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<br />.6.aa';9 <br /> <br />canyon, Governor Goddard noted that in the past 10 years an <br />average of only 30 people a year had taken such a journey. "It is <br />a costly venture and takes a great deal of physical stamina," he <br />said. "The lakes that. would be created by our dams would <br />afford easy access by water to thousands who would never see <br />these wilderness areas otherwise." <br /> <br />Following this demonstration, all seven Colorado River <br />Basin states governors at the conference signed a letter to Presi- <br />dent Johnson asking for "an act of support" of the Colorado <br />River Development Plan. The letter said the basin's water short- <br />age was "extremely serious" and "rapidly becoming acute." <br />"In several areas disaster is imminent if proper action is not <br />initiated at once, . . ," said the Basin governors in their com- <br />munication to the Pre:;ddent. "Our seven states, realizing the <br />future of the entire river basin with its 30 million people is <br />involved, have demonstrated the highest degree of water states- <br />manship by adopting a sound regional approach to resolve our <br />inter-related problems. Your active support of the Colorado <br />River Basin Project is urgently needed and respectfully re- <br />quested." <br /> <br />Governor Goddard called this intra-Basin unity "history- <br />making." "It demonstrates a new era of unified resource devel- <br />opment among the Basin states," he said. "There is no limit <br />upon the future of our region if our common water problems <br />are solved." <br /> <br />Opposition from an Arizonan <br /> <br />If there was unity a'mong the Basin governors, it was some- <br />what lacking among Arizonans. In Tucson an Episcopal minister, <br />the Rev. John Clinton Fowler, sought signatures for a letter <br />to t.he President and other Washington officials opposing the <br />two dams. "We remain convinced, after arduous study of both <br />sides," said the letter, "that vast areas of the Grand Canyon and. <br />adjoining regions will be effectively and permanently' modified <br />or destroyed if one or both of the dams are built. We further <br />believe that if the nation's greatest natural gift cannot be pro- <br />tected, we shall see the same arguments of expediency and <br />dollar practicality used to harm or destroy other wilderness <br />areas of the nation. . . New sources of water and power can be <br />found, but once we have lost the Grand Canyon, or any part of <br />it, we shall have lost it forever. Gentlemen, we Arizonans plead <br />with you: Don't build the dam at Marble Gorge and Lower <br />Granite Gorge." <br /> <br />The 7'UC8on Daily Oitizcn made known its conviction a few <br />days late'r that much of the opposition to the dams was the <br />direct result of Sierra Club propaganda. "Snowed by the Sierra <br />Club" was the title of an editorial in which t.he Oitizen answered <br />an attack on the dams in the Rockford (Ill.) Morning Stm'. The <br />C'itizen then made reprints of its editorial and sent them t.o Rock- <br />ford to counteract the opposition. "Research," said the Citizen <br />firmly, "would have disclosed these underlying and unassailable <br /> <br />-8- <br /> <br />.;"... . .~'." <br /> <br />. ..... <br /> <br />. ......'... -':'. <br /> <br />~;t:..))};{~;~:~\~.;:'~. ,,>. <br /> <br />::.:.? .":. '. ': .-.;. '. . <br /> <br />~..: '\~)>.;::::.<,~;:.,,;.;'-,.,...:.":..:.. <br /> <br />:::: ?'?::"~f':::(?':\~.';::;?!::;::~.:S:. <br /> <br />." .," .:':..~. '. .,.". .:.,.... <br />r.;,:. ...~.~~ :/.;"."-: ;..~-;,~.. :;.< .~~<->'.-. .,. <br />..:.., <br /> <br />..... :.:':,,; :.: ....-... <br /> <br />F.:.:;...:,:: <br /> <br />..... " <br />." ':.::' <br /> <br />":. : <br /> <br />..... .;.: .:.". :" . '." ." . <br />: -:' -. .~. :' ..; . ."'::~" .:.: <.~ - :::.~.: ~{~,: <br />:.:_~.:~ .~:':::: :...:>:.\:~~:~:<:; '~~.:.\-:/:f'.~? <br />.- -. '"..~ ..- <br />.' .... <br />...-;..0.. .., :-: <br /> <br />.. <br />. . <br />- , '. . . :::.. .:-.'~ .;. ...:. .. ;:. .. <br />