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;%) ''<.,'{j ~ ~i.c~ Research Center Established and Acting Director Named The Gnnd Canyon Monitoring and Research Center has been established to provide research and infonnation to managen; of the Glen Canyon Dam and managen; of resources in the Colorndo riverine corridor of the Glen Canyon National Recreation AIea and the Grand Canyon National Pmk The Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992 provides for the establishment and implementation of a Long-tenn Monitoring and Research Progmm to ensure that Glen Canyon Dam is oper- ated in a JIllIJlDel that protects the values for which the Grand Canyon National Part< and the Glen Canyon National Recleation Area were created. After the Opemtion of Glen Canyon Dam Final Enviromnental Impact Statemem (EIS) was completed, the coopemting agen- cies and stakeholders who participated in the EIS process were otganized into a Transition Wode Group. A subcommittee of the Transition Wode Group ~nunended a geneml stroctural and functional design for the monitoring progmm. As a resu1t, the Department of the Interior's Deputy Assistant SecretaJy for Water and Science established and implemented the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Resean:h Center. In her letter establishing the center, the Deputy Assislatrt Secretaty noted, "The establishment of the Center is seen as an important step forward in providing the relevant scientific infor- mation needed for the best stewardship of one of nature's most spectacular landscapes -the Gmnd Canyon." In addition to establishing the Center, Dr. Lawrence D. (Dave) Garrett has been selected as the Acting Chief of the Monitoring and Research Center. Dr. Garrell came to the Center from the National Biological Service (NBS), where he was the Midcontinent Regional Director over Ie5earch programs. Dr. Garrell also served as Dean of the College of Forestry at Northern Arizona Univen;ity, which developed programs in forestry, ecosystem science and management, geography, plan- ning, recreation, and Native American forestry. Prior to his role as Dean, he directed varied research programs for the Forest Service in numerous regions. As Acting Chief of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Dr. Garrett will direct science across a broad spectnun of research programs, including biology, ecology, fISheries, hydrol- ogy, geomorphology, ethnicity, cultural, and social-economic assessments. He will work directly with the Adaptive Management Wode Group, an adviso1Y committee made up of interested government otganizations and stake holden;, who will guide the research progmm. Dr. Garrell characterizes the new progmm as a formidable chal- lenge. "One cannot help but be hwnbled, considering the his- torical scientific prominence of the Gmnd Canyon ecosystem. It will be a lI1l\ior challenge to maintain the level of scientific cred- ibility established by Rec1amation, the EIS cooperating agencies and EIS team, and the GCES program. " Regarding the geneml program direction, Garrett noted, "This Center has been established specifically to implement and embrace seveml new concepts in science. First and foremost, the progmm design will be that of an adaptive management sci- ence model. Managen; and public interests are strongly repre- sented in the Adaptive Management Wode Group which defines Ie5earch and infonnation needs. Those needs will then be slJUc- tured into a research progmm designed by the Center's science staff." "Secondly, the science paradigm for research implementlltion is ecosystem science. Rather than develop studies on individual resources, such as an endangered fish species or high water flows, to build camping beaches, the entire biophysical system will be studied as a system, defining critical resource intemc- tions, linkages, and interdependencies. Research progress will not only be measured in new infonnation aOOnt a specific resource, but how that resource relates to the entire ecosystem and how that ecosystem infonnation can be used to improve ovemll ecosystem management, protection, and use." Dr. Garrell brings with him a unique, broad scientific and administrative background in natum1 resources. IDs ability in developing cooperative programming among various science and management teams will be critical to the success of the Adaptive Management Progmm and development of an inte- grated ecosystem science program for the Colorado River in the Grand and Glen Canyons. 10