March 2005 Newsletter
Free the Colorado!
April 11, 2005
Volume 4 No. 4
Greetings Friends!
Tonight, ABC Nightline will run a half-hour story on the restoration of Glen Canyon. After the local evening news, watch the movement to restore a healthy Colorado River in a report including interviews with Secretary Norton, Dr. Tom Myers, Rich Ingebretsen, and myself. Many people have been working a long time to restore Glen Canyon and protect the dying Grand Canyon. All of that hard work, by so many for so long, is now paying off as water demand in the West steadily lowers water surpluses at Glen Canyon over the coming years.
Demand has grown to surpass the amount of water actually flowing in the Colorado River. On top of that, some dry years have given us back enough of Glen Canyon to show why it shouldn't have been flooded in the first place. This presents an historic opportunity that was barely imaginable just a few years ago.
The public debate that was never held for Glen Canyon is finally entering a national arena and I ask you to help. This summer, Glen Canyon will be back under 25-50 feet of water. Priceless historical sites Fort Moqui, Register Rock, Hole in the Rock Inscriptions, and spectacular features such as Cathedral in the Desert will unnecessarily drown during the next two months.
There is ample room in the Colorado River Basin's headwater and lower basin storage facilities, making it unnecessary to keep any of the average runoff this year in Glen Canyon. (*hydrologic explanation below). Let your voice be heard in support of Glen Canyon, "America's Lost National Park." Please sign up for future updates on the Campaign for Glen Canyon and sign our online petition telling Secretary Norton to avoid the unnecessary flooding of Glen Canyon this year. The water will be receding again this fall and we want to be sure it stays that way in order to protect the treasures of Glen Canyon.
We are building a coalition of nonprofits, businesses, and individuals who support this effort and will spread the word through their networks and friends. We invite you to join the Coalition for Glen Canyon.
If you haven't visited the website recently, be sure to check it out again for the latest campaign info and recent photos of the restoring canyons. Please read on to see NY Times and LA Times articles, and contact us for information about how you can get more involved.
For the Glen,
Christopher Peterson
Executive Director
Glen Canyon Institute
GCIFT Update:
Due to overwhelming response, all GCI Field Trips service boat-accessed cleanup trips for 2005 are completely booked. All who are interested in seeing Glen Canyon should contact the National Park Service @ 928.608.6404
We are continuing to work with the NPS to ensure all interested parties can find a way to see Glen Canyon. Keep posted for new volunteer opportunities in GCNRA.
For now, contact the park service for information on their trash pickup program and graffitti removal programs or email them with the subject line Trash Tracker Reservation.
Want to know how to get into Cathedral in the Desert? Find out here! To access Cathedral in the Desert by boat, contact Aramark.
Upcoming Events:
April 11, 2005: ABC Nightline is featuring Glen Canyon and the future of the Colorado River this Monday at 11:35 pm EST. Interviews with GCI Board President Richard Ingebretsen, GCI Executive Director Christopher Peterson, and Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton will be highlighted.
April 22, 2005: Christopher Peterson, GCI Executive Director, will be presenting the latest on Glen Canyon at the Patagonia Earth Day Celebration in Ventura, CA. Come out and show your support for Glen Canyon.
Great Pacific Iron Works
235 W. Clara St.
Ventura, CA
10am-4pm
May 5, 2005: Tom McCourt, author of "White Canyon: Remembering the Little Town at the Bottom of Lake Powell," will be speaking at the Visitor's Center in Moab, Utah on Thursday, May 5, at 7:00pm. Tom will be showing slides and talking about his adventures at Hite, White Canyon, and the red deserts of Southern Utah in the 1950s.
Check out our calendar to see all upcoming events and find out how to schedule something in your area.
Take Action!
Send a letter to Congress demanding that Cathedral in the Desert, Register Rock and Fort Moqui not be flooded again.
Download Sample Letter
And if you have not done so already, sign on to our petition to protect Glen Canyon and Fill Mead First!
Donate to GCI:
Your generous donations help us ensure that Glen Canyon is not forgotten again! Support Glen Canyon today.
Donate Now!
Wishlist:
We're still looking for a 4-stroke 150 hp boat motor for our volunteer service boat. For more information on this and other items we are wishing for, check out our wishlist.
Forward This On To Your Friends!
Please forward this newsletter on to tell your friends about the current restoration of "America's Lost National Park"!
Recent Photos:
Check out the latest photos of the restoration of Glen Canyon!
**Hydrologic Explanation: Re-flooding Cathedral in the Desert and Glen Canyon this Spring is not necessary. National Resources Conservation Service predicts 8.6 million acre feet (maf) Upper Basin runoff between April-July 2005. This spring, 6.4 maf will be used, evaporate, or be released to downstream users, leaving 2.2 maf "surplus", which can easily be stored in the Upper Basin's 2.4 maf of available storage, or at Lake Mead's 11.1 maf available storage..
see the whole report
Win a Trip to Glen Canyon!
We're giving away a trip for 2 into Glen Canyon. Just get two of your friends to join GCI at the Individual Level or higher and we'll enter your name into a drawing to win a trip to Glen Canyon on one of our 2006 GCIFT trips. Click here for full details.
Newslinks:
Despite rain, drought may not be over
Patrice St. Germain
St. George Daily Spectrum
March 16, 2005
"If you get your water from Lake Mead or Lake Powell, you are still having a bad time because you don't have all the water you need." Brian McInerney, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.
America's Lost National Park: Glen Canyon Slowly Reappears
Maureen Clarke
Frommers.com
March 17, 2005
This article highlights the places that are emerging from beneath Lake Powell. It discusses the possibility of National Park designation for Glen Canyon and features several of the GCI Field Trip opportunities to visit the Glen.
Uranium Mill May Get Second Chance
Steven Oberbeck
Salt Lake Tribune
March 19, 2005
This is a disturbing article. U.S. Energy Corp. has applied for a license to reopen the Shootering Canyon uranium mill about 15 miles north of Lake Powell near Ticaboo. In light of the ongoing debate over the Moab tailings pile, there should be some resistance to the reopening.
Limited Water Supplies Force Balance of Interests in US Southwest
Mike Sullivan
VOA News
March 19, 2005
"There is no new water, only the water that now exists, which evaporates, falls as rain and snow, and feeds streams and rivers as it cycles time and again through a natural system. Those in the West with a stake in water may differ on some things, but many agree that conservation, recycling and better management will ensure that farmers, ranchers, and city dwellers get the water while preserving the natural environment."
Exposing Utah's depths
Susan Spano
Los Angeles Times
April 3, 2005
Asix-year drought has dropped Lake Powell's water level, revealing a once-hidden world. Hikers can explore the sculptured canyons, spires and arches -- for now.
From the Depths, A Cathedral Emerges
Tom Price
New York Times
April 8, 2005
"There's now a chance to explore places no one has ever been," Dr Ingebretsen said. "It's like a new national park has been born, right in the middle of what had been just another flat lake."
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