Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program

 

GCRG has a seat on the Federal Advisory Committee charged with advising the Secretary of the Interior on how best to manage Glen Canyon Dam to comply with the mandates of the Grand Canyon Protection Act.  Since 1996, our Adaptive Management Program representatives (on the Adaptive Management and Technical Work Groups) have worked diligently to unify and direct the concerns of more than 20,000 river runners who float the Colorado River through Grand Canyon each year. Through our “seat at the table” we work to:

 

• Inject a well-informed guide perspective,
• Present cogent arguments supporting recreational river running needs and concerns,
• Protect the natural and cultural resources of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon, and
• Counterbalance the considerable weight of water and power interests.

 

Long Term Experimental & Management Plan EIS (LTEMP)

The current scoping effort that commenced in Fall of 2011 is an outstanding opportunity for the public to inform the NPS and the Bureau of Reclamation (co-lead agencies) on the development of a Long Term Experimental and Management Plan for Glen Canyon Dam -- the scope of the EIS, what should be considered, what the important issues are, and possible alternatives. The scoping deadline for the Long Term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) has been extended from December 30, 2011 to January 31, 2012, giving you time to emerge after the holidays, get focused, and submit your own comments!  This is THE important plan, folks – one that will determine the flows you boat on and the state of the resource for the next 15 years or so.  Consequently this EIS is on par in importance with the initial Glen Canyon Dam EIS in the early 1990s.  We need the entire river community to weigh in! 

 

LTEMP Resources:

• The official website for the LTEMP can be found at: http://ltempeis.anl.gov/ (official comments can be submitted here)
• GCRG official comments on LTEMP scoping
• GCRG talking points, FINAL
• LTEMP Joint Recreation Comments
• Press Release announcing LTEMP EIS
• Notice of Intent for LTEMP EIS

 

If you would like to learn more about the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, or about the science that informs policy decisions for the management of Glen Canyon Dam, a few resources you might want to explore are:

• GCRG official comments:
  • High Flow Protocol Revised EA comments, 2011
  • Minority Report regarding Beach Habitat Building Flows, 2009
  • Minority Report regarding Beach Habitat Building Flows, 2007
  • Comments on Developing Long Term Experimental Plan Alternatives, 2007
  • Talking Points Regarding Beach Habitat Building Flows, 2007
  • Comments on the Draft Monitoring and Research Plan for GCDAMP, 2006
  • Comments on Low Reservoir Conditions, 2005
  • Temperature Control Device Comments, 2004
• Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) homepage, www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/amp
• GCDAMP Public Outreach website, www.gcdamp.gov
• State of the Colorado River Ecosystem Report, www.gcmrc.gov/products/score/2005
• Grand Canyon Monitoring & Research Center, www.gcmrc.gov

 

Grand Canyon Sandbars Group on FACEBOOK at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19946579387&ref=ts This site is a forum for input on the condition of sand bars and shoreline habitat on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. It includes annotated photos that show the changing conditions of sand bars after the 2008 Beach Habitat Building Flow.

 

Join the GCRG guide email lists for monthly dam flow reports, opportunities for public involvement in Grand Canyon issues, and other info on classes, events, etc.. Contact gcrg@infomagic.net and ask to be put on the list!

 

If you have questions or if you'd like to express your views or concerns as they relate to the management of Glen Canyon Dam, please feel free to contact our GCDAMP reps directly. They want to hear from you: Sam Jansen (Adaptive Management Work Group rep) at smdjansen@gmail.com, Jerry Cox (Technical Work Group rep) at jerryleecox@durango.net.

 

GCRG would like to extend our thanks to the Grand Canyon Conservation Fund, a non-profit grant-making organization managed by the Grand Canyon river outfitters. Funding from the GCCF supports our efforts to advocate for meaningful change as the recreational stakeholder within the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program.