When the Waterkeeper Alliance approved Living Rivers’ Colorado Riverkeeper program in October, we quickly discovered that many Colorado River boaters are very eager to advocate for watershed protection and to share that knowledge with the boating public. By combining environmental advocacy with river running, three patrol trips involving 25 people have already plied 335 miles of the Colorado watershed to spread the protection message by engaging the people they meet on the river, and by monitoring the river reaches for environmental degradation.
The first launch occurred in Grand Canyon National Park and was led by Tom Martin of River Runners for Wilderness. The second Patrol was led by the Colorado Riverkeeper coordinator, John Weisheit, which launched on the Green River above Canyonlands National Park and included the Colorado River through Cataract Canyon. The third trip was led by Susette DeCoster, of Colorado Plateau River Guides, and launched directly below Hoover Dam. These three river trips were completed in areas managed by the National Park Service, where the natural ecology has been heavily impacted by the two largest concrete dams on the Colorado River—Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams.
The Grand Canyon trip began below Glen Canyon Dam, with unnaturally crystal clear and cold water flowing past sediment-starved beaches which, like the river’s endangered fish, are barely hanging on to existence.
Where was the missing sediment? In Lake Powell, where the Cataract Canyon patrol ended. These boaters had to endure 30 miles of massive sediment deposits revealed by the lowering of Lake Powell reservoir during the driest period on record for the Colorado River. Their final night was spent on a vast plug of sediment (moist sand/clay topped by tumbleweeds) that rightly belonged in Grand Canyon, 200 miles downstream. Upon arriving at their final destination, Lake Powell’s Hite Marina, they found the boat ramp closed due to sediment and the low reservoir level. The alternate ramp had a warning sign that exclaimed, "Use at your own risk."
DeCoster’s patrol below Hoover Dam was marked by incredible amounts of pollution, including trash, toilet paper, human feces and odors of human urine, which impacted the camping areas and the natural hot springs for which this river corridor is famous. Additionally, Homeland Security helicopter overflights kept a close eye on all river visitors.
The Colorado Riverkeeper will continue to document the violations they encounter on their patrols and to engage in outreach activities whenever possible. Our next patrols will occur in the coming Spring on the Green and San Juan Rivers. Contact Living Rivers if you would like to take part.
