Thank Heaven We Have Lake Powell
Navajo Nation Social Issues
An editorial in the Arizona
Republic (10/12/03 Tribal Tragedy) indicates that violence on tribal lands,
including murder, sexual assault, vehicular manslaughter and violent assault, is at
"crime wave" proportions with no end anywhere in sight. The editorial
laments that many native American tribes and especially the Navajos, remain poor
and that alcohol and substance abuse are rampant problems.
Interestingly, the environment groups that
want to drain Lake Powell want to take away the Navajo Nation's only real economic engine.
Take away Lake Powell and you take away annually over $100 million dollars of
economic benefit from the Navajo Generation Station alone. You take away the
educational opportunity at the Page High School and Page branch of the Coconino Community
College. You take away the opportunity for Native Americans to hold jobs near the
reservation where they can continue their cultural ties and support their elders still
living on the reservation. You take away their opportunities to send their children
to good schools.
It's perhaps fashionable to bash economic
growth and industry but you should consider that jobs and education offer hope.
Unemployment, alcohol and substance abuse only serve to drive Native Americans away from
their homeland.
Positive news doesn't receive much media
attention but at least the Arizona Daily Sun on 10-12-03 reported the Peabody Mines was
honored by the Department of the Interior and received a "Gold Good Neighbor
Award" for developing a host of environmental, economic and tribal initiatives on
Native American lands in Arizona."
The mines received awards for programs that
included reclaiming lands for livestock grazing, restoring plants and herbs, providing
potable water and coal for heat, improving local infrastructure, and supporting education
through scholarships.
Click Here - Navajo Nation Economics
Antelope Marina
Groundbreaking
May 2003
Local,
regional and national officials descended on Antelope Point May 5 to break ground on a
long-awaited $70 million marina project thats expected to provide a major economic
boost to the Navajo Nation and the city of Page.
Today marks a new beginning at Antelope Point,
and the fulfillment of a promise the U.S. government made to the Navajo Nation 30 years
ago, said Kitty Roberts, superintendent of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Its definitely a time to celebrate.
Antelope Point Marina is expected to consist of 300 boat slips, a dry dock with a 500-boat
capacity, a 225-room hotel, and a Navajo cultural center, among other amenities. The $70
million project is expected to take between six and eight years to reach final completion,
but marina officials hope the facility will be operational by the 2004 visitors season.
Navajo Nation Vice President Frank Dayish, Jr. told the crowd that Antelope Point will
benefit the reservation not only through increased tourism, but also with the creation of
numerous jobs for its residents. The project is expected to create about 175 temporary
construction jobs and 150 or so permanent jobs once the facility opens for business.
One of the major goals of the Shirley-Dayish administration is to focus on job
creation, Dayish said after the groundbreaking. We want to provide jobs for
anyone who wants to work. When you have 45-50 percent unemployment, anything that creates
even one job benefits the whole Navajo Nation.
Lawrence Platero, chairman of the Navajo Nations Economic Development Committee,
gave the crowd some hard numbers reflecting the marinas anticipated economic impact
on LeChee and the reservation.
The project is expected to generate $1.4 million annually in land-lease revenues, another
$1.4 million in tax proceeds, and $10 million each year in payroll salaries for its
workers. The marinas overall economic impact for the area is projected to be about
$30 million each year.
.
Emission Standards for
New Gasoline Marine Engines
The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has issued regulations that will bring forth a new generation of
marine engines featuring cleaner technology and providing better engine performance to
boat owners.
Controlling exhaust emissions from
new gasoline spark-ignition (SI ) marine engines will result in an unprecedented 75
percent reduction in hydrocarbon (HC) emissions from these engines by the year 2025.
Likely options for achieving compliance
include converting current OB/PWC 2-stroke engine technology to 4-stroke, direct-injection
2-stroke, or possibly equipping engines with catalytic converters in some applications.
To read more visit
http://www.nps.gov/glca/epa.pdf
Each year, more and more birds discover Lake
Powell. American Avocets, American White Pelicans, Caspian Terns, White-face
Ibis and more. Photos by Gerry Nealon
Read
about the Perfect Asian Storm of April 2001
and how it impacted the visibility across the
Colorado Plateau
Expand your mind
What happens after a dam silts in?
An pictorial essay that discusses
the mature phase of a dam
Bruce
Babbitt's speech to
the Colorado Water Users Association
"I want to say
publicly, for the record, that the idea of decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam and draining
Lake Powell is outside the Circle of Reality".
Bruce
Babbitt, July 14, 2000
Page, Arizona
Bruce Babbitt was in
Page on July 14 and 15 to discuss his vision for a new National Monument on the Paria
Plateau near Page. See pictures of his Spencer Trail hike and read about his
vision.
found around the Page Area
Paleontological Summary and Pictures
A website devoted to the truth about Lake Powell is
Save the Lake.
This comprehensive site contains many excellent (i.e.
factual) articles on the distribution of Glen Canyon power to rural communities, the
downstream water supply issues and the fauna that depend upon Lake Powell. A must read!
Beaver populations below the dam have increased dramatically
since the pre-dam era. Read more about beavers in the
Grand Canyon.
Added 25 Good Reasons Not to Drain Lake
Powell
Added a Page
Community Profile link with all sorts of official information and statistics provided
by the Arizona Department of Commerce.
Some of the data for 1997 include: Population of 8,640 and taxable
sales for 1997 of $171 million dollars.
Water is the #1 recreational activity in America.
Recreation constitutes 10.5% of all consumer spending and contributes over $350
billion annually to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
It's estimated that $180 billion of recreation GDP is generated by
visitation to federally managed public land. To read more on this subject, visit:
Fact Sheet on Lake
Recreation
Overview of the National
Recreation Lake Study
Native Fish History was added.
Sand Bar Restoration LInks were added.
The "Solutions and Options" page
was created.
The "Quotable" page was
created. Quotes by the Governor of Arizona and the Navajo Nation are included.
The economic impact of the Navajo Generating Station was
reformatted.
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Here are more links with new information:
Drought Cycles Plague the West
The Impact on Lake Mead and Downstream
Users
The Colorado River - Comparing 100 Year Old Photos
The
impact of a severe drought (right now...with Lake Powell): the hydrologic, environmental,
and economic consequences
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