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AMET G B MFS <br />`Water Resources in the Colorado River Basin' at the Annual Meet- <br />ing of the Rocky Mountain Section of GSA <br />he Rocky Mountain Section of the Geo- <br />logical Survey of America held its 57th an- <br />nual meeting at Mesa State College in Grand <br />Junction May 23 -25, 2005. Over 50 people <br />attended the water resources session which <br />examined past lessons and emerging issues re- <br />garding water resources in the Colorado River <br />Basin. Prof. Gigi Richard, with Mesa State <br />College, was the lead organizer of the water <br />resources session. <br />Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs <br />opened the session with an overview of the <br />legal and institutional setting within which <br />Colorado River water resources are <br />managed. He also explained a number <br />of connections between historical and <br />scientific water knowledge and the legal <br />and institutional setting, particularly as <br />today's water managers address new is- <br />sues and concerns. <br />Connie Woodhouse, with the NOAA's <br />National Climatic Data Center in Boul- <br />der, and Eric Kuhn, General Manager of <br />the Colorado River Water Conservation <br />District, elaborated on the role of water <br />research, particularly tree ring and <br />stochastic hydrology studies, in <br />expanding our understanding of past <br />drought history. Such understanding <br />is critical to managing the Colorado <br />River's water resources /reservoirs <br />during periods of abundance and <br />drought. <br />Tony Willardson, with the Western <br />States Water Council, and John Mc- <br />Clow, with Bratton & McClow LLC <br />in Gunnison, Colorado, provided an <br />overview of Colorado River water issues from regional <br />and Western Colorado perspectives. They both noted <br />that population growth is influencing water resource <br />development and management in a number of complex <br />and challenging ways. <br />Steven Schulte concluded the half -day session by pro- <br />viding insight into the lessons learned from past efforts <br />to resolve water conflicts in Colorado, particularly the <br />agreements developed around the Colorado River Stor- <br />age Project Act of 1956. A copy of his remarks follows. <br />Top: Colorado River at Glenwood Springs, May 23, <br />2005. <br />Middle: Justice Greg Hobbs, Eric Kuhn, Gigi Rich- <br />ard and Connie Woodhouse <br />Left: Jim Spehor, Gigi Richard, and Greg Hobbs. <br />._..._ _.._...._� _..__ �_ .__�. ,...___...... .._W.._._..._.._. ____r.. �..__._. 23 <br />