CRG’s Adaptive Management Program representatives are still in the trenches advocating on behalf of recreational concerns in this stakeholder process that provides recommendations for the Secretary of the Interior on how to mitigate resource damage in Grand Canyon. This has been an exciting and interesting year with November’s flood flow, the high fluctuating (trout suppression) flows this past spring, low/erratic flows from the dam caused by wildfire-induced electrical shortages in the grid, struggles between upper and lower basin states, the new public comment period for the Bureau of Reclamation to address management strategies for drought conditions, a Recreation Protocol Evaluation Panel river trip, public outreach committee tasks, endangered fish work, and more.
In all of this, gcrg tries to bring an important river runners’ perspective to the table and you can be sure that our concerns and thoughts are heard loud and clear. We represent you, so if you have any questions or suggestions, we encourage you to contact gcrg and we’ll put you in touch with either Andre Potochnik (our Adaptive Management Work Group representative), or John O’Brien (our Technical Work Group representative). We want to hear from you!
On that note, we would like to thank those of you who took the time to answer our ballot question regarding reservoir levels in low water years. These perspectives will help us to formulate our formal comments to the Bureau of Reclamation.

Considering that initial water allotments were based on data from what we now know to have been a wet cycle, the Secretary of the Interior simply must implement management strategies for low reservoir conditions as experts predict that our current drought may be a decade or longer in length. You can be assured that whatever the outcome, gcrg will insist on sufficient water levels to ensure safe navigation of the Colorado River.
Answering these questions touches on the need to look at the larger picture. It behooves all of us to think more creatively about how to live in a desert during obvious global warming. Ultimately conserving water and energy and exploring alternate (renewable) energy sources will be our only real economic option for the future of the Southwest. The era of dam building personified the attitude of “man over nature”. In reality though, nature may have the last laugh. The concept of adaptive management relies on collaboration for achieving management that is reflective of broad social values (Lee 1993 and Gunderson et al 1995). This is a challenging process with acknowledged difficulties and impediments, yet it remains a tool that we are determined to use. Your questions and comments will greatly assist us in this endeavor.

Lynn Hamilton