Richard Martin, A Grand Volunteer

American Whitewater recognizes Richard “Ricardo” Martin as our March 2005 Volunteer of the Month for his leadership on Colorado River Management in the Grand Canyon.

            Richard was one of the first Grand Canyon boaters to recognize the need for healing the boating community and compromising on certain key issues now for the long term health of the river and improvement of long-standing access issues.  Richard was key to securing the joint compromise letter between the private boating community and outfitters in January 2005.

While we are recognizing Richard as an AW volunteer, he is first and foremost a board member of the Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association (GCPBA), an AW affiliate. In that capacity he currently serves as the editor of their newsletter, The Waiting List. As the GCPBA’s former President, Richard worked closely with AW’s Jason Robertson in a model of cooperation in which Richard provided a powerful local perspective and Robertson provided the national voice for river management on “America’s River.”

Robertson recognized that “Ricardo was always there working as a volunteer to make sure we didn’t miss this historic opportunity to compromise and resolve the issues that were tearing the boating community apart in the Grand Canyon.  Colorado River planning had foundered on the rocks, and Richard provided the leadership to get our raft off the rocks.”

Richard took up boating in 1983 when a friend insisted that Ricardo, a true workaholic, take a vacation. Legend has it that Richard’s friend said, “Richard, take a break….for fifty dollars you can go on a six day trip in the Grand Canyon.” Being the eager, yet thrifty boy that Ricardo is, he said “YES!” and hiked down Havasu Canyon in one day to meet his first boat trip. Having never seen a raft or a rapid before, Ricardo looked at Lava Falls, while his paddleboat companions trembled at the 45,000 cfs flow, and said “What’s the big deal?” A river runner was born. Twelve years and several boats later, Richard helped found the GCPBA to repair the private boater Waiting List and protect the Colorado River.

Richard has also served as an elected public official from time to time in his home town of Jerome, AZ and as Jerome’s Water Commissioner. A father of four boys, and a grandfather of four, Ricardo makes his living as a landlord and spends a great deal of time fraternizing with boats, boaters and their companions, mosquitoes.

When you are out on a Southwestern river and see a big, hairy guy with few clothes on, in a big blue boat, with red frogs on the oars join AW in saying “thank you” for building bridges with the Park Service and outfitter community.

Learn more about the GCPBA at www.GCPBA.org and about the joint agreement on Colorado River Management at “A Grand Solution”, http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/article/1270/.