May 25, 7 days, Bluff to Clay Hills: Join us for seven leisurely days
floating through this jewel of the desert southwest as the broad,
breathtaking vistas of the upper San Juan give way to deep, meandering
canyons downstream, and take time to enjoy awesome traces of ancient people
(ruins, pottery, incredible rock art) just off the riverside.
June 5, 3 days, Bluff to Mexican Hat: See the ancient cliff dwellings and
numerous rock-art sites (short hikes from river) of the ancient Anasazi
Indians, including the legendary Butler Wash Petroglyph Panel and other
historic treasures while traveling this 26 mile stretch at a leisurely pace
which allows plenty of time for exploration.

April 3, Logan, UT, Logan High School, room N-18, 12:15pm - 3:45pm
April 10, Ogden, UT, Ogden High School, room 235, 1:25pm - 2:35pm
Richard Ingebretsen, MD, Ph.D., founder, Glen Canyon Institute, delivers a
photo-filled PowerPoint presentation explaining the genesis of the Glen
Canyon dam, the environmental impact of 40 dam years, the political and
legal perspectives, the case for decommissioning, and shares his special
selection of awe-inspiring canyon photos.

April 22, 5th Annual Earth Fest, a celebration of Earth Day held on the NAU
Campus (exact location TBA). GCI will have a table to hand out brochures and
answer questions. If you're not in the Flagstaff area, you can find earth
day events near you at http://www.earthday.com/events/events-us.stm.

May 1, 7:30 p.m., Bemis Great Hall, Colorado College, Colorado Springs,
Deric Pamp will give a free lecture, slide show and discussion of the water,
economic, and environmental costs of maintaining Glen Canyon Dam, entitled
"Dam Law and Damn Dam: Politics, Water Waste and Ecological Change at Glen
Canyon Dam".

May 10, Boat Trip to the Cathedral in the Desert, an education/awareness
event for media to join Rich Ingebretsen and Dave Wegner, scientist and GCI
Trustee, to see the newly exposed Cathedral in the Desert (water line is at
50%). If you or someone you know is in the news media and would like to meet
us in Salt Lake City or Lake Powell to participate, contact Chris Peterson
at 801-918-0860 or chris@savethewest.org by April 15, 2003. A $50 fee will
apply to non-accredited journalists.


2. NEWS/STORIES

GCI President Rich Ingebretsen's story of his experiences with Glen Canyon from boyhood to the present, in addition to the history the Dam and its role in the growth of the Western environmental movement. http://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/feb-march2003/rich.htm

Amidst allegations of conspiracy between the Bush administration and Los Angeles' MWD, a U.S. district court issued an injunction blocking Interior Secretary Gale Norton's decision to cut Imperial Valley's lower basin water allocation while upholding her decision to shrink California's total allocation. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20030319-9999_1n19water.html

The Navajo Nation, which has been waiting 15 years for clarification of it's Colorado River water allocation, is suing the federal government to get an answer. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0317navajowater17.html

Glen Canyon Land Swap Gets Approved in House http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03262003/utah/41848.asp

This AP story suggests that early efforts to save the endangered humpback chub, whose numbers have dwindled as a result of the damming of Glen Canyon, may be working, though not everybody agrees. http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=61912

Scientists trying to save native fish in the Grand Canyon have found a "smoking gill." http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0309B1-talker09.html

The Sacramento Bee discusses the drought and low water line at Lake Powell in some depth, and quotes Rich Ingebretsen and his hat. (You can order your own "Damn Dam" hat at our web site.)
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/projects/powell/story/6373636p-7326446c.html

Page jetski dealers sue to remove the Glen Canyon PWC ban. (Even if this suit dies, its expected that ban will be at least partially lifted by the DOI in the late summer after a final EIS supersedes the current draft EIS, which we're happy to send to you if curious.) http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=62043

Nice article covering the past century's history of the Colorado River, including the genesis of the Salton Sea, river water allocation, dam construction and impacts above and through Glen and Grand Canyons. http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/Stories/0,1413,209~22484~1250578,00.html

3. WE ARE NOT ALONE

The 6th International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life took place "on or about March 14th" with spirited actions across the planet. Though all groups are fighting hard for the integrity of rivers, water, and life, some actions also focused on other concerns such as the privatization and unfair pricing of hydroelectric power and, more commonly, the mass displacement of individuals and families to build dams.

In Mozambique, citizens protested the proposed Mphanda Nkuwa Dam by distributing pamphlets at traffic intersections throughout the city of Maputo. In South Africa, river lovers celebrated the Day of Action with a daylong awareness event featuring speakers and performers.

In England, protesters fought against the extension of the Mangla Dam in Kashmir by, among other activities, holding a hunger strike outside of the Pakistani Consulate in Manchester. This dam would displace over 100,000 people. In Spain activists climbed to the top of the highest peak in the Wester Pyrenees, the headwaters of the Aragon River, to display banners and
read a statement in honor of rivers, water, and life.

Brazilians held 13 different actions in 15 states, including occupying dams, camping in front of a state Legislative Assembly, camping at dam work and construction sites, and holding public demonstrations. Of particular note were the occupation of a dam powerhouse by 300 families and the occupation of AES/Eletropaulo headquarters by over 1,000 dam-affected and
dam-threatened people. In Mato Grosso, the government ordered the state electric company, Furnas, to reevaluate resettlements at Manso dam, initiating a spontaneous Day of Action celebration amongst families already
camped outside Furnas' offices.

Several anti-dam actions took place across Mexico, including marches with "no dams" signs, the screening of videos about dams in a city plaza, and the start of a six-day trip down the Usumacinta River by a diverse team of activists and professionals showing solidarity with the Day of Action. The Usumacinta is one of the last remaining free-flowing Central American rivers, though it has two dams now and a third is on the way.

In the United States there was a New Orleans-style funeral procession through downtown Auburn, California to symbolically represent the recent decision to close the dam diversion tunnel, viewed as the first nail in the coffin of the Auburn dam. In Moab, activists held a rally/picnic on the lawn of the County Courthouse, inaugurating a campaign to restore Mill Creek in Utah. High School students in New York focused on education, with posters and research projects about dams in recognition of the Day of Action.

In India, activists protested the proposed mega dam at Tipaimukh in Manipur, embracing the theme "Water is Life: Development and the Voice of the People". In Pakistan, a conference for dam-affected communities was held to show support for the International Day of Action.

In Hong Kong, activists sent a letter of concern to the appropriate Hong Kong government Ministry to denounce China's dam and navigation projects along the Lancang-Mekong River. In Osaka, Japan, citizens handed out pamphlets explaining the impact of the Makio-River Dam. In Thailand a variety of groups held a full 10 days of workshops and formal discussions focused both on the specific impact of Pak Mun Dam on people and the environment as well as on what lessons can be learned from Pak Mun about the repercussions of such large scale development projects on the whole.

That's much of the story of this year's Day of Action. More details, and contact information for each action group, are available at the International Rivers Network web site, www.irn.org. Kudos to IRN and all the people worldwide who participated.

(GCI is planning ahead for next year's Day of Action. If you have ideas or suggestions to contribute or would like to volunteer, please do. We enjoy hearing from members -- call, e-mail, or write us any time.)

4. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S TWO CENTS

As of mid-March, 2003, the reservoir at Powell is below 50% of capacity, its lowest level since it was first filled. Most news media have treated this event as alarming. Most people think the reservoir is important for water conservation - it's big and blue so it must be beneficial, right? And if it is low, that means trouble, right? Well, no, it is not beneficial and the low level is not a problem. Even at 50%, the reservoir has over 12 million acre-feet of water. Lake Mead has about the same amount because BuRec generally draws down both reservoirs equally. Even after four years of drought, and even if the Colorado stopped flowing tomorrow and there were no rain, the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada have almost four years of Colorado River allotments in the bank - a serious over-supply.

However, the drought and all this attention to Powell's "low" level presents us with an opportunity, because people who seldom think about it are now focused on water. They are therefore more willing to hear our arguments about Glen Canyon Dam. This piece is intended to state some facts, for our members' use when the subject comes up in conversation with their friends
(and if you bring it up, so much the better!)

The first argument is related to the ample supply we have on hand. The fact is that Powell is unnecessary for storage and is actually counter-productive. Because of the huge amount of water lost at Powell, the Lower Basin states are actually less likely to receive their full allotments with the dam in place, than if it were removed: the chances are one in 1,000 of a short delivery now, but if Powell were gone, the chances of a short delivery actually shrink to one in 30,000. The reason is that man-made Lake
Powell is a disaster in water conservation: it loses more than 670,000 acre-feet of water in evaporation every year, while 200,000 more seep into the porous Navajo sandstone. That is enough to supply the City of Los Angeles - every year. The current drought in the Southwest makes this waste of water even less sensible. If Powell had vanished ten years ago, there would be 7,700,000 more acre-feet of water in Mead, too, about 25% of its capacity (the 100,000 difference is what would be lost by evaporation if the Colorado were again running free through Glen Canyon).

Having too much water storage on the Colorado is like having too much insurance: the premium, which is paid by the people of the Southwest in wasted water, is just too great. We are throwing water (and money) away with Powell, while at the same time putting the Lower Basin states at greater risk of low deliveries. What effect will global warming have? In a study soon to be published by Stanford University, climatologists conclude that we will need 30% less storage on the Colorado River in the coming years.

In dollars and cents, Powell is a money loser, too: based on the price being negotiated in California, that wasted water has a fair market value of about $225 million. That is far more than the net income from the electricity produced by Glen Canyon Dam. The "fuel" is worth more than the product.

Most of our members think of themselves as conservationists or environmentalists, but a person need not be an environmentalist to want Glen Canyon Dam decommissioned. Your friends who are focused on their tax burden should recognize that by maintaining Glen Canyon Dam, the federal government is indirectly paying a huge subsidy to the people who houseboat on the
reservoir.

And of course the environmental damage being done by Powell is horrendous. Glen Canyon was the most beautiful part of the Colorado River gorge, according to people who saw it (David Brower, Wallace Stegner, Ed Abbey), but it is hidden now, just beyond our view. Over 180 miles of free-flowing Colorado River and over 50 miles of the San Juan have been buried by the reservoir - there is no river rafting, no kayaking there now. All that varied habitat is gone, too, replaced by deep water, fit only for non-native fish. The reservoir also covers dozens of wonderful side-canyons with world-class features like Cathedral in the Desert and Music Temple. The current low water level is uncovering Powell's dirty little secret, too: almost 4 billion tons of sediment form mile after mile of mud flats, which are no longer concealed by the pretty blue water. Because the lake traps an
average of about 100 million tons of silt every year, we are steadily building a huge problem for future Americans, who will have to pay to deal with it.

Trapping the silt is also causing the degradation of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park at the same time because the cold, clear water comes from deep in the lake, so the downstream sandbars erode and native fish and animals are endangered or extirpated. The efforts to fix those problems are really only expensive band-aids: the number of humpbacked
chub, which is a marvel of adaptive evolution, continues to decline.

Because some people think Glen Canyon is "gone," we should emphasize that most of this environmental damage is only temporary - Mother Nature can fix it if we give her the chance. The side-canyons clean themselves out in local storms, the bathtub ring washes off, and the river will do its job by taking the sediment downstream. Whether the humpback chub can hold out that long seems doubtful.

What about the legalities of the 1922 Colorado River Compact? Water deliveries to the Lower Basin are measured at Lees Ferry because back then, Lake Mead did not exist. Since Arizona and Nevada get most of their water from Lake Mead, while California gets it even further downstream, measuring their deliveries at Mead makes better sense. The dam was built primarily to ensure that the Upper Basin states can always deliver the Lower Basin's allotment - but in fact, that has not been a problem, but for the accounting quirk of measuring deliveries at Lees Ferry. Ever since the Glen Canyon Dam was commissioned in 1963, the natural flow of the Colorado, combined with storage of Upper Basin water in Lake Mead, have delivered their full allocation of Colorado River water to the Lower Basin states. This was done without help from Lake Powell - and despite all the water that Powell wastes.

Lacking justification in water conservation, economics, the environment, or law, Glen Canyon Dam has no legitimate purpose. It was authorized in the '50s when Bureau of Reclamation was riding high. Congress liked dams, too. (Before his death, Barry Goldwater admitted his support of the dam was a mistake and that was the one vote he wished he could change.) Too few of us
realized how great the costs of the dam would be, or valued highly enough the remarkable wilderness that we so casually destroyed.

The fact is that America can no longer afford to keep Lake Powell: the costs are simply too great to justify the skimpy returns. Fortunately, there is no reason why we cannot stop this waste if we can overcome inertia, fear of the unknown, and special interests. Then we can restore Glen Canyon, protect Grand Canyon National Park, and recover a free-flowing Colorado River. In so doing, we can also put a very great deal of water back in the river for the use of future Americans - they are going to need it.
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