GLEN CANYON BEFORE LAKE POWELL: It Wasn't Nice to Drown a Canyon Lady as a title symbolizes the crux of Glen Canyon's transformation from a pristine canyon oasis to so-called "basin storage" that began in the late 1950s. Thus, the 'Before, ' 'During, ' and 'After' phases of two entirely different habitats and appearances.
Abstract: For those who experienced Glen Canyon before its dramatic changeover and designation (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area), the subtitle of this manuscript rings true. This three-part narrative of Glen Canyon features "the Glen's" native habitat before its interior was swamped by hundreds of feet of water. Hence, part one's subject matter. The late Grand Canyon author and a personal friend, George Steck, also aptly described the aftermath--Beauty Lost--which, as an epitaph, was bequeathed after his last float trip through the interior, in 1959. That narrative's write-up denotes the second part of this manuscript. By the early 1980s, for nearly 200-mile-long Lake Powell had formed behind the towering wall of the Glen Canyon Dam. Consequently, most people assumed Lake Powell's blue oasis and 1,900-miles of shoreline equated to a leviathan aquatic paradise. Thus, the third part of the text dedicated to the canyon's native environment many people today presume is the nonfictional appearance. Ergo, Glen Canyon's Lake Powell attraction.
That said, the Bureau of Reclamation constructed a dam in this vicinity (Page, AZ), which forced the Colorado River to reverse its flow. The consequence of this gigantic wall of cement and rebar swamped what many Glen Canyon aficionados considered the most pristine canyon in the Southwest. Why did the BuRec create an artificial basin in predominantly desert and semi-arid environs, risking not only extensive and ongoing evaporation from the sun, as well as three regional high-sediment flowing rivers entering Lake Powell? Those rivers also continue discharging a mega-sized and growing blob of gooey material on the bottom of the lake. Consequently, diminishing the lifespan of the basin by hundreds of years. Moreover, the engineers built and attached the dam to porous sandstone walls that continue leaking millions of tons of water annually. In short, it was the wrong damn place to build the dam in the first place. This publication's text reveals the complete story most people aren't aware of, then or now. The fact is, the net result of the Before, During, and After phases of Lake Powell ultimately became "Lake Foul."
(256 pages 8 x 11 format)
About the Author: After being Honorably Discharged from the Navy (submarine service), Rich has lived in the West and Southwest for over four decades. Earning three academic degrees in Eastern and Western Philosophy, for nearly 30 years he has made a living as an outdoors educator and interpreter teaching a variety of geosciences, human, and natural history geared to the Colorado Plateau Province. Additionally, he was a professional studio and stage musician and taught guitar and music theory, including composing two soundtracks for the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks; a high school Educational Assistant and Substitute Teacher; a commercial pilot flying a variety of aircraft; a professional photographer; a GPS surveyor and topographical mapper for the U. S. Forest Service; a planetarium control room operator; a museum docent; and the Coconino County Sheriff's Office. What Rich is more enthused about, however, is serving in the role of an interpretive guide and educator for the Grand Canyon Field Institute (a National Park Service endorsed outreach program (http: //bit.ly/1D6YS1u). He was also an instructor at Northern Arizona University and Yavapai College (respectively, Flagstaff and Prescott), as well as the owner of a Southwest eco and cultural tourism enterprise. Since 2010, he became the Executive Director of a think tank in Albuquerque, based on astronautics and aerospace S.T.E.M. classroom projects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), including the co-author of a math-lab book based on rocketry. (www.stemfortheclassroom.com) For more of RICH HOLTZIN'S backstory, peruse his website: www.richholtzin.com
