RESTORE AND PROTECT GLEN CANYON
February 7 , 2005
Volume 4 No. 2
Howdy Friends of the Glen,
Thanks to all of you for your interest in Glen Canyon and the
support you offer GCI. During our end-of-year membership renewal drive, we
have been blessed with a fantastic response and a steady stream of
membership renewal letters. For those of you who haven't gotten around to
renewing your GCI membership and support for a healthy Colorado River and a
restored Glen Canyon, I have great news: You can now renew online with any
major credit card on our new secure server. It's a piece of cake; just go
to:
http://www.glencanyon.org/jo in/renew.php . Our online store is also
available now , so it is easier than ever to buy Glen Canyon related items.
Our field trips program for 2005 is proving to be in high demand
with a number of our spring trips either full or very close to full. If you
want to come see Glen Canyon with us this year, please make your reservation
soon while space is still available! Check our website to see what is
available:
http://www.glencanyon.org/g cift/index.php or email Jason
Shumaker. We'd also like to announce a 2006 Grand Canyon Dory Trip with Jeri
Ledbetter. The trip will run in April of next year and will be just under
three weeks long. Don't wait to sign up for this trip either- available
slots will surely be snatched up quickly. See more information below.
Restored Big Bend in Fifty Mile Gulch
Photo By Steve Cole, 2004
We have recently begun our new program, the Glen Canyon GIS
Mapping Project. This project will utilize the most complete GIS information
available for Glen Canyon, as well as brand new GIS information gathered by
volunteers in the emerging canyons. That's right, we are looking for
volunteers to help us conduct the Citizens' Inventory of Glen Canyon. This
is an amazing opportunity for adventurous folks to experience the revealed
landscape of the Glen while assisting in institute in gathering important
information about emerging resources. Please contact Jason immediately for
more information at 801.363.4450 .
We are pleased to announce the Glen Canyon Youth Sponsorship
Program; started with the support of long-time GCI member and friend, Jerry
Dixon, this special program creates a unique opportunity for youth to come
with us to explore and learn about Glen Canyon. Jerry's hope with
establishing this program was to enable deserving youth to experience the
beauty and magic of Glen Canyon during their formative years when it will
most strongly impact their lives. If you are interested in sponsoring a
deserving youth by contributing part or all of the GCI Field Trip Tuition,
please contact Jason @ 801.363.4450. For those youth, ages 12-20,
interested in applying for a scholarship, please send us a photo of yourself
and a letter explaining why you want to experience Glen Canyon and what you
hope to get out of the trip. Scholarships will be awarded as funds are
donated to provide them.
There have been a number of interesting articles during the past
month, including a nice feature story in the Salt Lake City Weekly. See
newslinks below. Also keep your eyes open for a great Glen Canyon feature in
the March issue of National Geographic Adventure due out in mid-February.
For those interested and able to attend, there will be a panel on Glen
Canyon at Weber State University on February 9th that GCI will participate
in. See more info below under events. And finally, please consider the GCI
wishlist below; these are items that would be very helpful for the institute
as we continue to work for a restored and protected Glen Canyon. Please
grant one of our wishes if you can.
Thanks for your support and please remember to spread the word
about Glen Canyon's remarkable comeback.
For the River,
Christopher Peterson
Executive Director
***********************
Wish list:
We need a 4-stroke motor: GCI recently received the generous
donation of a boat for our Field Trips program to lead clean-ups and other
boat accessed trips into the Glen's side canyons. It is currently equipped
with a 2-stroke 90 hp motor, and we would like to make it more
environmentally friendly with a more efficient 4-stroke. Please contact
Chris Peterson at 801-363-4450 for more details if you would like to make a
contribution toward the cost of an $8000 motor.
To view other GCI Wish List items, visit
http://www.glencanyon.org /join/wishlist.php
*******************
Events:
GCI Executive Director, Chris Peterson will be discussing the
future of Glen Canyon and the Colorado River with Barry Wirth from the
Bureau of Reclamation and students from Weber State University in Ogden, UT
on Wed. Feb.9th at 12 pm. For more information call the Weber State Honors
department at 435-626-7591.
*******************************
2006 GCI Grand Canyon Dory Trip
Join Glen Canyon Institute and former Executive Director Jeri
Ledbetter for an amazing Dory experience-of-a-lifetime in the Grand Canyon.
The Colorado River through Grand Canyon - the ultimate river trip - offers
the longest stretch of roadless river in the lower 48 and is noted for
magnificent scenery, exciting whitewater, and amazing side hikes. There's
simply no other place like it on the planet. We'll be traveling the full
length of the Canyon, from Lees Ferry to Lake Mead reservoir. Along the way
you will learn about the natural and cultural history of the canyon, as well
as the geology and ecology while floating down the river and exploring the
beautiful side canyons. Grand Canyon veteran Jeri Ledbetter will provide
insight into Glen Canyon Dam's impacts on the delicate ecosystem of the
Colorado River.
This is an intimate, leisurely, unbroken trip, launching on
April 2 (This date and length are tentative, pending final NPS approval)
from Lee's Ferry, Arizona. We will have a maximum of eighteen participants,
plus nine support crew. The crew is made up of highly experienced guides who
have been rowing dories through Grand Canyon for many years. We're going in
early April, when the desert is in bloom, campfires are legal, the weather
is cool enough for hiking, and the summer crowds have not yet arrived.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the diverse desert
southwest and explore the hidden coves and glens of the Grand. Space is
going quickly, so reserve your spot now. Contact Jason @ 801.363.4450 .
No previous experience is necessary.
Cost: $3990 (an additional $500 contribution is suggested)
Deposit: $500 to hold space
Final payment due by December 15, 2005
April 2-23 (22 days)
************************************
GCI Field Trips- Reserve your spot now for 2005 trips!
Our scheduled backpacking and boat cleanup trips are filling up
fast so get your reservations in as soon as possible! Check our website to
see what is available:
http://www.glencanyon.org/gcift/index.php or call
Jason Shumaker at 801.363.4450.
******************
NewsLinks:
Do or Dry
Salt Lake City Weekly
New studies on climate and a dwindling economy for those
dependent on reservoir that's quickly drying up may mean a new life for Glen
Canyon.
http://www.slweekly.com/editorial/2005/feat_2005-01-13.cfm
One wet winter shouldn't lull concerns about drought
Headwaters News
Colorado's recent wet spell is some cause for celebration, but a
more prudent and long-term vision would plan for more drought coming. Paul
Larmer, Writers on the Range; Jan. 20
http://www.headwatersnews.org/writersLarmer012005.html
Warm-weather woes
Aspen Times
Climate predictions are for warmer winters with less snowpack in
Colorado.
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20050125/NEWS/101250007
Written in the Rings
High Country News
The study of tree rings opens a window into the West's distant
past, and
warns us that the region's future may be dangerously hot and
dry.
http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=15219
A crisis brews on the Colorado
High Country News
As the Colorado River Basin enters a sixth year of drought, the
Interior
Department orders seven states to start coordinating their
management of the
dwindling water supply.
http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=15222
Glen Canyon Reborn?
Best Friends Magazine
Mother Nature may be taking the debate into her own hands,
draining the lake and restoring Glen Canyon to reveal new options for the
future.
http://www.bestfriends.org/allthegoodnews/magazine/BFMJan05.pdf
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