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<br />2 . Gunnison Country Times. Thursday, September 12, 2002 <br /> <br /> <br />Exercise in futility <br /> <br />Kathleen Cuny hit the nail on the <br />head. <br />Last week, the manager of the <br />Upper Gunnison River Water <br />ConselVancy District expressed in <br />these pages doubt over her board's <br />pending application for a water right <br />thatbasically attempts to keepwater <br />in the Gunnison River - a noble idea. <br />Specifically, the appUcation is called <br />a Recreation In-Channel Diversion <br />and it's meant to bring recreational <br />uses to the table when it comes to <br />determining what constitutes a <br />beneficial use of water in this state. <br />The RICO is tied to Gunnison <br />County' pendlng whilewater pad<. <br />The park, In fact, is the vehicle <br />through which the Upper Gunnison <br />has legal recourse in trying to recog. <br />nize and protect water recreation. <br />The Colorado Water ConselVa- <br />tion Board - AKA <<the Water <br />Buffaloes" . was in town Tuesdayfor <br />a hearing on this application, As a <br />testament to its power in water <br />maUe[S in this state. this board gets <br />to review RICO applications and <br />make recommendations to water <br />court. It's all new tenitoty. There has <br />been only one other RICO hearing, <br />in Pueblo, and ithas yet to be deter- <br />mined how much weight the courts <br />will give to these recommendations. <br />Let's hope not much. <br />After a great amount of delibera. <br />tion and an uncanny alliance <br />between agricultural, envirorunental <br />and recreational interests was <br />obtained, the Upper Gunnison moo <br />the application. Basically, the board <br />was saying that it's reasonable to be-- <br />lieve that a certain amount of water <br />should be left in the Gunnison River, <br />protected from future development, <br />as a way of recognizing the imper. <br />tanee of water and the recreation it <br />provides to the local way of life, <br />In a switch from most matters <br />Involving water Ia\\\ thisapplication <br />made sense. It was saying that the <br />water right should actually mimic <br />nature. In other words, in early <br />~~~latewmmu-~oreand <br />after run-off . less water should by <br />law be. forced to remain in the river, <br />Conversely, during the peak Illn-off <br />periods more water should Oow. <br />The disttlct, of course, quantified <br />this, and did so conservatively. The <br />application called For a RICO water <br />right ranging from It low of 270 <br />cubic feet per second in late <br />September to a high of 1,500 cfs in <br />late June, In a normal year, which <br />we all reali%e this isn't, the Gunnison <br />River flows through town at rates <br /> <br />sufficiently higher. <br />But this call to reason fell on deaf <br />ears with the CWCB,just like Curry <br />suspected it would, <br />In a pathetic attempt at defining <br />what's a reasonable recreation expe~ <br />rienee, the CWCB said 250 cfs was <br />aU the water necessary to have fun <br />on the Gunnison River, Not just in <br />September, or early May, but inJune <br />andJuly, too. Two-hundredand fifty <br />cis, barely more than a trickle, is the <br />Oow amount the WaterBuffaloesare <br />telling the coun It ought to grant <br />The CWCB went to nauseating <br />lenglhs 10 l1y 10 Justify thaI opinion. <br />The board claimed it was simply try. <br />ing to comply with the letter of the <br />law, which dictates "minimum <br />stream. flow necessary for a reason. <br />able recreation experience." Is it <br />unreasonable to expect a peak <br />run-off after a banner snow year <br />Oel's pray some of those are headed <br />our way) of more than 250 cis? <br />But the underlying issue that real. <br />Iy explains this stinginess is the <br />CWCB's desire to protect future <br />Upper Gunnison Basin water devel. <br />opment. Whose interests do you <br />think the CWCB is looking out for? <br />Let us remind you that it was the <br />local agricultural community that <br />actually PROPOSED this right. It <br />specifically PROTECTED recre~ <br />ation. And all environmentalists <br />favor keeping more water in the <br />river. <br />No, it isn't our interests the <br />CWCB is looking out for. It is the <br />interests of the Front Range, <br /><<They're primarily concerned <br />about ... how this: could affect the <br />state's ability to develop Aspinall <br />Unit water for out-of.basin use," <br />Cuny correctly surmised last week. <br />Never mind that this right would <br />bejunior to all the existing rights in <br />this basin. Nevermind that it's not a <br />consumptive right - it aims at <br />"using" the water by ,Imply keeping <br />i.t Rowing right on down the river. <br />Never mind that this effort has <br />achieved the closest thing to unani- <br />mous support as any water issue <br />since the "Not One Drop" position <br />was adopted and defended yea[S <br />ago. <br />Despite aU the meaningful effort <br />the Upper Gunnison folks expend~ <br />ed to forward a reasonable <br />application, the CWCB wants to <br />adopt what amounts to a meaning. <br />less water right <br />Talk about an exercise in futili.ty. <br />. <br /> <br />Owner/?ubllJher. <br />MerleglngEoltor. <br />Eo~orlaJ; <br />A<MII1IBlng; <br />OlllceMan8ger: <br />ProducUon: <br /> <br />It <br /> <br />MlkelUdNIy <br />publl$herOllllMleoollrnes.oom <br />ChMOldcey <br />ed~<xOglNlnlsonllmel,oom <br />AlenWalte8.KIef8l$nMaI'8l'. <br />TooIM.Tadd. PoltO<<<l1el8 <br />SIl88!1NOblo.RonHlun <br />ad80gvnnisoollmes.com <br />C811dYSml1ll <br />legeItOllunnleon~m81.c;om <br />St8phenJ.P~rotll.Oel8neyJ.a8umann <br />prodU01lonOgllllni8onllrnes.eorn <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />COLORADO <br />PRESS <br />ASSOCIATION <br /> <br />The Qunollon Counll)'Tlmn (ISSN0892-11131 Ilpublllhed wnklyby <br /> <br />A day like no other <br /> <br />Chris Di,lwy <br /> <br />Like most, my memories and <br />emotions from a year ago are vivid <br />and intense. Unlike many, however, <br />September of 2001 isn't a time for <br />me that will forever live in infamy. <br />It was a typically beautiful early <br />fall day in the Gunnison Country <br />when my life was shaken to its core. <br />Even though I knew fairly well what <br />was coming, I was hardly prepared <br />for what I saw. Never before had I <br />experienced the awesome pain <br />people can endure. Never before had <br />I experienced the power of individ. <br />uals' resolve to fight in order to give <br />Ufe. <br />Sttangely, even in the midst of this <br />chaotic and otherwise frightening <br />experience, a strange cabo overcame <br />me, I somehow knew that fooces far <br />greater than my own were at work <br />here, that they had been since the <br />beginning of time, and that things <br />were going to work out fine. <br />There are lessons to learn from <br />such experiences, people say. I agree, <br />but lessons rarely come easUy. Even <br />ones that seem so obvious take time <br />to understand in a way that funda- <br />mentally changes your life. <br />I remember taking a late night <br />walk through the placid streets of <br />town that evening. I could barely feel <br />the ground under my feet. Stars were <br />brighter, The casual conversation <br />and, yes, even laughter that wafted <br />into the streets from neighborhood <br />homessoundoo.somehow sweeter. I <br />knew I would change, had changed, <br />would never be ~he same, And I <br />remember being so overcome by this <br />realization that when I returned <br /> <br />indoors I also discovered I'd been <br />softly crying without really knowing <br />it. <br />But mine were not tears of <br />sorrow. At a time when most of this <br />nation was overcome with the grief <br />of death and destruction, I had mag- <br />ically been lifted up by the spirit of <br />life, Please don't read that I didn't <br />grieve or feel remorse for that trag. <br />ic day one year ago. I did, and still <br />do - but last September was a time <br />in which I learned more about life <br />than I ever had before. <br />Now, one year later, I'm still <br />learning. Every day, something new <br />comes along that if I just sit still <br />long enough to see reminds me of <br />the simple beauty of life. An unex- <br />plained smile here, an unexpected <br />discovery there taken individually <br />may seem pretty small or insignifi- <br />cant. But collectively, these small <br />sensations paint a profound picture. <br />What they show is the essence of <br />being. <br />The world is more complicated <br />a year later, most say. On the sur. <br />face this may be true. We spend <br />more time worrying about safety. <br />Howdo we protect ou[Selves from <br />hidden dangers? If we just uy hard <br />enough, work long enough, we <br />might just be able to eradicate all <br />the unsavory potentialities in life. <br />We have this misbegotten belief <br />that we can control everything. <br />September, 2001, has taught me <br />different. It's taught me to try less <br />and to feel more. Its taught me to <br />quit plotting and planning for <br />every eventuality. Throw the future <br />into the hands of faith and love, <br />and immerse yourself in what's <br /> <br />here, right now. <br />You see, September mll.rks <br />different kind of commemorati <br />for me, Just a few short days af <br />that day which no American <br />ever forget, a day came tlu1.t <br />even more important to me. <br />Sept, 17,200I,mywifeand Iw <br />blessed with the birth of our fi <br />daughter, Madeline. It was eas <br />the most spectacular and aweso <br />day of my life, And it's chang <br />everything. <br />Watching this beautiful bei <br />grow and develop these past <br />months has taught me so much a <br />brought more joy than I ever cou <br />have expected. More than anyth' <br />though, it's reaffirmed a <br />absolutely solidified the notion th <br />all of us are born into this wor <br />with a set of common characteri <br />.tics. Chief among these is a simp <br />spirit of happiness, an uncompl <br />cated sense of wonder andjoy. <br />When I look at Madeline and sl1 <br />shoots me that gummy smile, <br />smile hack. Life isn't so hard, I't <br />reminded. Everything is, has bee <br />and always will be all right. All yo <br />need is love, and that's all a baby i <br />a reflection of love. <br />Wt;'re having a party thi <br />Sunday afternoon for the little on( <br />Come on by our humble horn <br />on north 12th Street and say hi. <br />guarantee she'll make you smile, <br />. <br /> <br />W>LETtERS <br />M' ' <br /> <br />We'll have all the snow we can handle <br /> <br /> <br />Editor: <br />In response to the educated but <br />pessimistic weather forecast of <br />David W. Inouye, I will go out on a <br />limb and say, "Yep, it feels like <br />snow." <br />For years, I have been under the <br />mind set that optimism and, pesi. <br />tive thinking will get me what I <br />want. So, every year about this time <br />I start my ritual hopefullness for a <br />cold and snowy winter. I put my <br />"Pray For Snow" sign up on the <br />living room wall. When I have <br />discussions with friends and visl. <br />tors about the upcoming winter, I <br />speak excitedly of why this winter <br />will be a banner year for snowfall. I <br />check out my winter toys to see if <br /> <br />hu <br /> <br />there is anything to be fixed, shatp- <br />ened, bought or sold. <br />This optimism doesn't stop at the <br />fll'St snowfall. In October, it's, "We <br />are. gonna get dumped on in <br />mid.November just before the area <br />opens." (When is it opening this <br />year?), In December, it's, <<Major <br />pow will fall just after the Christ. <br />mas season, when a lot of our <br />visitors leave," In January, it's, <br />"It always snows like a-foot a day in <br />Febuary:" And just as the ski area is <br />closing, "Can't wait for that great <br />backcounuy spring com. Remem. <br />ber those huge flakes that feU last <br />year about this time?" <br />I am sure 1 am not the only one <br />who looks to winter with such <br /> <br />optimism, But the fact remains, al <br />this optimism has not worked <br />We've prayed, hoped, dreamedanc <br />forecasted great snow for over fou <br />years now and have got rockl <br />terrain and a shorter season. David! <br />forecast last week gave me nev <br />hope. If optimism is not working <br />then maybe a dismal forecast for <br />not only this next winter, but fOl <br />the next 25 to 30 yeaIS will do th <br />trick. <br />Today, I heard of some snowfa <br />in the San Juans and near Twi <br />Lakes, I walked outside and m <br />heart skipped a beat as I thoug <br /><<yep, it feels like snow." <br /> <br />Greg Osgoo <br />