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Save The Colorado River Update: All Eyes on Lake Powell?

Hello Friends of the Colorado River!

Lake Powell made a lot of news the past few weeks.  As you know, Lake Powell is not a natural lake, but the massive reservoir created by Glen Canyon Dam just upstream from the Grand Canyon along the Colorado River.  First, the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline — an effort to divert nearly 100,000 acre feet of water out of the Lake and pipe it 139 miles to southwest Utah — received a blow when the Utah Governor’s office predicted that population growth would not be nearly as fast as the proponents of the pipeline predicted.  Read about it in the Salt Lake City Desert News here.  Second, ongoing scientific studies once again have predicted that climate change throughout the Colorado River basin might even dry up Lake Powell, along with its downstream neighbor Lake Mead.  A major study released this week by the U.S. Forest Service, Princeton University, and Colorado State University predicts that climate change may have devastating impacts on the Colorado River basin and the two large reservoirs.  Read about it here in the Summit County Voice.

Are the water buffaloes slowly “evolving” into environmentalists?  Could be true!  Please join us in “Thanking” one of the members of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Russell George, for his vote and remarks in support of recreational flows in the Colorado River.  In a first-time-in history vote, the Board voted to fund the “Gore Canyon Whitewater Park” in Grand County, Colorado to the tune of $500,000.  Long thought of as a bastion of dams and water developers, the Board may be changing as George’s quote in the Grand Junction Free Press moves the discussion in a better direction:  “The time has come to recognize non-consumptive water rights have a place at the table in Colorado,” said CWCB’s Colorado Basin Director Russell George. “Just a few years ago, this would have been inconceivable, but we’re evolving.” Please click here to send a quick “Thank You” to Boardmember Russell George.  When officials do good, we want to let them know — please click through now.

Could you paddle 1,500 miles down the Colorado River in 3 minutes? No?  Well, maybe yes, because these guys did.  Check out this quick fun video by Will Stauffer-Norris.  From the Vimeo page: “Have you ever seen an entire river? This is a 113 day journey down the Green and Colorado Rivers, from source to sea. We started in the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming in October 2011, and finished at the Sea of Cortez, Mexico in January 2012. The river begins as a trickle, carves ever deeper and more spectacular canyons, and is reduced to a trickle again by water diversions.” Click through here to watch the short video on vimeo.  Stauffer-Norris is famous for his “Source to Sea” paddling adventure, and he continues to paddle and document those adventures on the website: DownTheColorado.org.

Go Team!

Gary Wockner, Director
Save The Colorado River Campaign

 

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