Happy Mother's Day weekend!

Last weekend's event, the commemorative gathering of the friends of Ed Abbey, was a smashing success. Nearly 300 folks gathered around the campfire there at Pack Creek Ranch and were entertained with tall tales, bad jokes, great music, rants, stories, and priceless memories. For those who missed the event, transcribed excerpts from the evening will be featured in the June issue of the Mountain Gazette. Tapes from the evening will eventually end up at the Northern Arizona University Special Collections. Also at the event, GCI unveiled its new commemorative t-shirts. Go to www.glencanyon.org to pick yours up while they last!

We are sad to announce that Megan Anderson, who has been GCI's Outreach and Development Director since July, has left GCI to guide trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon. We appreciate her dedication to the movement over the past year and wish her the best.

Glen Canyon Adventure Tours has officially changed its name to Glen Canyon Institute Field Trips. In response to some concern voiced by GCI supporters, the name was changed to reflect the educational emphasis of the field trips. GCI has also released a statement justifying the name change and the important role of this educational component in the campaign to restore Glen Canyon. Go to www.glencanyon.org/gcatstatement to view the statement.

On June 11, GCI Field Trips (GCIFT) is leading a guided trip into the Davis Gulch, Fiftymile creek, and Gregory Natural Bridge area. Former Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Dan Beard will be accompanying the group into these incredible drainages at the lower end of the Escalante River. This is truly a fantastic opportunity to witness the legendary canyons of the Glen.

Check out our Field Trip itinerary @ www.glencanyon.org/gcift or at least dust off your maps and plan your own expedition. Either way, tell your friends about it and don't miss your chance to see Glen Canyon!

The Glen Canyon issue has been getting a lot of incredible national press over the last month! With reservoir levels projected to continue dropping steadily over at least the next year, a lot of folks are interested in what the future holds. Reservoir levels have stabilized and may rise slightly over the next month, then will continue to drop steadily. During the last year, water levels dropped about one foot/week; that will continue. With the water level projections, there is increasing interest in the spectacular terrain that is being uncovered as the reservoir retreats. There are quite a few major articles linked below.

We are still accepting photos and film footage for the Glen Canyon Photo/Video Contest. The deadline for entries to be postmarked is July 1st. Winners in each category will receive a GCI gift package. Send entries to: GCI Contest, 450 S. 900 E. #160, SLC, UT 84102. Thanks for your support!

For the Glen,

Christopher Peterson
Executive Director

p.s. We appreciate those who have made contributions to help with the GCI wishlist. We still need a couple of items for some education program work we would like to begin next month. Even if you are only able to contribute for a portion of the cost of either item, please consider making a special donation. Thank you.

*********************GCI WISHLIST********************
Adobe Premier (for Mac) video editing program $250
Apple Power Mac G5 $2000
**********************NEWS LINKS*********************

Water ebbs, worry flows Denver Post
Sunday April 4, 2004 By Theo Stein, Denver Post Environmental Writer
Through several years of drought, Colorado and neighboring states have relied on Lake Powell to deliver water downstream. But as the reservoir's water levels drop, fears of a water war, or of severe shortages, rise. http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%7E23447%7E2059903,00.html

Glen Canyon Dam, Colorado River needs study of real effects Headwater News
Letter to the editor: Christopher Peterson, Glen Canyon Institute; April 8
The Bureau of Reclamation's claim that Glen Canyon Dam is essential to provide guaranteed water to downstream users is misleading, and a real study of the Colorado River's delivery system is even more important in times of drought. A response to the Denver Post article.
http://www.headwatersnews.org/letter040804Peterson.html

Snowmelt forecast 'dismal' Las Vegas Review-Journal
April 9, 2004 Henry Brean
Runoff projections raise possibility stricter water rules just around corner. Reclamation officials predict the flow of water into Lake Powell will be 55 percent of normal this year, down from the 77 percent of normal that was projected one month earlier.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Apr-09-Fri-2004/news/23620920.html

Dust bowl dry The Deseret Morning
April 13, 2004 By Joe Bauman
Lake Powell down to 42% of capacity, but situation not critical News
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595055710,00.html

Arizona Lake Area Faces End of Tourism NPR (audio)
Page, Arizona, was founded a half-century ago to house workers building
the Glen Canyon Dam. The dam was built, Lake Powell was created, and now
Page has grown ...
http://npr.streamsage.com/google/programlist/feature.php?wfid=1869218

Drought Settles In, Lake Shrinks and West's Worries Grow New York Times
May 2, 2004 By Kirk Johnson and Duane E. Johnson
At five years and counting, the drought that has parched much of the West is getting much harder to shrug off as a blip…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/02/national/02DROU.html?ex=1084075200&en=8b187efe66045d4f&ei=5062

Unburied treasures Arizona Republic
May 2, 2004 By John Stanley
As water level drops, Lake Powell reveals old wonders.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/travel/articles/0502powell0425.html

We in West must reassess extent, use of our precious water supply
East Valley Tribune - Mesa,AZ Tribune editorial, May 6, 2004
After six years of unrelenting drought, an uncomfortable question is being asked more frequently in the Southwest: Will we have enough water to sustain human habitation here?
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=21215