Testimonial from Joel Bourne (Author of National Geographic article)
James and company, I just wanted to thank you once again for a spectacular trip down the Middle Fork, and especially for the attention you gave to my son, Sam. You’ve got an excellent crew of guides, and we enjoyed our time in the boats with each of them. I also appreciate your focus on curing “nature deficit disorder” in today’s kids by safely introducing them to wild places, wild rivers and the rich cultural history of the region. You are planting the seeds for the river rats–and protectors–of tomorrow. It was by far the best guided trip I’ve been on, and I’ve been on a few.

All the best,
Joel K. Bourne, Jr.
Contributing Writer
National Geographic

Joel Bourne, the writer for the Nov, 2011 issue for National Geographic Magazine, traveled with his son Sam on an MFRE trip in summer 2010 for use on the article.

Boundless Rivers, by Joel K. Bourne, Jr., photographed by Michael Melford (Page 134) For most of the 20th century, the federal government seemed determined to dam virtually all the major rivers in the country, harnessing their power for electricity, irrigation, navigation, water supply and flood control, with little regard to the lasting effects on the rivers themselves. But in 1968 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, sparing eight rivers and narrow buffer zones around them from dams and development. The Act was passed largely thanks to the work of twin brothers, John and Frank Craighead, and now covers 200 rivers in 39 states and Puerto Rico. Author Joel Bourne, Jr., writes of how crucial the Craigheads’ work was: “Because [they] and others loved moving, living, untarnished waters, we now have some left to cherish.”