• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

IN THIS ISSUE: BASIN, > Hope for the Colorado n page 2 RANGE & RIMROCK Science in the Desert n page 4 Stewards of the Lake n page 10 SUMMER 2013 NEWSLETTER n UTAH CHAPTER photo: James Kay www.jameskay.com 1 BASIN, RANGE & RIMROCK / SUMMER 2013 Conservation Corner A Critical Count Board of Trustees Chair: John D’Arcy As readers may notice, this issue Jennifer Speers Tim Dee Stephen E. Denkers features a new look for Basin, Range Vice Chair: Richard Denman Christopher Robinson Jeff Edison & Rimrock. Of course, this remains Don Garner Honorary Co-Chairs: Mary Garner your biannual source for news about Ian Cumming Clark Giles Susan Denkers Hank Hemingway the Utah Chapter, but we’re trying out Zeke Dumke, Jr. Carolyn Tanner Irish Spencer Eccles Ted Jacobsen a few design changes to bring you David Gardner Kim Kimball Jake Garn Linda Leckman even more pictures and stories from M. Walker Wallace Kathryn Lindquist Jim MacMahon our conservation work throughout Campaign Co-Chairs: Kathie Miller Norma Matheson Nalini Nadkarni the state. We’ve also added a special John Milliken Maunsel Pearce Ellen Rossi emphasis on hearing from the many Trustees: Miguel Rovira Teresa Beck Betsy Thornton people, like you, who are helping in Alexis Cairo Scott Thornton Lynn Cardey-Yates Bruce Waddell so many different ways to protect photo: Gary Crandall Jim Clark LaVarr Webb Utah’s lands and waters. Take a look, With help from a group of local birding Lasting Results and let us know what you think of the experts, this spring the Conservancy began an important bird survey at the new format. You can share your thoughts Utah Private Lands Protection Great Salt Lake, which could shed new by emailing us at [email protected]. Number of Projects ............164 light on potential impacts from the Total Acres Protected. 1,138,380 proposed West Davis Corridor. We’ll be Utah Public Lands Protection sharing final results in our next issue, but you can learn more now at Number of Projects .............40 nature.org/Utah. Total Acres Protected. .130,063 Total Acres Protected . 1,268,443 Total Utah Membership .. 5,394 THE NATURE CONSERVANCY UTAH / NATURE.ORG 2 From the Director As a “long-diSTANCE RUNNER” prudently stewarding our natural resources, in the race to conserve Utah’s lands and we’ve always wanted to “add just one more cow.” waters, I sometimes step back and ponder But there are signs of change: the how far we’ve come and how far we still need Governor and Chamber of Commerce are to travel. What are the limits of growth and talking about air quality. Local communities conservation? What behaviors are at the root are embracing Envision Utah planning of the challenges we face? My thoughts often strategies. Lawmakers and industry are lead me to Garrett Hardin’s 1968 essay, The acknowledging the clear economic benefits Tragedy of the Commons. of a healthy Great Salt Lake. Congressman To understand the essay’s basic concept, Rob Bishop has launched an effort to “bring imagine an agricultural community where resolution to challenging land disputes.” ranchers graze cattle on a common pasture. And there is more: at this April’s Stegner Over time, individuals add “just a few Symposium at the University of Utah, Elder Dave Livermore more cows” than they have been allotted Marcus Nash made an inspiring call for better Executive Director by rationalizing: “this is such a big pasture, stewardship—a rare statement from the LDS The Nature Conservancy in Utah surely just a few more cows won’t hurt.” Church on the environment. When everyone adds cows, the common Developing a better sense of stewardship pasture becomes overgrazed, eroded and is is at the core of the conservation movement. “Unbridled consumption is not consistent with ultimately ruined. To paraphrase Hardin, “If We can legislate better stewardship by passing God’s plan…Despoiling nature is almost always all individuals act in rational self-interest, laws. We can show stewardship makes sense a result of selfishness…We are all stewards, not and use common resources for their own economically. We can even try to popularize owners, and we will be accountable to God for gain, with no regard for others, all resources better stewardship. But the role of faith how we use his creation…Our test on this Earth is will eventually be depleted. A tragedy of the communities in helping us heal the Earth and whether we will choose wisely and follow God and commons will take place.” avoid the “tragedy of the commons” cannot be treat His creations with respect…The better we Here in Utah, we have been slow to overstated. For conservationists, Elder Nash’s care for the Earth, the better it will care for us.” acknowledge the “tragedy of the commons.” address was a speech “heard round the world.” Maybe it’s our frontier heritage, or the This spring, more than tulips blossomed on Elder Marcus B. Nash, First Quorum of the Seventy, vastness of our Great Basin home, or our Temple Square. Thanks to Elder Nash, a new The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bristling at being told what to do. Rather than sense of stewardship began to flower as well. 3 BASIN, RANGE & RIMROCK / spring 2013 photo: Colorado River © Tom Till THE NATURE CONSERVANCY UTAH / NATURE.ORG 4 The past year has seen the national country or pumping diminishing aquifers. These River’s Edge spotlight intensify for the Colorado modern management options are also cheaper, River, as this “lifeblood of the West” faces faster and easier to implement than a costly mounting pressures. “What I want people to pipeline and large, energy-guzzling de-salter understand is that there is hope,” said Hawes. plants. We recognize we must meet growing One shining example of this hope came water demand needs, but we need to do so in a in the form of unprecedented policy change at way that works for cities, agriculture, industry the highest levels. Just before the basin study and nature.” was released, the United States and Mexico With 12 demonstration sites on the Colorado reached an historic agreement to rejoin the River and its tributaries, the Conservancy is Colorado River to the Sea of Cortez and uniquely poised to influence decision-makers by define how the two countries will share the sharing knowledge and science gained through Taylor Hawes, the river’s resources in the face of increasing on-the-ground work. “Our projects in states like Conservancy’s Colorado teinberg Photography teinberg S demands for water and decreasing supplies. Utah are where river conservation becomes real,” River Program Director, “This agreement is about a sustainable said Hawes. “At these sites, local people whose lives sees hope as the river’s plight gains attention. future. By beginning to restore the delta, we depend on this water become engaged in solutions photo: © Jim are demonstrating that there’s great promise that truly make a difference for their community.” for healthy rivers throughout the Colorado In Utah, that means work on the Colorado “THE REALITY IS THAT THE DEMANDS ALREADY River basin,” explains Hawes. “We’re itself as well as its tributaries, tackling issues such outstrip the river supply. Something’s got to give.” developing and demonstrating solutions that as providing river managers with new information That’s Taylor Hawes, the Conservancy’s Colorado River benefit nature while meeting the needs of on future flows and climate in Grand County, Program Director, reacting back in December to the river basin people for generations to come.” to fighting invasives in the Escalante River study that issued a dire warning for communities depending A willingness to take on new strategies— watershed and studying flows and fish species on the Colorado. Results of the Bureau of Reclamation study and to break free of “old-school” approaches recovery on the Virgin in Washington County. were stark: There will not be enough water in the river in to river management—is the driving force “What’s promising is that we have people’s the near future to meet demands for drinking water, crops, behind the Conservancy’s Colorado River attention and the attention of decision-makers ranching, tourism, energy and business—and that’s without Program. “Water is so precious in the West and leaders,” said Hawes. “Now there is a desire accounting for another 25 million people who will rely on this that throughout history, we have fought over to get ahead of the crisis and develop solutions river by 2060. every drop,” said Hawes. “The Conservancy for managing the river in an adaptive way. If we “None of us who work on the river were really surprised is working with partners and policy makers to can do this, the next generation will thank us.” by the study’s findings,” explains Hawes, “but I think what’s support modern river management options To learn more about the Conservancy’s important is that it put all of us on the same page in terms of that allow us to live within our means rather Colorado River program, visit nature.org/ taking actions now.” than taking water from another part of the coloradoriver 5 BASIN, RANGE & RIMROCK / SUMMER 2013 photo: Bear River © Steve Mulligan THE NATURE CONSERVANCY UTAH / NATURE.ORG 6 Climate change adaptation workshops New Climate, New enable conservationists and land managers Strategies to take actions now to adapt to climate pressures, like those unfolding on the Bear River. THE HOTTEST 10 YEARS IN EARth’S RECORDED HISTORY have (SWCCI) in 2008 to help answer questions like these, and it has since been all occurred since 1990.

Load more

  12

Copy Link