 Can a gathering of more than 100 river guides result in anything other than hangovers? If it’s a Headwaters Institute rendezvous, the answer is a resounding "yes"—it can result in an education.
This summer's programs provide a perfect example. At May's Summit on the Snake, in Wyoming, river guides trotted back and forth from lectures on the plight of cottonwood trees to slideshows on the Tetons' geology. At New Mexico's Rio Grande Rendezvous, groups of 10 guides sat in circles on the grass discussing effective conservation presentation techniques. And at the Colorado River Seminar in Moab, Utah, guides listened to a debate on the proposed removal of Glen Canyon Dam. In all cases, beers were saved for later.
The Headwaters Institute believes there are no better ambassadors for river conservation than raft guides. In putting them through two-day educational seminars, the institute hopes to inspire participants to be better interpreters of rivers' natural and cultural history, which will give their clients a better appreciation of the waterways they float. Eventually, that investment will lead to conservation. "The three hours that customers spend on a raft with their guide may be their one and only experience on a river," said Headwaters founder Tom Hicks. "We want to make sure those three hours count."
Over the past four years, more than 1,500 guides have attended Headwaters seminars on seven of the country's most rafted rivers, including the American and Kern Rivers in California, the Arkansas River in Colorado, and the Kennebec in Maine. Hicks estimates that his educational mission reaches more than 300,000 people each summer once guides spread the word. Most outfitters involved agree. "These seminars are an extremely positive thing for our guides, and by extension, our clients," says Bill McGinnis, owner of El Sobrante, Calif.'s Whitewater Voyages. "The quality of the presentations is great, and our guides get a lot of conservation information they can pass on to our clients." Adds Jan Langerman, river manager for Bridger-Teton National Forest, a Summit on the Snake partner: "The program holds guides' attention...it isn't just a bunch of guides playing hacky sack."
Fun, of course, can and does occasionally break out. In addition to lectures on raptors, geology, river etiquette and dam removal, icebreaker activities like the Rio Grande's "Guide Olympics" are frequently organized. "When you see BLM employees competing in an 'oar toss' alongside the guides, it helps everyone remember we're all working for the same things," says Ira Eston, owner of Santa Fe, N.M.'s Southwest Wilderness Adventures. Eston credits this year's Rio Grande seminar with improving communications between outfitters and land management agencies, guides from different companies, and even local communities. "It helps us in the rafting industry be more considerate of locals," he says.
Because the programs have a watershed focus, Headwaters keeps them locally organized. To ensure help from rafting communities, it recruits local organizers—usually guides or outfitters—to coordinate the events. "We provide an overall framework and some financial assistance to organizers, but most of the work is done locally in each region," says Headwaters' Tom Corcoran. "It's important we don't step on anyone's toes."
To cultivate the programs' river conservation seeds, Hicks has developed a river conservation group called the River Trust. Membership and funds are generated from brochures distributed by outfitters hosting the seminars. Administered by local outfitters' associations, the Trust works on grassroots conservation projects for rivers in the community. The Trust's pilot project on the Rio Grande focuses on native vegetation restoration and lobbying for Lower Rio Grande water flows, which sometimes run dry from diversions. "This is a model for the rest of the country," says Steve Harris of Rio Grande Restoration. "By creating a watershed-based conservation group generated by guides and outfitters, we are demonstrating that the river industry isn't just focused on its own economic gain."
—The Headwaters Institute is a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, Calif. For more information, call (415) 288-0550.
—Frederick Reimers |
