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<br />
<br />Conservation I TED \VILLlA~IS
<br />
<br />Water Wrongs
<br />The federal government is giving away our Western rivers
<br />
<br />
<br />On Septembet 30, ZOOl, in a move Uu.t
<br />o~ned the ....-a.y for imp-tors and
<br />developc:r> to deskate troUt suemu
<br />ill o"'er the 'IX' est. the Bum A.dministr.r..rion
<br />abandoned 3. reser.-ed ttderal .....:uer right to
<br />Colon.Jo's Gunnison RP.'el. one of du: best uo-
<br />phy wild trout fisheries in Arm:riQ. ..!JOllg with
<br />the ....'a.m and fish, Bush ~d company also
<br />iliandoned the S'arion'u Pm System. the
<br />Nuion.u Wilderness Sptem a.nd 111
<br />Amerium ....ho love nature, including
<br />sporumen. most of ....nom supported Bush
<br />in the WI dection.
<br />~Sporumen for Bush,w re.ui the bumper
<br />stickers. ~J nc"!:r understood [that] and
<br />still don'{.~ comments sporulTUl\ Mike:
<br />Pennington on FR&Ks ",-ebsitc: bulletin
<br />board (hnp:/lbbs.flyrodred.o:om).
<br />But in this =;It 1=. Sport5.ffiCll ha"c
<br />an acusc for being ill informed. The: gi'--e<
<br />a....'1ly of the ......ter right held by the: BIKk
<br />Un}"Un of the: Gunnison S';ttiorW Park
<br />\1>";; conducted entirely in seem. Bea~
<br />rhe: wue ....A5 being debated in Colondo's
<br />Ward: Court. the: :\acion.i.l Environmc:nnl
<br />Policy A.... did not 1Od; in. The ferleral gov.
<br />ernment's decisian requ~ neither public
<br />heuinp nor public comment, The Bush
<br />adminiuration jUst ardained tholt 01.
<br />natianal pa::k esublished Ol!:aund a river
<br />md its an~'On"to proteo: the roOl!: atm.e
<br />river"didn':neecl"'~tc'r
<br />The Clinton administration had
<br />sought to' prate.::t the publj.:;:'s "'~ter rights
<br />that the Bush administratian is na..... ceding
<br />10' Weslern SUles. For e:umple, in
<br />Jmuar)" ZOOt. Clir:ton's POl!:k Service fikJ m
<br />appliariar: tor a n.l.t'.l....J.ilaw ~me (including
<br />a b~ ria'" at 300 cu'tlic frel pet secand)
<br />-;.'1rot:gh h.:!Lile.lor:g Bla.;k C.a.'war, o)i the
<br />GunnISon Soltianoll ?:uk. ~-estern water
<br />rights ue ba5Cd an sc:tiority, wd the p;uk-
<br />csublishe,: m 1933.1.j 1 noltlOn.al !:"l"numen:
<br />
<br />
<br />14 ~l.irch ::003
<br />
<br />=d upguded in 1999--nad plenty af seniar.
<br />ity. In 1978 thaI seniarity =d. right were
<br />upheld by Calarada's Waler Coun, which
<br />found. that me purpose af me park ~is to can.
<br />serve =d maintain in an unimpaired condi.
<br />tian the scenic. a~theric, natun! and histaric
<br />abjecu af the manument, as well as the
<br />
<br />t:;'tc.-; :"j:~"",f' ......~
<br />,:~~~:~,~S--- --~..&: " ~.
<br />...< .....f.::.., ~,>.... . ,r-,
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<br />A recenl federal decision could
<br />spell the end 01 the Gunnison River's
<br />blue.ribbontroutfishery,
<br />
<br />wildlife therein. in ordet thaI me manument
<br />mighl prayide ~ source af r=tian and
<br />enjoymmt for all generations af ciuzeru of
<br />the l'nited Sut:!." \"\;~'1 that. the :01.1:-:
<br />Jire.::ed :..,:e federal go\"e~nmelll to appl:>' tar
<br />the olffiaunt of water the p:uk n~cJ .withm
<br />ii~'e :..e~n at ::na.! de.;:ree 8 BUI sin.:: the cour~
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />didn't get araund to is.suing a final decree, the
<br />five-rear coumda,,-'t\ n~et stWcd, and Ihe
<br />feds didn't come up with flaw figures until
<br />Prejident Clinlon ....'2.$ about tale""': affice.
<br />The park ",--anted to .l?proximare the natural
<br />canditial\5 thJ.I had existed in the river md its
<br />canyon bc:fore 1965. Th.at was the ~'e:u me
<br />Bureau af Recl:ama.tion .hut t.1,.e gates on
<br />its enormaus Blue Mesa dam, which
<br />backs up ;l. minian-acre.foot reservair for
<br />ierig,uian md power-me tailet unk 0'1'
<br />the three-Jam Aspin.a1l Unit, nlil1ed for
<br />the crusty, d.un-flXolted, anri-environmen-
<br />ta.l US congressman Wayne Aspinall. whO'
<br />funneled pork into the sUle from 1949 to'
<br />1973. The Park Service's mission, .net all,
<br />is to protect and fCCle-ate natural pro.;:ess.
<br />e$, mJ, wherever practical, let them "pro-
<br />ceed unimpeded,. \tnen it is seriaus
<br />.moU! this mwian, as it wu under the
<br />lC'.ldenhip af former Interiar Se<:reury
<br />Bruce Babbitt, it takes the lang view.
<br />And me lang view is this; For about 12
<br />million reus the Gunnison sliced down
<br />L'1roUgh soft volcanic wd sedimentary
<br />rock. Then, ty,'a millian )-ean .agO', it hit
<br />the much ha.rdct P=brian gneiss or
<br />the Gunnisan lTplifr.. Tr:lppcd in the
<br />canyon it had alread:( exo~'atcd, the rivet
<br />began eating ol......y this meumorphic b:--er
<br />at the approximalc rate of the thickn~ of
<br />ane hUI-:un hair per year af ane inch per
<br />century until. in pla.:es, it was ZAOO feel
<br />belaw the rim. ~en this ancient process
<br />was a'tlrupdy wd unlutufilly ouuiled in
<br />1965 had things bcga.ll to happen. An
<br />unnatunl plan! cammunity sprmg up along
<br />the bottam of the canYon, comuiccing the
<br />.:h.1nncl and qukkcning the t1aw. In the
<br />C.1twon ar.d hI,[ do.....nnream the annual pro-
<br />ducrion or' large, wood;. ..1cbri.i, So' c::::.:.1i :0:
<br />tfOUr sw'vh...J, ce.aJoN, and in Its pla.:e c.a.-ne
<br />.1lien plants, RClbble. da\' md s.and--swept
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<br />002353
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