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ELLIS L. ARMSTRONG Our surveillance of the Topock Gorge shows that the backwaters where the fish spawn and spend their first months of growth are continuing to deteriorate. As you may recall, dredging in the Topock Gorge was halted by order of former Secretary Stewart Udall more than a year ago. I am aware that recreationists and some conservationists are not in accord on use of the Topock Gorge. Recreationists want to boat up and down the Gorge to enjoy the rugged scenery, Some others want it visited only infrequently or not at all but simply want to rest in the comfortable thought that it is there, However, since the Gorge is in the middle, between the heavily used Lake Havasu and the very popular stretch of the river between Davis Dam and Needles, it will be used by the public, Our job is to strike a balance among all people who have an interest in it. However, there are no programmed plans pending a further evaluation of what will happen if the Gorge is left "as is," Nearly 84 percent of the overnight visitor-use to the Lower Colorado River originates in the southern California megalopolis. I am a firm believer that man must do everything he can to balance his artificial environment with the best of nature and we will emphasize this in our operations. I want the Bureau of Reclamation to be responsive to all the people's needs. We have an environ- mental branch in the Region 3 office at Boulder City. It is the responsibility of that office to develop programs to achieve the quality environment we seek on the Lower Colorado. Actually, I think concern and debate over environmental problems is largely a matter of com, munications, of understanding problems, objectives, and accomplishments. How many people are aware today, for example, that the Topock Marsh and Gorge are part of one of three wildlife refuges created on the lower river as a result of Reclamation regulation. Others are the Cibola and Imperial Refuges. As a part of the Colorado River Storage Project, a national wildlife refuge was developed below Fontenelle Dam in Wyoming. We are working closely with the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife to improve the habitat for acquatic birds and animals. Our operations so far have resulted in doubling, for example, the broods of wild geese and assuring they reach maturity, A stable flow of clear clean water has provided an ideal environment, We have similar operations underway in the Brown's Park Refuge downstream from Flaming Gorge Dam. Federal and Stage agencies have done an extraordiuary work in stocking the Reclamation lakes and clean, flowing streams downstream, There are five national recreation areas, six national parks, and nearly two dozen national monu- ments in the Colorado River Basin, most of them located directly on the river or its tributaries. Together they had a total of 152,000,000 visitors during 1968 and the National Park Service is still counting the 1969 usage. In addition, there are the multiple uses of forest lands in the Basin, So, as I have stated, I don't think things are too bad on balance, but there are too few people who realize it. Water development is of critical importance, but it clearly is not interfering with other "people uses" in the Basin but is, in fact, contributing to them. We must communicate better to put across our side of the story. And we must communicate with and be openminded to the ideas of the preservationist organizations, I am reluctant to identify them as conservationists for I believe we are all in that category. But we have some good ideas and they have some good ideas, Let's communicate and see if we can meld our different approaches to problem areas for mutual benefit, We cannot communicate shouting through a closed door, -5- Looking westwide, we have a backlog of more than $5 billion dollars in work authorized in projects authorized for construction. Moreover, Congress has charged us with prime responsibility for a westwide survey and search for water.