Happy Holidays Friends

As the end of the year approaches, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, our GCI members and friends, for all of your support throughout 2004. This has been an eventful year and the momentum toward a healthy Colorado River has grown exponentially. I assure you that amidst the difficult political climate in the coming years, the restoration of Glen Canyon will continue as Mother Nature pushes her own agenda.
Despite a number of early storms in the West, scientific evidence shows a continued downward trend in the hydrograph of the Colorado River. And inflows to Lake Powell remain below average. Government studies predict a slightly below average winter, allowing the restoration of Glen Canyon to continue. No matter what the winter holds, this spring promises a number of historic events as the dropping reservoir levels reach their lowest elevations ever. Following a second experimental flood in the Grand Canyon last month (see newslinks below), the sediment pile at the base of the waterfall in Cathedral in the Desert has come out of the water for the first time in nearly 40 years. As water levels continue to drop, we expect the entire floor to emerge, as well as the arch of Gregory Natural Bridge. If you haven’t visited the Glen’s emerging landscape recently, this is the year to do it and GCI is providing a number of opportunities to get in there. Read on as Jason Shumaker, GCI’s Field Trip Program Manager and Membership Director fill you in on the various trip options into the Glen.

Thank you again and please renew your support of this important work. Glen Canyon Institute continues to lead the fight to restore Glen Canyon and is working overtime currently to develop an exciting new plan to protect the reemerging landscape of America’s lost national park.
Free the Colorado!

Christopher Peterson

p.s. for those of you along the Wasatch Front, join us this week for a few free screenings of the documentary: Monumental: David Brower’s fight for wild America. More information below.

*****Upcoming Events*********

Free Screenings of the new documentary:

Monumental: David Brower’s Fight for Wild America

12/8 Salt Lake City, UT, University of Utah, Orson Spencer Hall auditorium, 3pm, free

12/8 Salt Lake City, UT, Brewvies Cinema Pub, 677 S. 200 W., 7pm, free

12/9 Sponsored by Ecoresponse @ BYU Wilkinson Center (WSC) room 3380, 7pm MAP http://map.byu.edu/campusmap.pdf

12/10 Sponsored by USU Outdoor Recreation Center, Logan Utah, USU Taggart Student Center Auditorium, 7pm
MAP http://extension.usu.edu/workshops/loganmap.pdf

For more information on any of these events, contact Ericka Wells at 801-363-4450

**********GLEN CANYON INSTITUTE FIELD TRIPS**************

The first year of our GCIFT program was an outstanding success due to the support of each of the participants who joined us to explore the amazing restoring side canyons of the Glen. With the anticipation of even lower reservoir levels in 2005, we have expanded our program to include more hiking trips and new boat access tours.

Boat Trips
We are excited about our boat trips which will begin in March. Each group will explore the reservoir for five days on our newly reovated pontoon boat with a knowledgeable guide who will take you to the many emerging natural features within the Glen. We will also do our part to anticipate the return of Glen Canyon by donating a day of the trip to picking up trash along the reservoir shoreline. http://www.glencanyon.org/gcift/index.php

Canyon Inventory
In an effort to gain a greater knowledge of the restoring side canyons of the Glen, GCI has initiated a canyon inventory program. Volunteers will be asked to explore assigned canyons of the greater Glen Canyon area to gather data regarding current reservoir levels, wildlife activity, plant life, etc. which will be compiled for scientific study and the GCIFT program. Here are some details below.

Pay: Little to none
Chances of Fame: Unrealistic
Physical Striffe: Unbearable
Risk to Personal Safety: High
Personal Reward: Unmeasurable

If interested, email a brief resume to me

**********NEWSLINKS************

Glen Canyon Dam test flow raises questions about future management
LAND LETTER, December 2, 2004
Eight years after an experimental flood aimed at boosting the faltering ecosystem in Grand Canyon National Park, dam operators have opened the bypass tubes once again. But whether or not the experiment fares better than its failed predecessor, Grand Canyon stewards say it will undoubtedly raise difficult questions about how the dam should be managed in the future.
click here to read the article

California governor to Consider removing Yosemite Dam
Los Angeles Times, November 15, 2004
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told his resource director to study the possibility of removing the dam in Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy Valley, a dream of environmentalists but the source of drinking water for 2.4 million San Francisco-area residents.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hetch12nov12,1,1871766.story?coll=la-headlines-california

Federal Researcher warns Western Drought may be long
Denver Rocky Mountain News, November 9, 2004
A federal climate researcher said historically warmer waters in the northern Atlantic spell drought for the West, and the current nine-year warm spell shows no signs of fading.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3315030,00.html