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, . Never has the Colorado River been called upon to provide so much to so many. The Colorado River drains 240,000 square miles of the arid southwest, nearly 1/12 of the continental U.S. Initially developed to promote irrigated agriculture, the river now provides a variety of consumptive and non-consumptive resources to a diverse set of stakeholders. The principal river in an arid region, the Colorado has always repre- sented life itself. But, while its consumptive values for agriculture and drinking water remain high, over the past several decades the river's waters have come to mean more than simply economic prosperity. Increasingly, it provides recreation and aesthetic val- ues to a rapidly urbanizing region. For more than 500 miles in the center of the basin, the river runs through national park lands, a national heritage. Drinking water demands from growing regional populadons and Native American water rights claims increase demands on the river. Threatened or endangered native species and their habitats exist in many sections of the river. The rising importance of non-consump- tive uses such as recreation, aesthetics, and the recognition of the need to protect cul- tural and natural resources complicate management. Fifty years ago the challenge was harnessing the river to deliver its water efficiently. Today we face the challenge of sat- isfying even greater demands placed on the river. Management of the water and related resources in the Colorado River basin is under- going great change. The lower basin states completely used their water allocations under the Colorado River Compact for the first time in 1996. The operations of Glen Canyon Dam have been altered to incorporate protection of the environmental and cu/wral resources of Grand Canyon National Park. Serious discussions to transfer water between states and even between upper and lower basins are underway. Several inclusive partnerships to recover endangered species at the state and basin level are in progress. These changes are occurring for a variety of reasons. There have been fundamental changes in the economics and demographics of the region. While the basin itself remains largely rural and agricultural, the surrounding regions are dominated by fast- growing urban areas. The restructuring of the utility industry and increased funding for et1vironmental protection have forced changes to the rivers hydroelectric resource. Greater demands for recreation and non-consumptive uses of water compete with tra- ditional irrigation. Societal values favor even greater environmental protection and species restoration. Native American voices, long ignored, are more effectively enter- ing the management process. In 1994, Grand Canyon Trust entered a cooperative, cost-sharing agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation to identify basin management issues and to describe thought- ful perspectives about current and future management of water and related resources. More than 650 stakeholders, reflecting a diversity of interests from across the basin and service areas, participated in the Colorado River Basin Management Swdy. This diverse group identified critical management issues that face, or will face, the man- agers and stakeholders. The Colorado River Workshop, organized as part of this study, provided a forum that allowed many of these historically contentious stakeholders to successfully come together and discuss these critical issues.