Steve Welch, General Manager, ARTA, Stribling's New York Radio Show
ARTA.
The American River Touring Association
A non-profit corporation
WHAT WE BELIEVE: We believe in magic. We believe in Mother Nature. We believe in solar power and no electricity. We believe in family, friends and complete strangers. We believe in our children’s grandchildren. We believe you can’t have too much fun but you can have too much stuff. We believe that getting away from it all brings us closer to everything. We believe in looking forward and giving back. We believe in minimum impact living and life-changing moments. We believe in river trips.
MISSION STATEMENT: To introduce our guests to the wilderness and to involve them in our trips in a manner that is safe, meaningful, and beneficial to both the individual and the environment.
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN MISSION STATEMENT: Appreciate. Educate. Donate.
GOAL: Our goal is to conduct safe river trips which promote a sense of involvement and fulfillment; foster an appreciation of the wilderness; are legendary in their professionalism and satisfaction; and are a great deal of fun.
STYLE: We run trips that are participatory in nature and which compliment the pristine natural environment through which we are traveling. Our guests are welcome to become as involved in the trip as they desire and we encourage this involvement by hiring people who enjoy sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge of the outdoors with others. Our trips are wholesome and humorous and we tend to attract people who appreciate the social and wilderness aspects of a trip as much as they enjoy the whitewater.
HISTORY: ARTA was founded in 1963 by Lou Elliott, a printer by profession and an outdoorsman by avocation. Through his association with the Sierra Club, Lou took numerous trips down the rivers of the world and founded ARTA with the purpose of exposing as many people as possible to the values of wild rivers and pristine canyons. Lou's original motivation, which is still our inspiration today, was the belief that once exposed, people would treasure and protect these resources for future generations. ARTA is a non-profit corporation because we believe that our nation's wilderness areas belong to everyone and that no individual should profit from their use. We were the first outfitter to offer river trips throughout the West, hence we operate on a wide selection of rivers and have a generous choice of launch dates. We have an excellent safety record and a wealth of experience under a variety of conditions.
STRUCTURE: ARTA is a mutual benefit, non-profit corporation registered with the State of California. We are not tax exempt, but our assets are held by the State. All of our profits are either reinvested in the company or donated to conservation organizations. We have an 11 person Board of Directors, a year-round staff of 3 to 5 people and a seasonal staff of nearly 50. Our main office is in Groveland, California, about 5 miles from the Tuolumne River and about 20 miles from Yosemite National Park.
SCOPE: We conduct trips in California, (the Middle and South Forks of the American, Tuolumne and Merced); in Oregon, (the Rogue, Illinois, and Klamath); in Idaho, (the Main Salmon, Middle Fork Salmon, and Selway), and in Utah, (the Green through Lodore Canyon, the Green through Desolation Canyon, and the Yampa).