Last year, we reported that paddlers and whitewater rafters had proposed a 20-year federal moratorium on new uranium mining claims around the Grand Canyon, citing unacceptable risks of recreational, environmental, and aesthetic impacts. The areas that would have been most impacted included Havasu Creek, Kanab Creek, and the Little Colorado River watersheds.Two days ago, the Obama administration announced a 20-year ban on new mining on federal lands near Grand Canyon National Park, saying the move would allow current mining to continue while officials monitor potential impacts. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made the announcement after an area covering one million acres had been opened up under the Bush administration, mostly for uranium mining.
Not everyone was pleased with the decision. The mining industry said the decision was driven by politics, not science, and had produced a study that said even the most severe accident would not significantly elevate radioactivity. However, the Center for Biological Diversity maintained that a previous U.S. Geological Survey found “elevated radioactivity is evident at all sites” on locations that had been mined or explored for uranium on public lands north of the Grand Canyon.
TourGuy.com Supports National Park Preservation
TourGuy.com currently supports one whitewater rafting adventure from Las Vegas. It also includes two other river tours, one that glides down a rapid-free portion of the Colorado River at Black Canyon. Another is included as part of a much more expansive adventure, Grand Canyon Deluxe Airplane and Ground Tour.All three tours made the Top Five 2012 Bucket List Tours, which is an annual list created by TourGuy.com based on input from tourists and adventurers on what they would most like to do while visiting Las Vegas. While two of the tours are operational year round, the whitewater rafting tour is scheduled to reopen on March 15.
"The whitewater rafting experience in one of the most exclusive and hard to book tours anywhere," said James Hoke, president of TourGuy.com. "There are just over 400 permits for 12- to 25-day non-commercial permits and very few commercial permits. It is by far the tour that is booked furthest in advance, especially because it is the only one-day trip from Las Vegas."
Hoke calls the tour one of the most intense and physical tours offered by his company, with the only possible exception being custom tours. The tour must be preserved because it can easily be described as the longest back country river journey in the lower 48 states. It is recognized worldwide as one of the most beautiful, remote, and challenging river trips on the planet.
Although not as dramatic as one or two weeks on the river, Hoke said the one-day tour still manages to cover 40 miles along the Colorado River. There are several areas known for rapids ranging from class 3 to class 6 (on the Grand Canyon scale, which differs from the worldwide I-VI scale).
"When the whitewater tours return in the spring, it's important to wear layered clothing for the trip because the water is surprisingly cold, even if we see warmer weather this year," he said. "Even from Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon tends to be our most asked about destination, especially among international travelers, because no one knows how long it will be before they can return to the area."
The Grand Canyon includes more than 1.2 million acres of land and 227 miles of river acres. The recently protected Grand Canyon land creates a buffer around the park and mining activities. Hoke said that while it is sometimes difficult to discern different studies, it's always best to skew toward caution in the preservation of a national treasure.
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.
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