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<br />According to a study by Pete
<br />: Wir.:l. director of the Western Asso~
<br />. cation to Enjoy, Rivers, a kayaking
<br />. c'arb struggling to bring a whitewa-
<br />tei:park to . Grand Junction, as
<br />. maay as 80 percent of the 2,000
<br />-visitors to DuraDgo~s annual Ani.
<br />.~ RiverDays festival are from
<br />out of lown'and ,bting more tban'
<br />$IOO,OOO.to the locil economy in a
<br />single weekend:'.. ,'.
<br />._!\:ayaking ltasun~ergone tremen-
<br /><lwl& changes.ili t.he'pastIO years.
<br />Boats are'getting smaller, and "ro-
<br />deo"kayakilig baSgaliled unprece.
<br />dented. Popwarlty, With. that popu-
<br />:-larity ~6p1~~).h~, ~Xolif.~fati6n of
<br />~ these, "Itark;o~Q-Pt.ay~~.nv~r parks,
<br />:.lwJtefe ~ay'aR'e'tt'~cmi .come and
<br />:,::.li~~.t:a: single-hole, honing
<br />i., alJjjl)sf~gymna~tic;~ype moves In,
<br />,'iiiid','ii1:!JjJr. foiuning troles that not
<br />. : .lolig:ag":i4ost;;'k,,yak~fs struggled
<br />, ttf~~oid.<ES!ientially, kayaking has
<br />., gt(i.)1~~irAlrne~sion>W]iereas .10
<br />,'ye&rs ago,th~'sporLwas largely
<br />,.M,ii.i.tt rupriini5 afiy,ef:and !raveling
<br />": frnufone locale l<fahotber, now It.S
<br />:"8Ii.-..,'; ahoul<masfeilng'.~com plex
<br />. ",ll!/l,~'jri'al!iingle'location.:"
<br />: ~,j,~O"fi'<' ;~f.~~\~~<_,", tt:L ',; ~,:-~'~'(,~ ( ~
<br />':If~lr~~y~ny~~;~_~oq~,IJ1. Y,. .".:
<br />.- --.:-..-. r ~"~-""';":1--"............"~ ,...-.
<br />.:'. "~"j'liete~'mucn.;more,'i!niphasis
<br />'lOit' :"'iVhiie'w.\'iei'rode'Oswhlch
<br />~ :,laDJi">jg~k lo.~ei::i?9at;:d';"iun:, . have
<br />':~)Ma'l(~~ df,a:tn.~!ic~lI~:i~;;;orshlp
<br />,l1iI'S'brii~glit;m~<<:\otof'!noiley; and
<br />. . :t1ie:jiarticipati6nJfv.el:ha~ just sky-
<br />. rdeIre.ted,;;,saYSJrl!l;Bal\.er; presi-
<br />denCat ~tne~Coldbido' RIvers AIIi-
<br />'""","",', ,:".- .lo~al ,.,non-profit
<br />r /9rgimizatioIi. promoting river con-
<br />I .s~r:vatio'n and prot~ction.
<br />. : '-,::.}'l do' believe that 'white water
<br />'parks have,. saved lives.' With the
<br />~ . P9Pula.rity. of- 'park-and.play' boat-
<br />i ing,.,peoplehave a' safe place to
<br />';, boat, all season long. In fact, on the
<br />),10 or so whitewatei parks in Colo-
<br />: r"~ooi there has never been a single
<br />: ,kayaking fatality. Ever." he says.
<br />: -~,::Ip. emphasizing the ~onomic im-
<br />~ pact. of a healtby and attractive ur-
<br />ban'riv"er, Baker points to river-
<br />fronts in Greeley, Fort Morgan and
<br />, Commerce City and then' Boulder,
<br />; .GIenw60d Springs and Golden.
<br />: -"':The'difference a healthy river
<br />, ~,es in the community, finan-
<br />f ~lly-;" and otherwise, "is over-
<br />; .iihe'tining," he says. ". . . A healthy
<br />; :ll:Oli'omy requires a healthy envi-
<br />~ :~ent and vice versa."
<br />", :.;;ws.'what-Lacy calls tbe "intangi-
<br />: Jlli:%>enefits" of tbe parks. There's
<br />~ never been a compr,ehensive eco-
<br />nomic study that outlines the finan-
<br />~ cial benefits the parks provide, but
<br />,anyone looking at tbe park in Gold-
<br />.; en or Salida will see kayakers from
<br />: ,across the state and even more
<br />Spectators gatbered on the banks,
<br />"I can't tell you how much man.
<br />ey these parks generate, but how
<br />can you put a figure on people
<br />coming to your town and having
<br />fun?" asks Lacy. as he points to
<br />s':::yeral~groups rA people in busi-
<br />: - n~~~:"s~its weD h.::....c gathered on i
<br />
<br />
<br />600'ti~J)1
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