Late Season Snow Welcome News for Rafting Companies
Monday, May 13, 2013
BUENA VISTA, Colo. - Heavy dumps of spring snow throughout most of Colorado are just what rafting companies needed to ensure a good season. In Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River, almost 30 inches of precipitation has fallen since the April 1. That's more than four times the amount measured by the National Weather Service for the comparable period last year.
Until recently, companies like Wilderness Aware Colorado Rafting in Buena Vista were bracing themselves for another tough season. According to owner Joe Greiner, that's no longer a worry for him.
"The snowfall in the last six weeks or so has just radically changed the conditions," he declared. "So overall, we're looking at an outstanding season."
Greiner said the snow will not only provide a good start to the season, it should also replenish reservoirs, providing a supply of water that can keep the rivers in good rafting shape right through this fall.
Adding to the economic potential for the region is the possibility that Browns Canyon will be designated a National Monument. Colorado's U.S. Senator Mark Udall has proposed a bill that would do just that.
Greiner said that if the effort is successful, the designation would be an economic win for the region.
"That is going to transform this valley if it becomes a National Monument," he stated. "All of the rafting companies will be heavily marketing the fact that it is a National Monument. Lots of people put that on their 'to do' list when they come to an area."
The proposed National Monument would cover 22,000 acres between Salida and Buena Vista and include more than 10,000 acres of new wilderness.
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