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Colorado River Management Plan
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Colorado River: Turbulent or Tranquil Future in the Grand Canyon?
By Jim McCarthy, Vice-Chair, Grand Canyon Chapter After hiking down the parched Grand Canyon abyss, the nurturing water of the Colorado River is a godsend. It quenches thirst and renews the spirit. To hikers, the river is the apex of a wonderful day. To river runners, it is the continual thread that runs through each day. The Park Service is currently writing the river’s future in the Colorado River Management Plan. The plan will determine:
Winning Back WildernessThe Colorado River is a free flowing river segment with matchless scenery and an exemplary geological display. The corridor has unique historical and cultural resources, natural quiet, unique white water recreational opportunities, and a chance for solitude and reflection. Although not legally designated wilderness, the vast body of the Grand Canyon river corridor is in fact wilderness. Under provisions of the Wilderness Act, the Grand Canyon backcountry (including the river) should be managed as wilderness unless Congress lifts wilderness protection. This means that the river corridor should be free from engines and permanent structures. With the exception of the Lee’s Ferry and Phantom Ranch areas, there is no recent development in the river corridor. The number and modest magnitude of the prehistoric and early historic structures are compatible with wilderness. User regulations have effectively protected the wilderness quality of the park backcountry, including the river corridor. Currently, motorized boats are the exception to wilderness management. The interim decision to allow motors has advantages and disadvantages. More people have experienced the river, as trips are faster and include larger groups. However, the quality of the trips has been compromised in significant ways. The noise and speed diminish opportunities to observe wildlife. It also distracts from the quiet and magnificent scenery. In the Grand Canyon, there is plenty to contemplate. Besides the opportunity to reflect on our outside life, there is the meaning of the enormous time required to create the canyon, the shapes and sounds of the living canyon, and the future of the canyon. Unfortunately, engine noise and unnatural speed down the river significantly diminish the contemplative nature of trips. The scenic grandeur best engages the visitor when observed slowly enough to be deeply absorbed. Many people would prefer a more wilderness friendly experience but the current management approach makes planning a non-motorized trip difficult. With peace and quiet becoming rare in our modern world, it is increasingly important that the opportunity for a wilderness experience in the Colorado River corridor be protected. Equipment that is inconsistent with the resources and values of the park is compromising the very purposes for which the national park was established. There are places where motors are appropriate, but their use in Grand Canyon National Park should be held to an absolute minimum, especially in the backcountry. Motors in the backcountry prevent a wilderness experience for river runners and hikers. The Park Service should not allow every type of recreation just because there is a demand for it. The Service must determine if proposed activities are consistent with its mission of protecting the park for the values for which it was set aside. Indeed, it was set aside to be a different type of place from anywhere else in the world. In 1977, the Park Service recommended the river and Grand Canyon backcountry as wilderness. The Grand Canyon Chapter believes that the current park managers should stand behind this recommendation and manage the park as wilderness. Many park visitors long for the qualities for which the park was founded, including the opportunity to experience the Park as naturally as possible. Resource ProtectionGlen Canyon Dam is one of the major factors affecting the Grand Canyon environment in and near the river – the riparian environment. During the 1990s, the National Academy of Sciences completed a comprehensive study of the dam’s effects on the park’s riparian areas. Scientists determined that water chemistry, temperature, flow rate, and the rate of change of these factors, have profound impacts on the river corridor ecosystem, especially such species as native fishes. The sediment shortfall in the canyon due to the dam also affects the river corridor. The management plan should address all the park resources to the full extent possible, including ways to protect the water and land-based native species. The plan should stress the need for the Park Service to coordinate with other agencies to protect river resources. People come to the Grand Canyon for a variety reasons. Some come because its wilderness character captures their imagination, some out of curiosity, and some for adventure. It is a place that personifies the free spirit of the American people and our wilderness heritage. The Grand Canyon is a natural unique place that deserves special protection. Above all, the Park Service must put resource protection first. These resources include air, water, plant life, and wildlife habitat, as well as archaeological, historical, and Native American cultural sites. This chapter was founded during a successful campaign to protect the Grand Canyon from two dams, one that would have flooded the eastern park and one that would have backed up to Mooney Falls in Havasupai Canyon. As a way to thank those that helped protect the Grand Canyon then, please write a letter to protect the wilderness character of the park now. Please write the Park Service.Give them your comments on the Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP). Deadline: Nov. 28 Write to: CRMP Project, Grand Canyon National Park,
PO Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023,
Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633 |
