Anyone who enjoys the river knows that one of the hardest aspects to spending a day on the river is trying to figure out how to shuttle your vehicle. It does not matter if you are a private boater or a large commercial outfitter, shuttles are a unique challenge specific to river use.

Whether you SUP, Raft, Tube, Kayak, Duckie or Fish you usually need to bring two cars to the river so one can be at the take out and the other can drop at the put in. This creates a dilemma for thousands of people each summer and creates unnecessary traffic and fuel use in an otherwise quiet area where people are trying to enjoy nature.

Currently there are 3 shuttle companies which hold permits to provide a shuttle service (charge to drive your personal car to the take out) near this stretch of river. However, only one of these companies actually operates in the Dotsero area. The other two permitted companies concentrate their efforts upstream near State Bridge, Rancho, Radium, and Pumphouse. The one company that does service the Dotsero area does not have the ability to transfer people with their equipment, per their permit restrictions with the BLM.

With your support the BLM can immediately amend an existing commercial rafting outfitters permit to serve the Public Demand that exists in this area. The outfitter is requesting a permit amendment from the BLM that would allow the outfitter to shuttle people and their equipment from their parked car in Dotsero, upstream to multiple access points: Lyons Gulch, Cottonwood island, Horse Creek (Eagle County access) etc. With this structure, river users will experience easy logistics, less fuel usage, and a new freedom of river use and access never seen before in the Dotsero area. Also, the company that does service the Dotsero area with private car shuttles is in favor of the commercial rafting outfitter requesting this permit change to get this amendment passed.

The outfitter requesting this amendment, if granted, would supply all river users, for a fee, the ability to load equipment on a trailer in Dotsero, jump in the van that is pulling said trailer, and head upstream to a desired launch point. They then can float back down to Dotsero at their leisure and their car is there in the parking lot where they left it. The shuttle would depart Dotsero approximately every ½ hour.

Please let the BLM know you support having a different type of shuttle option, as proposed above, and acknowledge there is a need for this service on the Upper Colorado by providing us with your information.

Benefits:

• Reduce traffic and mitigate parking issues
• Increase river ease of access for the entire Eagle County Community
• Expose more people to the outdoors in a clean and controlled way
• Reduce impact to residents living on the Colorado River Road with the boating community. (Many river users do not know where to put in and take out and end up on private land)