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Adopt A
Beach program on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon
April, 2007 Update
We are seeking
private boaters to
participate in an Adopt A Beach program on the Colorado River
in the Grand Canyon. It is similar to Passing the Baton
in a relay
race except here we Pass the
Camera and Kit to the Next boating group going down.
What do you think?
Details below and instructions to participate included at the end.
Recently we
(Robert and Celia)
went to the Grand Canyon River Guides Seminar* (www.gcrg.org)
and
volunteered for the Adopt A Beach Program as a project FOR PRIVATE
BOATERS to ALSO
participate. Normally they assign these beaches to guides/river
companies
who go down the river several times a year. We thought it might
be fun to
find a number of private trips going down the river and ask if they
would like
to pass the camera/kit on to various people on trips this year.
The beach WE
have is near Salt
Water Wash at River Mile 12.2, just below Soap Creek and
the F.M. Brown's
Inscription. The beach is on River left and makes a great lunch
stop ,
probably not a camping zone. Additionally there also happens to
be some
Nevil's Inscriptions on the cliff face above the beach (former high
water times).
The
idea is to take 2
pictures from a designated point and answer the data form provided
based on
your observations of the beach; e.g., bank cuts from recent High-Low
daily
flows, rock slides, flash flood erosion, anything you wish to
note. This
is a long-term monitoring project (8 year ) ongoing project and so this
data
gets put into a database for determining management issues of the river
affecting the beaches and camps.
It is and EASY
PROJECT since OUR
BEACH is on day 1, 2, 3 (depending on your groups speed) so it is early
in the river
trip and then you put it away! When you return home send it back to me
or the
next group going down. It is also not a very time-consuming stop
even if
all you did was just for this project. It is a nice sunny beach
and THE
INSCRIPTIONS part of the history of the river.
If you have a Grand Canyon River Trip this year (2007), (or know someone who is)
please
forward this message. Respond to me by
either e-mail (best) or phone. Include your name, address, phone and
e-mail so
I may get the camera-packet to the next trip. I
hope to have a photo of the beach for each month of the
river season.
GC Adopt A Beach
– Celia &
Robert Southwick
rsouthwick@shamanproducts.com
505-266-8518
4022
Anderson Ave SE Albuquerque,
NM 87108
* Grand Canyon River
Guides – Guide Training Seminar (GTS)
Anyone can be a
member of the GCRG
(we are private boaters) and they offer the GTS each March
as a way to present a lot of concentrated information
with excellent speakers who are knowledgeable on various subjects from
geology,
anthropology, water issues, flowers, plants and animals of the Canyon,
historical information & videos, authors of well known and new
books on the
subjects, science studies, endangered species….etc.
For about $35 you get river meals Fri night,
Sat and Sun
through noon; they also have
a live
band play Sat night along w/ dancing and more. It
is a fun time for a nice weekend full of great topics!
We also camp out on the North Rim of the
Canyon somewhere not far from where the meeting is held – the past few
years at
Hatch Warehouse near Vermillion Cliffs. Some
stay in nearby motels. Bring a river
chair and your own mug. Go to their
website and check out the GTS meeting and topics. It
would be an excellent thing to go to just
because you LOVE the Canyon, but especially if you are planning on
going down
the Canyon on a River trip that year or the next – a TON of really
great
information. www.gcrg.org Become
your own Guide!
We have gone the last 4 or 5 years and
really enjoy it. You meet a lot of really
nice folks.
Why Should I Participate in
Adopt A Beach?
To learn more about the study results go to www.gcrg.org and then to Adopt A Beach!
- Become
a steward for the River, in the Grand Canyon
– a place to protect and keep for future generations.
- Be a
UNIQUE part of a long term study of beaches
in the Grand Canyon, themselves an endangered “species”. You are UNIQUE in that we are
Private Boaters and most of this is done by commercial outfitters and
their boatmen for the obvious reasons of making multiple trips a year
down the Canyon.
- We
(private trips) can be a TEAM by
sharing the responsibility of at least ONE
BEACH to monitor.
- Learn
more about how WE as RIVER RUNNERS impact the beaches.
While we keep them pretty clean and try to
leave no trace, we have in fact an impact on the already fragile and
eroded beaches due to the high-low flow regime.
- When we
can make a conscious choice to save habitat that
cannot be readily replaced it is a good thing!
o
Where
and how we tie off our boats – use of sand stakes, e.g.
o
Traffic
patterns to and from the boats
o
Where
we place our camps and personal tents
o
Pee
IN the water NOT ON the beach – implement a PEE CAN or bucket at the
toilets where
we can toss the pee into the river versus on the beach (development of
green
algal growth on the sands)
- By sharing things you learn from
completing the Adopt A Beach data sheets you can teach others! The study results will be used in the
adaptive management plans for Glen Canyon Dam. Additionally
WE too can protect the beach by being more
aware of WHAT kinds of things impact the fragile and ever decreasing
resource that we camp on ….in fact, perhaps there would be NO NEED to
make new rules if we self imposed things that can easily be
accomplished. Not just Commercial
companies and their passengers but ALL boaters going down
a river corridor should help care for the beaches by making wise
choices and decisions to lessen the impact where possible!
THIS project made me think in new ways about things we
do and how it affects our beaches.
- Did
you know that the sand in the canyon protects the ancient ruin sites
and as it is blown away or washed away some artifacts are being lost
FOREVER? The sand for the most part is NOT
being REGENERATED by the river except during flash flood rains which
are mostly infrequent. This sediment in
the river is crucial to rebuilding beaches. Most
sediment is lying behind a dam.
- Animals
need the beaches in many cases to reach the water and for
grass/plants foraging habitat.
- This is not rocket science per se – we can DO more when we KNOW more!
- These concepts can extend to other rivers which
have flows that are dam-controlled and not just dictated by seasonal
fluctuations.
- Results are reviewed each year to learn new
information and so that flow regime can be regulated accordingly.
- I am sure there
are MORE reasons you can list SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR ? If you are on a trip or know of someone
going down the Grand Canyon on a River Trip I would love to enlist your help in this
project!!!
Call
or E-mail
Celia Southwick (Albuquerque, NM)
(505-266-8518) rsouthwick@shamanproducts.com
Please
note that if you do not hear back right away there may be a
river somewhere calling us away for awhile – I will respond to you as
soon as
possible!
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