Outdoor guide operations of the 21st century.

Visitation at all of our national parks and wilderness areas is on an upward spiral, and with 77 million "baby boomers" ready to retire in the next 15 years (AARP, 1995), the trend should accelerate rapidly. Many state economies are greatly affected by the tourism industry. Utah, with five national parks, has a $3.8 billion tourism industry (already the largest industry in the state) and is expecting a huge influx of visitors. President Bill Clinton's designation of the 1.7 million-acre Escalante/Grand Staircase National Monument in southeastern Utah, which greatly dismayed the state's contingent of senators and congressmen (while delighting many environmentalist groups), will fuel the tourism fires.

And what of commercial outdoor ventures such as guide services? For many, guide services conjure up images of river trips, with groups whooping and hollering while crashing through the waves. Guide services actually encompass much more than this. Services range from a simple step-on guide who handles local bus tours to guided treks up Mount Everest. Hiking, mountain-biking, fishing and hunting services, winter cross-country and snowmobile trips, and other custom tours are all part of the mix.

In some cases, professional guide services work alongside the public recreation sector, especially with youth programming. The Youth Education program at the University of Utah, under the direction of Claire Turner, offers a number of youth-oriented programs throughout the year. They contract with several guide-outfitter companies to provide new and innovative programs for the local community. "We enjoy working with people in these organizations, because they provide expertise and excellent instructors, and they also have a passion and enthusiasm for working in the out-of-doors with young people," said Turner.

The addition of the "boomers" to an already-established base of clients who use guide services will spawn a number of new opportunities, businesses, and entrepreneurs; these services will naturally proliferate to meet the demands of a hungry visiting populace. Never before has there been such a large opportunity for those who have longed to make their love of the outdoors a living. As with all flourishing industries, however, bad companies are destined to sprout up with the good.

Guide services have a duty and an ethical obligation to serve as interpreters and educators in their respective areas. More than ever, people will look to guide services for their expertise, and these services must accept their responsibilities. An educated populace that is informed through professional guides is in a much better position to influence social policy regarding matters such as the new Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument.

There are a number of tourism and commercial outdoor programs at the university level, including the outstanding program at the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at the University of Utah. Basic courses in trends and issues and a commercial recreation and tourism marketing class assured me where the new and exciting jobs would be. Education is the key to improving a service and getting up to speed in this wide-open field. Guides should take a look at their local universities for more knowledge and expertise about their type of service and current issues.

I received a less-than lukewarm reception recently while addressing a Utah state legislative committee meeting about the importance of a guide certification program. Utah is one of only two western states without a certification program or any type of minimum standard for outdoor commercial operations. Not only can anyone hang up a shingle and claim to be a guide service, but there is no mechanism in place that assures clients that these operators have any expertise at all. Obviously, there is much work to do educating local populations and legislatures about guide services and the need for, and value of, certification.

According to Dean T. Reeder, director of the Division of Travel Development for the state of Utah, "Rational thought is caught up in stereotypes about tourism being a net cost to the rural community and that the only jobs are entry-level, seasonal, non-career, dead-end deals. The problem is more complex because it is easy to `depersonalize' the visitor as being `not one of us.' Guide and tourism occupations now pay more, allow for direct compensation, allow for more freedom, and are high quality-of-life occupations."

Federal land managers and federal agencies such as the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service would like to see a certification program, too, since their resources for rangers and interpretive staff are shrinking. Stronger support and better ethics from many commercial outdoor ventures would help, as well. These managers are often placed in untenable positions having to balance the issues of land use, farmers' and ranchers' interests, commercial operations and recreation visitor increases. Often I have seen guide services at odds with the land, wildlife and fishery managers. Now more than ever, every company and agency must work together to common goals of good public service and protecting our resources.

These finite natural resources will become increasingly impacted. The "playground mentality" that many first-time recreators have about our national parks and wilderness areas must be addressed. A strong "wilderness ethic" is essential in any responsible outdoor commercial operation. In a sense, a good guide service will act as a buffer against high-impact practices of some novices. While most people understand that littering is improper behavior, they may not have a clue about other issues in parks or wilderness areas. Off-road vehicle use and horse packing ethics need to be in place; low-impact camping techniques, mountain travel, waste disposal, outdoor cooking, general resource concerns, management issues, wild animal encounters, backpacking and mountain-biking techniques, are all considerations in any outdoor adventure. A "good" guide service will already be familiar with these issues.

As I see it, a guide service has three other key functions for its future clientele: safety, service and satisfaction.

1. Safety

A good professional service has, at a minimum, first-aid and CPR certified guides, a safety net when exploring the wilderness. A medical emergency or a critter encounter miles from anybody or any facility could prove disastrous. A trained professional guide will know what to do and where the quickest evacuation routes are located.

2. Service

A guide service makes good economic sense for visitors by maximizing the quality of their time. These services already know the best, less traveled touring, hiking and mountain-biking areas; there is no need for visitors to waste time looking for remote trail heads. A good guide service can cut to the chase and ensure the best possible experience for its clients.

3. Satisfaction

Nothing is more gratifying to a good guide service than hearing, "Much greater than our expectations." Indeed, the focus of a guide service should be meeting or exceeding visitor expectations, while providing a quality experience; visitors have that right and expectation. Having an outdoor business that gives such pleasure to clients, whether they are novices or veteran fly-fishers who regularly use guide services, is immensely satisfying.

My agency and intern/employees have received positive responses from our clients for our educational efforts and we, as a guide service, have improved from year to year. The hiring of college interns by outdoor agencies is a valuable tool for the intern's overall education, as well. Part of our standard client orientation is a presentation to set the tone for each trip and experience. Our intern/employees explain our service, the nature of the area they will be entering, risk factors, dos and don'ts, and generally go over what a "wilderness friendly" operation requires from everyone in the party.

Guide services and other outdoor commercial operations have a duty and responsibility to guarantee their clients a positive experience. More importantly, they have a responsibility to protect our resources, to support the federal/state land managers and, lacking a certification process, to regulate their own activities and services.