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<br />1312
<br />
<br />
<br />Tht HtlCh Hitch} Vall~/lt/1 m 191O./xfoN il U"J d.Jmmtd; oJ1 "igh, In 195'. JhtJu'ing Ibt floor 0/
<br />thi rtJlrt'OIrajltr JIJmmtr d"oJu.Jf!wn. L..!I'T THlloll.U(U......on ",W,HYDlI
<br />
<br />Conr;nlJtd from paRt 21
<br />
<br />'"ater will brinE!: some g.a.ms-tt m.1Y
<br />enforce a. de~ree of conserviltion. end.
<br />ing some v,,'UlI: and marp:inJ..l meso and
<br />it may even savC' our lau wild fI\len
<br />1m exnncrion. Nevertheless. It also
<br />work [Q inrcnsif)' C'xislln,': hler-
<br />niesof \lI,'calrh and lnnuence. and the
<br />losers in Ih,t{ sifU2.1I0n will be- whuC'vcr
<br />,l!:enuine rural folk we hillve leh In the
<br />'!,XeSl. Envlronmentalisls may .....1tH to
<br />cheer some of those outcomes. bUI
<br />they should nm cheer them .1.l1- Ap.in
<br />and .1,ltain In American experience.
<br />from Ihe South and New En~.and to
<br />[he Dust Bowl of the Great PI.J..ins all
<br />,he Vo':aY to [he PaCific CoaS(, we often
<br />have won conservation and resrorarion
<br />vIctories through ~ SIf~IC'Jty th~1 has
<br />me~nt displacin,lt from the land rhe
<br />weakest, ~nd even the \east harmful.
<br />amonK us, The '\(br IS poiSed lod~y to
<br />repeat the old lfaJltlC story.
<br />This u.lk of s<aling back on tI.-aler use
<br />should nor be misunderstood; The arId
<br />part of the country. like the humid. is
<br />,ltoing 10 have dams on its rivers for a
<br />Ion.': lime 10 come. perhap! as long as
<br />people tI.'ant to live on IhlS contmenr.
<br />Dam! "ill be ma.Lnlamed for purpose!
<br />of flood prou:cuon, v.-ater !uppl)', and
<br />a,l:ricuJrural proJucllon, ~t leut until
<br />"e can fl/olure OUI some alrernafl\'e
<br />.(:)rm of le(l1no\o.lO'. ^Ilthat can be Utd
<br />this time is thaI. h~vmjo: conque~d
<br />. lOSt of our riven, we are notl.. be,lVn-
<br />nlng to wonder what come! next_ ~'e
<br />are aware, on the one hand, oj the enor-
<br />mous damaJo:e thaI has been vISIted on
<br />them, the s<emc .lnd ecolO,lUC.l1 loue!
<br />
<br />H
<br />
<br />that have occurred. ^n Increasin,R
<br />number of ^merican! would like ro see
<br />somt" rivers flowinlit wilJ and clean ~nd
<br />fn:e as they once did bdort" Ihe coming
<br />of the whirl" man. On Ihe other h~nd.
<br />....-e are aware Ih,lt rhere are nearly a
<br />quarter of a billion of us reS/din.': In the
<br />
<br />country, all driven by .!treat and ,l:row-
<br />ing rhlr!ts both bIOlogical and cultural
<br />in ollgin, ~nd that our livers arc ('"x-
<br />peered (0 ulISjy those thlrHs ~'Ilhout
<br />stmL We are atl.-are of the conuadlc-
<br />lions, but we don't know how (0 rt:.
<br />!olve Ihem easily.
<br />
<br />The Last Big Dam?
<br />BY STU STULLER
<br />
<br />Et~, line, John M"." ~nJ th, mllrl) lftU SttrT.J CI".b lIr"'Ultd Inntlfl"lllf) f4nJ ".nlld-
<br />msj"./lyJ 10 p",~nIIJu CI/) 0/ SOl" Fr.Jnouo lro", k",,,,,,,/l. Iht ,pltflJIJ Htuh Htt,h~
<br />\4/1" ojlht 5,",,, .....nll.l4 '" Ih, 'Jr/) )tOlrf 01 thtl u"t".".lt/l.htJ Ol~Jlmt tht CO".
<br />11,,,,,10" 0{ big anJ liul, J.:,,,,J .urou Iht "lltJ~" hOlIt p""alt<1ttd /Ol"J. 111 marl) 14 .tH.
<br />dt/t"tJ) Iht AmtrU"" (OnJtnol(I011 mOlt",,,,t. Tht co"jtn,Jt10"UlJ holl't 14 on <J ltu-
<br />tM, JlOpptJ E{ho P4'" Il"J Spltl ,\h".,,(Il'" J.:,"'$ 1'1 D",OJOlllr .....Ol1I""al "'''''11''''''( 1"
<br />tM 19jOJ, ,"{<tr6k Cll1l)on Dol""" tht Gr,nJ COl"J"", ROlmPQrt DJ'" 0" Iht )'11*"".
<br />DOJ Rlol Dot", ", C,;ltIDr7Jla m tht 1960J, Ol"',",( (ht "'D!t nDtablt IlctorltJ--blt( halt
<br />loa J good ",,"y "'Drt. TcJ.z). Nt" 'Itht bl"ltdtr.JI Jolm-6,,'/Jml. .J1.",CItJOl" 6<<0"''''''
<br />ItJJ .u/n"l. JI Do"aU U"DrJUr "Ollt. Hl."tJ'{O"Ir(Jlt,.S1tJOlrt ItI!! ID""J to bt 61.1;1,,1,
<br />11144)'" ",.z,,) p.zrtJ o{tht"""/rr-lrD1Pt Mall'lt to C.zhl"r",.J. S"th DOll>OI.z1D Arr-
<br />ZD"4. AJ 1<<IlI (O"Jt" at,,,,, t.l "Ur St". SI"l/tr ulb ".S. Dnt oflht b'gK,aOlnJ ",ost ""11'
<br />"lUtnl 0/ llxm 411 NJ ,,"If ,,,11ft,,,,,,, Dtm.,r. Co/"'.JJo. fII.,r Iht p.JlI JtI,r<11 "fMthl.
<br />
<br />TWO Forks would be a bi~
<br />d&m_ The rlu~. planned by
<br />the Denver 'X';l.ter Board and
<br />located ,1, mile downstreoun jrom the
<br />confluence of Ihe South Pl~ue Rl\'et
<br />v.'lth Its north fork In Roosevelt :--;.l-
<br />(luna! Forest. ,'ould su.nd 61) jeet
<br />hl;:h_ Its crest tI."Quld sp~o 1,700 jeet of
<br />canyon. The curved MCn slab would
<br />Impnson 1.1 million acrt"-fect oi Q,--ater.
<br />rhe Iar,l:t"sl Ixxh oj staodlO": waler In
<br />the St~IC of Colorado' ^n .Kre-foor IS
<br />abour 323,000 ,ullon~r enou~h
<br />
<br />waler to cover an ure ofbnd to a depth
<br />of one foot.)
<br />DISplaced b)' the water woulJ be
<br />mule deer, elk, bl.':horn sheep (onC' of
<br />the SIX rC'ma.Lhing low-C'iev.ltlon ht'rJs
<br />In Colorado). the endan~red pav.-nt'C'
<br />mont.ane skipper bultertly, a trour iah-
<br />ery rated .umque .lnd llIeplacC'J.ble- br
<br />the U.S Fish .lnJ \X'ildhie Service, 1-l8
<br />human belnlu ",'ho hve there. and
<br />thous.ands of ilShcrmen, hIkers, b.
<br />uken, and climbers v.'ho VISll the ue.a
<br />from Den\'er, less than thlrty-flvC' mdt'S
<br />
<br />\'1;'1 lDER:-': ESS F.-'\ll 1'1....
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