Fees refund for Colorado River permit holders

Julie Jacobson / AP

Groups of river runners gather their gear and make camp a dirt parking lot near the Colorado River access point at Lee’s Ferry, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, in Marble Canyon, Ariz. After waiting anywhere from two to 17 years for a permit to run the river through the Grand Canyon, river runners from as far away as Austria made camp in hopes that the 5-day-old government shutdown would end soon enough to open access to the river.

Associated Press

Monday, Oct. 7, 2013 | 1:17 p.m.

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — River permit holders denied their scheduled launch because of the government shutdown at Grand Canyon National Park will receive a refund for fees. National Park Service officials announced Monday that permit holders also will be entitled to reschedule for a Colorado River trip with their choice of dates until 2016. However, they must submit their choices within 60 days of the park's reopening. No more than three launches will be permitted in a day and the new trip must adhere to the trip length of the chosen season. Commercial river companies that have scheduled launches during the government shutdown will be able to carry over lost user days in the 2014 season. Twenty-one private river launches and six commercial launches were scheduled in the first two weeks in October.