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001495 1 INTRODUCTION This strategic plan describes the adaptive management approach that the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program uses in making recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior regarding management of the Colorado River ecosystem (see Glossary).. This strategic plan presents the vision, mission, principles, goals, management objectives, infonnation needs, and management actions of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program. As the main planning document of the Adaptive Management Program, this plan has been prepared based on consultation and coordination among those organizations, institutions, and individuals with interests in the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and its effects on the Colorado River ecosystem. The plan presents the background and history of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, the scope of the program, the program members or stakeholders, the statutory and organizational framework, and the details of how the Adaptive Management Program operates. The plan details the specific management objectives needed to realize the vision and goals of the program~ and whether they are achieved through the Adaptive Management Program or supplemented by funds outside the Program. Supporting documents are provided in a series of appendices. . ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK What is Adaptive Management? Adaptive management has gained widespread acceptance in resource management since Holling (1978) developed the concept. Lee (1993:9) defines adaptive management with a simple imperative: "policies are experiments; learn from them." Other characteristics (w described by Nyberg 1998; Walters 1986; Taylor et al. 1997) include: . A focus on ecosystems; , . Experimentation and manipulation of managed ecosystems; · A time scale based on the biological generation or longer; · Acknowledgement of uncertainty about what policy or practice is best for a particular management Issue; · Careful implementation of a plan of action designed to reveal the critical knowledge; . Monitoring of key response indicators; . Analysis of outcomes in consideration of original objectives; and · Incorporation of results into future decisions. Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program Defined Due to the significant levels of uncertainty surrounding the resources of the Colorado River ecosystem and the effects of dam operations on those resources, the Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statement stipulated an adaptive management approach. This approach allows for scientific experimentation that adds to the knowledge base of effects of the operation 2