1. an environmental probe
2. an act of measuring the depth of a body of water
3. [often pl.] an exploratory sampling, as of public opinions.

As the Team addresses river management issues as part of the Colorado River Management Planning process, we remain committed, in the interim, to making the noncommercial permitting system more fair and user-friendly.

Most of the suggested changes identified in the Colorado River Management Plan's scoping process would require a formal public involvement process as part of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). But some procedural changes, like those described in this bulletin, can be addressed administratively if they are within legal compliance and would cause no significant impacts to cultural or natural resources. The River Office is implementing two such changes to current procedures: a change to the river trip cancellation policy and a change in the time allowed to return continuing interest forms.

River Trip Cancellation Procedural Change

The River Office has announced that beginning December 1, 1999, the release of cancelled launch dates will give participants who have been on the waiting list longest a greater opportunity to secure a cancelled launch date.

The past several years have shown that trip leaders cancel 20 to 40 percent of private river trips before their scheduled launch dates. When this results in additional launch opportunities, the River Office releases launch dates to other parties on the waiting list.

Currently, these dates are released through a call-in cancellation line. Anyone on the waiting list is eligible to call at any time, and dates are released to the first caller. In 1999, the River Office released 40 cancellations for start dates between April 16, 1999 and October 15, 1999. Thirty-seven launch dates were released; four to callers who entered the waiting list in 1997; 22 to those who entered the list in 1998; and 14 to those entering the list in 1999. In other words, the majority of the dates went to those newly on the list.

The River Office will implement these changes:

1. When launch dates are cancelled, the dates will be held until the Monday morning following the cancellation call.
2. Each Friday evening, the cancellation telephone line message will be updated to list launch dates that will be released during the next week. Waiting list participants can call that line any time over the weekend to find out what dates will become available.
3. On Monday morning at 8:00 am, River Office employees will answer the cancellation availability line. Launch dates will be released to the first eligible caller wanting that date. However, only waiting list participants with numbers from 1 to 999 are eligible to call the cancellation line on Mondays.
4. Eligibility will increase throughout the week. On Tuesdays, those with waiting list numbers between 1 and 1999 are eligible to call. On Wednesdays, callers must have numbers between 1 and 2999. On Thursdays, those with waiting list numbers between 1 and 3999 can call. On Fridays, all waiting list participants are eligible to call.
5. The telephone line recording will be updated as each date is taken.
6. The cancellation line will not be answered on Federal holidays. If cancellations are to be released during a week with a holiday, the cancellation line telephone message will be updated to explain how the process will be modified for that week.

This change conforms with, and meets, the intent of the 1989 Colorado River Management Plan's Non-Commercial River Permit System Guidelines, Section III B. The Park believes this change is in the best interest of the majority of waiting list participants. For example, in the past when someone at the bottom of the list accepted a launch date, only that person benefited; no others moved up on the waiting list. Under the new policy, when a person at the top of the list accepts a launch date, everyone else on the waiting list benefits by moving up one spot.

This policy of releasing launch dates was used by the River Office to release Winter Test Launch Dates in November 1998 and May 1999. Of the 41 winter dates released in May, ten were accepted by people with waiting list numbers in the top 2000, and 25 were accepted by people with waiting list numbers between 1 and 5000.

To obtain a cancelled date or listen to the recording, call the Permit Office at 1-800-959-9164, then press option 4 or call (928)-638-7883.

More substantive changes to the system could occur through the current planning process. The planning team will continue, as always, to keep you informed of upcoming changes and of how you can become or stay involved.