Colorado River Update: Crazy times on the Colorado River and we still score victories!

Hi Friends of the Colorado River!

It is your support that keeps us working! Please donate online here: http://savethecolorado.org/donate/

It’s Crazy Times on the Colorado River and we are in the thick of it. We’re THRILLED to report all three of our major programs received big media attention over the last month, and we even had two victories!

First, our “No New Dams and Diversions” campaign continues to resonate with the public and media. As the two major Colorado River reservoirs collapse, it’s Dumb and Dumber to be building more and more dams and reservoirs. Yet, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming are trying to do just that.

The New York Sun, in Albany, talked to us at length and highlighted just how Dumb it is to be building more diversions when the federal government is now forcing less water to be diverted from the Colorado River and its tributaries.

I told the Sun, “When you’re in a hole, stop digging.” Yet, the Upper Basin states are still digging. We’ll continue to fight every proposed dam, and continue to argue that Denver Water and Northern Water should STOP constructing their two projects now. Stay tuned as we continue to race forward with this campaign.

Second, our “Tear Down Glen Canyon Dam” campaign is getting A LOT of media attention because the water level in Lake Powell is falling rapidly – approaching “dead pool” – and because our boardmember, Daniel P. Beard, keeps reminding the public and media that Glen Canyon Dam is a relic of the past that serves no purpose. Dan Beard is a former Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, appointed by President Clinton, and author of the book, Deadbeat Dams: Why we need to abolish the Bureau of Reclamation and tear down Glen Canon Dam.

Dan talked to multiple media outlets over the past few weeks including E&E News, the Salt Lake Tribune, the Arizona Daily Star, and the New York Sun. In the Salt Lake Tribune, Dan took to task a group of power boaters who are actually advocating to refill the Lake. The impossible task of refilling Powell would require drying up MILLIONS of acres of farms just to keep motor boats running, surely a fool’s errand. Instead, Dan argues that the feds should focus on abandoning Lake Powell and saving Lake Mead.

In E&E News, Dan hit the same chord, arguing that it’s time to give up on Lake Powell. And, on August 16^th, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation – which Dan used to lead – actually came out with a statement saying that it was going to start studying “bypassing Glen Canyon Dam”. This is HUGE news and we’ll be writing more about it in the future – stay tuned!

Third, our Rights of Nature for Rivers campaign continues to SCORE VICTORIES and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

We thrilled to announce that a few weeks ago, the Board of Trustees of Grand Lake, Colorado, passed our “Rights of Nature for the Grand Lake Watershed” resolution. If you’ve never been to Grand Lake, it’s the largest natural lake in Colorado, at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park, and surely one of the most beautiful spots in the whole state. We can think of no other place in Colorado where NATURE plays a more important role in the local culture and economy, and where RIGHTS OF NATURE makes so much sense.

We send a Huge THANK YOU to the Board of Trustees for passing our resolutions, and a huge thank you to our local members, Ken Fucik, and Kirsten Heckendorf, for pushing the resolution forward with the Town. A true grassroots effort working on the Hearts and Minds, Rights of Nature for Rivers’ time has come. We looking forward to working together with Grand Lake to further support Rights of Nature in the beautiful watershed.

We’re also happy to report that our Rights of Nature for the Boulder Creek watershed resolution, passed by the Town of Nederland, CO, last year, is still reaping rewards. Working with our local members in Nederland, we again brought attention to an illegal mining activity associated with the mine upstream of Nederland. The Colorado Sun ran a story about the mine, and the State of Colorado shut the mining work down! Again, a GRASSROOTS victory for local citizens, for the local watershed, and for environmental protection more generally.

Once again, let me emphasize that we are a very small, very aggressive river-protection organization, and that it is solely YOUR SUPPORT that keeps us working and fighting to protect the Colorado River!

We eschew money from major foundations with strings attached so we can speak Truth To Power to the public, media, and the courts. We are YOUR VOICE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

Save The Colorado Board of Directors:

Gary Wockner, John Fielder, Dan Beard, Mark Easter, Mark Dubois, Terry Odendahl, Rob Harding, Meg Sheehan, Emily Hite

Please donate online: http://savethecolorado.org/donate/

Gary Wockner
Director
Save The Colorado