Daily Press Writer
DELTA — A new boating group is hoping to take the lower stretch of the Gunnison River under it wing, help area management agencies and have some fun.
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“It should be fun first, and second as a functional group,” said Bob Marshall, one of the group’s organizers.
Toward that end, Marshall said one of the first aims of the group is to help people get on the river. That can mean permit parties where the group meets annually to fill out applications to help its members get on various rivers around the region.
The alliance will also host gear as a way to help its members get cheaper equipment.
The 26 members in the group now all have their own equipment, but Marshall said it’s now opening up its ranks to people without their own gear.
“If you’ve done much on rivers and permits, there’s always more people that want to ride than have equipment,” he said.
Newcomers who have never floated the stretch of the Gunnison that flows through western Delta and eastern Mesa counties, will find a calm river surrounded red rock canyons.
“It’s a very calm stretch that’s boatable by virtually anyone, which is nice,” he said. “Other than the orchards and the railroad, it’s virtually untouched.”
Marshall moved to Delta 15 years ago after living in Steamboat Springs.
He liked the location between two of his favorite recreational spots — Crested Butte and Moab, Utah — and he wanted a respite from Steamboat’s heavy snows. But he quickly took to the lower stretch of the Gunnison.
Part of the allure of the lower Gunnison came in the rock art that’s found along the banks and in the slot canyons that line the river.
“The protection of some of that art — I think that’s pretty critical,” he said.
The efforts of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in protecting much of the area, including the rock art, convinced Marshall that if he did help get the group rolling, they would not be alone in their efforts.
“I don’t think we’d have done it if we hadn’t seen a lot of initiative by the BLM here locally,” he said. “I said, ‘hey, if they’re going to put that kind of effort into it, we’re going to help.’”
Karen Tucker, who manges the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and its wilderness area for the BLM, said volunteer groups like the alliance help the agency in a myriad of ways.
“It makes it a heck of a lot easier for all of us to do our jobs when we have helpers out on the ground,” she said.
Other nonprofits have already adopted sections of watersheds in the region and give a hand to the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service. The North Fork River Improvement Association tackles issues on the North Fork of the Gunnison, while the San Miguel Watershed Coalition looks out for that river from Telluride to its confluence with the Dolores River.
Management agencies can often get an assist from the nonprofits when it comes to funding for projects. The nonprofits can obtain grant money that can then be matched by an agency.
Tucker said those efforts add up.
“Really, once you put all those little dollars together, you start getting a sizable chunk,” she said.
The nonprofits can also cull added expertise from their ranks, Tucker said, noting that lawyers and even a civil engineer have stepped forward to help with projects in some cases.
The groups also help on the ground by setting an example of good behavior for other users and making sure information from the agencies gets out.
“Those groups can get that information out in a casual and informal way and it sticks,” Tucker said.
The Gunnison River Alliance still has organizational steps to take. The group is in the process of incorporating and has applied to the Internal Revenue Service for nonprofit status.
Although Marshall thinks the group might charge dues one day in the future, membership is currently free to all comers.
“This will develop quickly, but I hope it lasts forever,” Marshall said.
To find out more about the group, visit its Web site at http://www.teamgra.org/index.htm.
Contact Matt Hildner via e-mail at matth@montrosepress.com
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