An Arizona man has been convicted of giving illegal tours of the Grand Canyon.
William Chandler Woods, of Flagstaff, was found organizing and leading multiple guided backpacking trips to the Colorado Plateau without obtaining a Commercial Use Authorization, according to KUTV. Woods plead guilty on April 8 after the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case.
Woods would organize these tours under several company names, including Blue Marble Guides, Canyons and Chefs, Blue Marble Adventure Geotourism and Red Rock Culinary.
"CUAs are required for all commercially-guided activities, including backcountry hiking, that results in compensation, monetary gain, benefit or profit within Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area," the National Park Service said in a statement.
Authorities said Woods was contacted and warned about his illegal operation, but did not stop giving these guided tours.
Woods has been sentenced to two years of supervised probation and has been banned from Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area for the next two years.