the "weighted" lottery--according to the Park's own determination--and mounds of red tape with little compensation for years of waiting. While the Park rejected an all-reservation system as unfriendly to concessionaires and too complex, it will institute a never-before-attempted weighted lottery for noncommercial river permits.

While there is a substantial increase in user days for noncommercial boaters, it comes largely in the non-summer season and at the expense of resource preservation and is still far short of fulfilling do-it-yourself demand. The bulk of new non-commercial river-running access (1,500 people) comes in the November to February "winter" season. Meanwhile, for the motorized concessionaires, it is essentially business as usual. They gained more user days, and retain their huge share of summer use. The proposal to require 4 days to Phantom for motor tours was dropped, ensuring that quickie-trip profits continue unabated. And still, guide use is not counted against outfitter allocation.

While the Park makes admirable mention of striving to make administrative, educational and scientific trips as wilderness-compliant as possible, incredibly, there was no attempt to evaluate how motors could be removed to smooth the path to wilderness designation and comply with Park Service policies. NPS wilderness policies direct parks to treat proposed wildernesses such as the Grand Canyon backcountry and river, as if they were already designated, pending a vote by Congress.

As for the helicopter shuttles, the park not only refuses to restrict them in most months, but inserted language declaring that they have no ability to do so since the helicopters use tribal lands, conveniently ignoring the parks absolute ability to regulate exchanges.

The Parks demand-measuring all-boater registration proposal was dropped. It would have adjusted commercial allocation according to true demand. This omission locks in the status quo split allocation for the life of plan, which could be 20 years, and dooms noncommercial boaters to continued discrimination and disenfranchisement. The Park will institute a one-visit-per year policy for all river runners, commercial and noncommercial alike (excluding guides.)

For your own investigation into how these changes will affect you, please see our reading guide to the right. The plan is approximately 1500 pages in length, divided into Volumes 1, 2, 3 and Appendixes. Begin with 3 short summary documents: The Executive Summary (22 pages), Key Changes In the FEIS From The DEIS (2 pages), and Key Changes In The FEIS from Current Condition. Continue on to our recommended reading for noncommercial permit and waiting list transition information. The FEIS in its entirely, may be seen at www.nps.gov/crmp/documents. Adobe Reader Version 5 (available free) is required, but Version 6 or 7 provide robust searching capabilities.

Scroll Down to see Plan Comparisons, Documents and Riverwires on the CRMP.

Plan comparison

• Descriptive comparison of Draft EIS alternatives and RRFW plan for Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek
• Numerical Comparison of Draft EIS alternatives and RRFW plan for Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek
• Comparison of Permit System Proposals in the Draft EIS
• Comparison of Draft EIS alternatives for Lower Gorge
• Comparison of present and RRFW plans

Documents

• Plaintiffs-Appellants' Petition for Panel Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc (September 3, 2009)
• Final 9th Circuit Opinion (July 21, 2009)
• Plantiffs-Appellants_Reply_Brief (October 17, 2008)
• NPS 9th Circuit Brief (August 8, 2008)
• GCRRA Amicus Brief (August 7, 2008)
• GCPBA Answer Brief (July 31, 2008)
• GCROA Opening Brief (July 30, 2008)
• Amicus Brief (May 23, 2008)
• Opening Appeal Brief (May 12, 2008)
• RRFW Notice of Appeal (January 11, 2008)
• District Court Judgment (November 27, 2007)
• Final Response for Summary Judgment (October 3, 2007)
  •    NPS Motion to File Over-Length Summary Judgment Brief
  •    NPS Summary Judgment Brief
  •    GCROA Summary Judgment Reply
  •    Reply Memorandum of Points for Summary Judgment
• Final Reply for Summary Judgment (September 4, 2007)
  •    Walls Declaration
  •    RRFW Response to Joint Statement of Facts
  •    RRFW Summary Judgment Reply
• Grisham to Outfitters (Email dated April 4, 2002 made public in 2007)
• NPS Response and Motion (August 6, 2007)
  •    Response to RRFW's Statement of Facts"
  •    NPS Summary Judgment Brief
  •    NPS Motion for Summary Judgment
  •    Joint Statement of Material Facts
  •    GCROA Memorandum of Points
  •    GCPBA's Memorandum of Points
• Summary Judgment (May 25, 2007)
  •    RRFW Motion for Summary Judgment"
  •    RRFW Memorandum of Points
  •    RRFW Statement of Material Facts
  •    RRFW Memorandum of Points
• Response to GCPBA's Motion to Intervene (August 7, 2006)
• GCPBA's Memo of Points (July 24, 2006)
• GCPBA's Answer (July 24, 2006)
• Final Complaint (March 2006)
• Grand Larceny? (Canoe and Kayak magazine) (June 2005)
• GCWA DEIS Comments (January 2005)
  •    GCWA Cover Letter
  •    GCWA DEIS Comments
• RRFW Guide To CRMP (November 2004)
• CRMP Talking_Points (November 6, 2004)
• Randall vs Norton Decision (April 19, 2004)
• A Wilderness River in Grand Canyon? (May, 2003)
• RRFW Colorado River Management Plan Scoping Comments (October 31, 2002)
• RRFW Access Control System
• Wilderness and the Private Boater
• Wilderness Management Plan for Grand Canyon National Park and the Colorado River (August, 1999)
• National Park Service Reference Manual RM41: Wilderness Preservation and Management (July, 1999)
• An Analysis of the Hatch Amendment (May, 1999)
• Motorized Rafting - An Illegitimate Industry? (May, 1999)
• Wilderness Act (September 3, 1964)

RRFW Riverwires on the CRMP process

• Groups Sue to Protect Grand Canyon (March 28, 2006)
• Groups Crippled By Agreement (March 5, 2006)
• Grand Wait Expected to Increase (February 18, 2006)
• River Plan Obliterates Wilderness (November 10, 2005)
• Final CRMP Released (November 10, 2005)
• Update On River Plan (October 19, 2005)
• Grand Larceny Article Posted (July 13, 2005)
• Grand Canyon Chasm (June 24, 2005)
• FEIS Due Out In Late Summer (May 5, 2005)
• 'Technical Difficulties' Derailed Some Comments (February 4, 2005)
• New Comments Needed (January 29, 2005)
• "Historic Breakthrough" More Like Breakdown (January 26, 2005)
• Submit Grand Canyon Comments Until February 1 (January 18, 2005)
• Comment Period Extended (December 17, 2004)
• Flagstaff Meeting Tomorrow (November 21, 2004)
• Next CRMP Meeting This Week (November 15, 2004)
• CRMP Meetings Begin and CRMP Website Updated (November 9, 2004)
• Colorado River Management Plan Talking Points (November 7, 2004)
• River Runners Invited To Paddle The Plan (October 24, 2004)
• Groups Unite Against River Plan (October 4, 2004)
• Released Grand Canyon Plan Gets An F (October 1, 2004)
• Draft CRMP Now Signed And Ready (September 26, 2004)
• Park Describes Next Step of CRMP (August 5, 2004)
• River Plan Public Meetings Now Targeted For October (July 11, 2004)
• River Plan Hits Delay, Drought, and Court Denial (May 8, 2004)
• Draft Colorado River Management Plan Release Nears (April 12, 2004)
• CRMP Draft To Be Released In May (February 2, 2004)
• CRMP Stakeholder Workshop Videos Available (December 5, 2003)
• Update on the CRMP Planning Process (October 21, 2003)
• GCROA Misinformed On CRMP Process (July 25, 2003)
• Stakeholders Meeting Report (July 2, 2003)
• River Plan Update (July 1, 2003)
• Scoping Summary Posted On Website (June 22, 2003)
• Stakeholder Meetings Continue (June 5, 2003)
• Expert Panel and Stakeholder Workshop Dates Set (January 4, 2003)
• CRMP Update: Next Meeting in January, 2003 (December 9, 2002)
• Grand Canyon Extends Meetings (August 22, 2002)
• GCNP Adds 2 Scoping Cities (August 22, 2002)
• Salt Lake Tribune Speaks To CRMP (August 6, 2002)
• Colorado River Management Plan - Talking Points (July 31, 2002)
• Grand Canyon River Planning Begins (June 13, 2002)