Colorado River Update! “Top Ten Reasons To Tear Down Glen Canyon Dam”

Hi Friends of the Colorado River!

Bob Dylan once said, “If you’re not busy being born, then you’re busy dying.”

Well, Save The Colorado sure as heck ain’t dying. In fact, this week we are birthing two exciting new efforts. First, we are launching our “Tear Down Glen Canyon Dam” campaign, and second, we are launching our Youtube channel to better communicate on social media and with all of you.

First: Glen Canyon Dam has been one of the most controversial dams in the history of the U.S. Our Board of Directors recently endorsed a campaign to advocate for decommissioning the dam and tearing it down. The timing is right to do just that — drought and climate change, as well as all of the enormous environmental problems the dam has caused, create the perfect opportunity to launch our campaign. And, we did it on Youtube.

Please check out our new video, “Top Ten Reasons To Tear Down Glen Canyon Dam” by clicking here.  Tearing down this relic dam would save water, save money, save farms, and put an end to the environmental destruction and bad political decisions caused by this dam for over 50 years. Click here to see the video.

Second, “The Revolution Is Happening Online”, and so our YouTube channel is where we are going to start doing a larger portion of our communications with you all and the rest of the public. Over the coming months, you can get more information about our work — from me, from our board, and from other people associated with protecting and restoring the Colorado River — by subscribing to our channel and following us on Facebook and Twitter.

In this video from last week, we discussed our “No New Dams and Diversions” policy and pointed to many of the proposed dam projects we are in the process of working to stop.  Even though the river is drained dry at the end, even though endangered species are struggling to survive, and even though climate change threatens the river even more, there are actually several proposals for new dams and diversions on the river and its tributaries that would further accelerate all the problems. Our policy is “No New Dams and Diversions” and we implement this policy throughout the permitting process of the projects and in court if needed. Click here to watch the video.

In addition, our “No New Dams and Diversions” policy is being rapidly implemented. We are preparing legal actions against two proposed dams in Colorado (stay tuned in the next few weeks!), and addressing the threat of several others in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. We are at the cutting edge of working to stop dams and protect the river!

Finally, three weeks ago we had our annual raft trip with the support of OARS Whitewater Rafting. Twenty three of us had a great 6-day trip in Desolation Canyon on the Green River. The weather was hot, the water cool, and we mostly had a tailwind at our backs. Enjoy the photo below, and thank you for your support!

Stay tuned for more action!

Gary Wockner, Director, Save The Colorado