In response to concern from the paddling community and environmental interests, the Bureau of Land Management will extend the comment period for the Northern Arizona Proposed Withdrawal Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which would have allowed the opening of new uranium mining claims around Grand Canyon National Park. The comment period has been extended to May 4, 2011.

Currently, paddlers and whitewater rafters have proposed a 20-year federal moratorium on new uranium mining claims around the park, citing unacceptable risks of recreational, environmental, and aesthetic impacts. According to American Whitewater, the areas most likely to be impacted include the Havasu Creek, Kanab Creek, and the Little Colorado River watersheds.

"Radiation and other pollution in these streams would directly impact human health and perceptions of wildness," said Mark Singleton, executive director of American Whitewater. "Even very small reductions of flow in tributaries and springs would impact the experience of these places."

A few weeks ago, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality issued three air and one aquifer pollution permits for three uranium mines located on public lands within Grand Canyon National Park’s immediate watershed. However, before the mines could be open, they would require federal approval.

The Center for Biological Diversity says a previous U.S. Geological Survey found “elevated radioactivity is evident at all sites” on locations that had been previously mined or explored for uranium on public lands north of the Grand Canyon. Previous attempts to mine in the area have damaged the ecosystem.

TourGuy.com Supports National Park Preservation.

TourGuy.com currently supports one whitewater rafting adventure from Las Vegas. Whitewater rafting recently opened on March 15, with TourGuy.com calling it one of the most exciting adventure tours available as a one-day trip from Las Vegas.

"Paddlers and whitewater enthusiasts wait for months and even years to book rafting tours in the Grand Canyon," said James Hoke, president of TourGuy.com. "It's one of the most intense and physical tours we offer so I appreciate why so many people want to defend the area against unnecessary risks."

Hoke added that Singleton best described the rafting tours available in the Grand Canyon. It represents the longest backcountry river journey in the lower 48 states and is recognized worldwide as one of the most beautiful, remote, and challenging river trips on the planet.


Even the one-day tour along the river gives rafters a once-in-a-lifetime experience along a 40-mile stretch of the Colorado River. The tours are managed by native Hualapai guides who pilot pontoon boats down stretches of calm and white water, with several areas known for rapids ranging from class 3 to class 6 (on the Grand Canyon scale).

"The rafting tour is the only helicopter-raft combination available," said Hoke. "Other tours, although unforgettable, land in the Grand Canyon for a champagne picnic lunch or include a riverboat ride with no real rapids."

The Grand Canyon includes more than 1.2 million acres of land and 227 miles of river acres. The Grand Canyon is unmatched throughout the world in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors on the rim. While it is not the deepest canyon, it is considered one the eight natural wonders of the world because of its overwhelming size. Only rafting and exclusive helicopter tours provide visitors a true sense of its magnitude.

TourGuy.com is the fastest-growing tour operator in Las Vegas. It was founded last year by James Hoke, who has almost 20 years of experience in hospitality management and eco/adventure tourism. All Grand Canyon tours from Las Vegas are approved only after careful inspection that operators meet all TourGuy.com safety and environmental standards.