News Release: 11/3/2025

Hatch River Expeditions Steps Up When Shuttered Government Lets 7th Grade Class Down

When October’s government shutdown prevented students in North Carolina from meeting with a ranger at Grand Canyon National Park for their class project on climate change, an employee for rafting company Hatch River Expeditions stepped in to help.

Amanda Clapp, seventh grade science teacher at The Catamount School in North Carolina wanted her students to explore the importance of America’s National Parks through a climate-focused lens. As part of the project, small groups would interview rangers from different parks around the country and present their interviews as podcast episodes. Then, on September 30, before the students covering Grand Canyon National Park had an opportunity to speak with a ranger, the federal government shut down.

“The fall is a busy time for educators in the National Parks… Most of the rangers were working hard via email to help the kids with getting information, even if they weren’t able to meet face-to-face. And then they were all furloughed, and the correspondence ended,” said Clapp.

Clapp thought back to the seven-day rafting trip she had taken with Hatch River Expeditions in June 2023. The trip’s participants were teachers sponsored by the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science.

“It was unforgettable!” said Clapp. “I think fondly of Hatch and the great service to the participants and the conservation and education missions of the National Park Service. So, I called for backup.”

Although the reservation staff at Hatch River Expeditions had never fielded an inquiry like Clapp’s, they were eager to help her keep her class on track. Within an hour they had confirmed Eva Hatch as a speaker for Clapp’s class the following Tuesday. Eva Hatch—whose responsibilities for the company include everything from guiding to boat repair to blog writing—has a life-long history of rafting through the Grand Canyon with the company founded by her great-grandfather, Bus Hatch, and currently owned by her father, Steve Hatch.

“The canyon is always changing and there is always something new to learn about it. That’s one of the reasons I love it,” said Eva Hatch. “I had the privilege of being raised within the canyon walls, and with that comes a wealth of ever-growing knowledge that I love sharing with others any chance I get.”

The students guided a discussion from inquiries about the Grand Canyon’s wildlife to changes in animal behavior due to environmental shifts and finally to how they can be involved in the canyon’s protection.

“Their interest in preserving the Grand Canyon is exactly the kind of support it needs,” said Eva Hatch after the interview. “Their questions showed a deep sense of love and responsibility for such an incredible place.”

This conversation was not the company’s first contribution to education. Hatch River Expeditions has a long history of partnering each year with educational groups, clubs and colleges to offer trips—like the one Clapp joined in 2023—exclusively tailored to those organizations. Off-river opportunities like the one to speak directly to Clapp’s students come up less frequently, but whenever feasible the company relishes the opportunity to help.

In some cases, that means helping with educational efforts that aren’t directly about the Grand Canyon. Throughout the 2025 season, Hatch River Expeditions partnered with Braetan Peters, an undergraduate research student from Elon University in North Carolina studying how people’s engagement with smartphones changes after being unable to access them for extended periods. The company gave its 2025 clients an opportunity to opt into the study, helping Peters collect data for her neurobehavioral research project.

“Grand Canyon is probably one of the last places left where your phone can’t constantly get internet. We hope we can help her get what she needs,” said Steve Hatch of the research.

Of the company’s contributions to education more generally Steve Hatch said, “Not very many people in the world get access to the Grand Canyon the way we do. Whenever we can, we like to use that access to help people.”

Hatch River Expeditions is a third generation, family-owned rafting company in Northern Arizona. The company has been providing white water rafting trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon since 1934. Hatch River Expeditions is a concession contract holder with Grand Canyon National Park.

Hatch River Expeditions
5348 East Burris Lane
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
http://hatchriverexpeditions.com/