Letter to Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group

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United States Department of the Interior OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY Washington, D.C. 20244 Dear Members of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group: As you may know, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona recently issued a decision in Grand Canyon Trust v. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, et al. The Court's decision (enclosed) addresses numerous issues relating to management of the Glen. Canyon Dam and the efforts of the Adaptive Management Program that are likely to be of interest to each of you. We appreciate that these issues are extremely complex and, as we grapple with these tremendously important questions, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on my and Secretary Salazar's commitment to a new path forward. We may have disagreements that reflect various perspectives and constituencies, and I view healthy debate about the issues as a key part of the process, but I hope to foster cooperation, rather than Litigation., as we continue to tackle the challenges ahead. As the Court observed, Interior's recent postponement of the mechanical removal of rainbow trout for calendar year 2010 is just one example of the complex interests that Reclamation considers, including carrying out the Law of the River, endangered species protection, implementation of the Grand Canyon Protection Act, and upholding the Department's trust responsibility to Indian tribes, as well as the interests of the seven Colorado River basin States, consumers and distributors that depend on water and power from Glen Canyon Dam, recreational, environmental, and agricultural communities, and our national interest in clean energy production from hydropower. I am committed to ensuring that Interior continues to use the best available science in making decisions about resource m magement and stewardship of these interests and the operation of Glen Canyon Dam. I want to personally thank, each of you for your hard work and thoughtful contributions to the adaptive management process. Some of you have put in many long years of effort to provide the best possible advice to the Secretary on the operation of Glen Canyon Dam. As we move forward, I sense and really appreciate your openness to practical new ideas, based on sound science, which will allow us to better balance those many resources. As I have said many times, we will operate the Glen Canyon Dam in a manner that protects, mitigates adverse impacts to, and improves the values for which Grand Canyon National Part, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were established, consistent with the Law of the River and our trust responsibility to Indian tribes. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, including some additional analysis relating to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2009 Incidental Take Statement, and we will continue to meld science and the protection of Grand Canyon's ecosystem with the efficient operation of Glen Canyon Dane and careful management