# GCNP River Unit Dismantled



## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Well, this could get interesting:

Grand Canyon Dissolves Unit That Ran River Trips for Workers - ABC News


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## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

Hmm. I didn't realize what this unit was. I'm trying to decide how I feel about a special taxpayer funded unit that gives special trips for politicians and students....

I wonder if they'll fully investigate the employees in question.


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## mrbaum (Feb 20, 2015)

Good riddance what a hot mess


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## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

mrbaum said:


> Good riddance what a hot mess
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


Doesn't sound like it's "good riddance". Looks like the Government is doing it's thing. Take the individuals in question and relocating them elsewhere to make it look their doing something (they'll probably get a raise). Meanwhile contract the operation out so that they can still do special favors for special people while the peasants (the ones actually paying for all of it) scratch for an opportunity to float the GC.

I say all of this under the assumption that the individuals are guilty. I believe in the fundamental process. A proper investigation and conclusion should happen.


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## ChillyH20WV (Jul 5, 2005)

http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/park-rangers/

I saw this article last week.


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## jmacn (Nov 20, 2010)

The individuals are guilty


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

ob1coby said:


> Doesn't sound like it's "good riddance". Looks like the Government is doing it's thing. Take the individuals in question and relocating them elsewhere to make it look their doing something (they'll probably get a raise). Meanwhile contract the operation out so that they can still do special favors for special people while the peasants (the ones actually paying for all of it) scratch for an opportunity to float the GC.


Do you honestly think they'll really get raises? I seriously doubt it, and expect it's a lot more likely their new positions have the words "latrine" and "clean" in the job description. Whatever it is, it won't be nearly as glamorous as what they used to do, and they'll likely be on a very short leash. As government employees, they may be hard to fire but when your actions splash that much crap on the park superintendent, moving up the grade and pay scale, or getting plum assignments, will likely get a little more difficult. 

From the article: "The report also found disciplinary action was inconsistent and that [GC Superintendent] Uberuaga and his deputy failed to properly investigate or report allegations of misconduct."

As for displacing private boaters, you don't seem to understand the unit's allocation didn't really take anything from private boaters. Private river runners get a set number of launches per year (503, I think) according to the 2006 CRMP. That's not likely to change. 

As for complaining that taking "researchers, politicians and students" down the river is wasteful, that's debatable. Likely the students were assisting the researchers (it's doubtful we're talking about high school kids or freshman biology students, but why would it be such a bad thing if that *were* the case?). And if more politicians were able to experience the Canyon, maybe that would be a *good* thing for protecting our nation's rivers. If you want to whine about a government boondoggle, maybe you should call your congressmen about something that has a greater impact on your tax bill - like this.

Dissolving this unit is bad for a few reasons: 

1) It eliminates a handful of decent-paying, good benefit jobs for some deserving career river runners,
2) Hiring outfitters will likely be more expensive for us taxpayers than having the work done in-house, if it's the same cost or cheaper, the commercial boatmen will be the ones getting paid less and enjoying fewer benefits, and their outfitter bosses will still get the profits,
3) My understanding is that the "institutional" trips often had some rangers on them as well, if the new trips don't, then it's fewer eyes looking out for stuff like this.

It seems like dissolving the unit was a way for the superintendent to show he's doing *something* severe to save his own butt. The NPS should investigate & get the bad apples out, and make sure the next guys know that "NO" doesn't just mean "keep trying." They're throwing the baby out with the bathwater here.

-AH


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## wayne23 (Dec 30, 2014)

Well said Andy.


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## Mattchu (May 29, 2015)

Screw the government and there bullshit boondoggle ologists. Study shit to death, pay hippies to cruise rivers etc...

Private is always better than .gov. end the fed. No mas .gov, no more national parks, no mas "wilderness" areas. Allow shit ting horses and cows, but not mountain bikes? Wtf? Oh, that's right, in MeRica, he who has money or rank makes the rules and floatsee the rivers.

I worked for government. Only thing they good for is bombing 3rd world countries. Hell, they so stupid they can't even win wars anymore. 

Strange worldo these days. Go.trump!


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Mattchu said:


> Screw the government and there bullshit boondoggle ologists. Study shit to death, pay hippies to cruise rivers etc...
> 
> Private is always better than .gov. end the fed. No mas .gov, no more national parks, no mas "wilderness" areas. Allow shit ting horses and cows, but not mountain bikes? Wtf? Oh, that's right, in MeRica, he who has money or rank makes the rules and floatsee the rivers.
> 
> ...


You're a genius. Maybe you should run for president.


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## sledhooligan (Mar 12, 2009)

Kind of seems a day late a dollar short to do this. Sounds like Dave Uberuaga is trying to cover his own ass and throwing who ever he can under the bus.
Three of the four people don't even work for the park anymore and its unclear by the articles if Dave Loeffler still even works in the boating department anymore.
Its to bad Dave Desrosiers let this get so out of hand. When I've seen him on the river always seemed like a good guy and for the most part a stickler for the rules. Looks like he retired last year before Uberuaga let the axe fall or maybe he was told to? From the articles I've read his role was more complacent attitude to what Little Dave and Bryan where doing on the river.
The Huffington Post article seems to church some things up "The pair even erected a memorial to Edwards in the boat shop, said two former employees: a crude bust of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns with Edwards’ name written on the base in Sharpie. The implication was clear: Edwards had been martyred." I don't think this was done to symbolize him being a martyr as much as the dude looks a lot like Ole' JC Himself.
I can see the Park service contracting out research trips and VIP trips. My big question is what about the River Rescue and recovery part of it? Both Big and Little Dave where usually the ones in charge of this stuff. Guess we'll find out when some one parks a motor rig in the rocks below Crystal.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

I've ran into Bryon on the river a couple of times. A very generous guy. We ran out of propane once and he gave us a full bottle. I didn't let that go unrewarded, I gave him a good bottle of Glenlivet 18.


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## DoStep (Jun 26, 2012)

Last ranger I encountered in GC gave a spare stove to a group who lost theirs in a flip.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

DoStep said:


> Last ranger I encountered in GC gave a spare stove to a group who lost theirs in a flip.


The Raft unit was a completely separate group from the River Rangers and LEOs down there. The Raft Unit was a group of boatmen that ran trips for dignitaries, researchers, and other groups determined by the NPS as needing access to the Grand Canyon or some part of it. 

I think all members of the Raft unit have been reassigned.

Also, I'm sure the guys on the Raft unit who were found to have acted inappropriately did plenty of folks favors, and swapped stories and beers with lots of river runners down there. Likely they were all "great guys" and fun to hang around with. Unfortunately that doesn't mean there weren't capable of being pigs to the women they were taking down the river or working with. 

-AH


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## duch2112 (Mar 17, 2016)

Mattchu said:


> Screw the government and there bullshit boondoggle ologists. Study shit to death, pay hippies to cruise rivers etc...
> 
> Private is always better than .gov. end the fed. No mas .gov, no more national parks, no mas "wilderness" areas. Allow shit ting horses and cows, but not mountain bikes? Wtf? Oh, that's right, in MeRica, he who has money or rank makes the rules and floatsee the rivers.
> 
> ...


Oh, so you just read Desert Solitaire...


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## rivers2run (Jun 7, 2012)

No way they are getting raises and they may yet lose their job. It will be investigated further. I'm retired FS and once you get things stirred up the Feds take it very seriously, they can come down like a ton of bricks. Hot mess is right. Guess the goobers out there would rather have a free for all, imagine what a fun trip fighting for campsites with thousands. No thanks, and I get my river permits exactly like everyone else no favors.


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## BilloutWest (Jan 25, 2013)

From the link:



> None of the six employees lost their jobs, agency spokeswoman Vanessa Lacayo said.
> 
> The January report by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General found that male employees who have worked in the river district preyed on female colleagues, demanded sex and retaliated against women who refused.


Someone should get fired over that.


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