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David Getches Although it is true, as Tom Moody said in his introduc- tion, that I have had an opportunity to look at Colorado River matters from a perspective of a state official, a lawyer for water users, a representative of Indian Tribes, and as an environmentalist, today I wel~ come you on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Grand Canyon Trust. The welcome is as personal as it is formal; I know about half of the people here from working together on issues over the years. And I know that this is truly a group of experts - a diverse and highly motivated gronp capable of looking critically and constructively at the past and future of the Colorado River. Meetings about the Colorado River are not unique, Or even rare. We have all been to many. What is unusual here is the breadth of the issues that we will tackle: Indian water rights, endangered species, efficient water use, hydropower, water marketing, science, public par- ticipation, and institutions for river management. And what is nearly unique is that we address these issues DAVID GETCHES Chair, Board of Trustees, Grand Canyon Trust and Raphael }. Moses Professor of Natural Resources Law, University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder Colorado not in the context of some particular problem or pro- ject, but with an eye to finding a better way to do all that we do. This is a workshop in the fullest sense of the word. It is not an educational exercise or a negotiating session. And it is future oriented: "issues, ideas, and directions;' as the title of this workshop tells us. So we are here to work on how to do a better job of resource management in the Colorado River Basin, not just to exchange information uncritically or to champion the cause of a particular interest. In that spirit, let me share with you my perception of why we may all feel dissatisfied to some degree with how resources of the Colorado River Basin are now managed. I think that the history of resources manage- ment in the basin has followed three themes: ... We have solved problems piecemeal, one at a time. .&. We have made commitments without enough information. .&. We have addressed issues in a spirit of competition rather than cooperation. These themes are well-documented in the rich history of the Colorado River Basin. And they emerge explicit- ly or implicitly in most of the seven discussion papers prepared for this workshop. Let me say a few words 9