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<br />.. <br /> <br />00D383 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />For example, use in Dinosaur National Monument, managed by the <br />National Park Service, has grown to such a degree that in 1972, a user <br />ceiling was established that imposed severe restrictions to protect the <br />river's environment and ensure a quality experience for boaters. Seventy <br />percent of the user-days are now allocated to commercial companies operating <br />within the monument while the remaining days are issued as permits to the <br />non-commercial and educational sector on a first-come, first-served basis <br /> <br /> <br />to those applicants meeting the strict equipment and experience requirements. <br /> <br /> <br />For the 1977 season all the non-commercial user-days were filled the first <br /> <br /> <br />day permit applications were accepted, December 1, 1976. Over 350 applica- <br /> <br /> <br />tions were submitted; most were refused permits. While the general public <br /> <br /> <br />may be happy to go with commercial outfitters, the needs of private boaters <br /> <br /> <br />are not served by this means. <br /> <br /> <br />The situation is similar, though even more disparate, in the Grand <br /> <br /> <br />Canyon, where the allocation ratio is 92 percent commercial and 8 percent <br /> <br /> <br />private. A group known as the Wilderness Public Rights Fund is suing the <br /> <br /> <br />National Park Service and the Department of the Interior over the equity <br /> <br /> <br />of a110catiori of user-days. The suit at the time of this writing has not <br /> <br /> <br />been decided. <br /> <br /> <br />Federal agencies are working now to develop new management plans for <br /> <br /> <br />heavily used rivers. Recreation agencies in Colorado must be prepared to <br /> <br /> <br />face similar and other problems on the more-and-more-heavi1y-used rivers in <br /> <br /> <br />the state. No access facilities, no registration of professional outfitters, <br /> <br /> <br />no management of any sort are presently offered. Already occurring in <br /> <br /> <br />Colorado are problems including: <br /> <br /> <br />a) over-crowding of the river and its environment, trampling <br /> <br /> <br />and damaging riverbanks with litter, human refuse and fire <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />scars; <br /> <br />-2- <br />