On Friday, Oct. 30, Citizens for Dixie’s Future is sponsoring “An Evening with Daniel Beard.” Daniel Beard is the former commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency responsible for the vast majority of the dam construction and management in the West. He is calling for the abolition of the Bureau of Reclamation and the tearing down of the Glen Canyon Dam. The event will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Dixie Center, located at 1835 Convention Center Drive in St. George.
Tom Butine, president of the southwest conservation organization Citizens for Dixie’s Future, said that Beard will discuss the findings documented in his book “Deadbeat Dams.”
“He concludes that western water is a world rife with politics and devoid of common sense, fiscal responsibility and logical decision making, and needs to change,” said Butine. “He provides some solutions for a path to a more sustainable water future. We need to really ramp-up more efficient water management and the implementation of common sense water conservation measures.”
A question-and-answer session will follow Beard’s presentation.
Beard is a native of Bellingham, Wash. and received his undergraduate degree from Western Washington University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington. He currently serves on the American Forest Foundation Board of Trustees, and serves as the organization’s Treasurer.
Beard has also served as Chief Administrative Officer in the U.S. House of Representatives; Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior; Staff Director in the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, and the Subcommittee on Water and Power; Assistant Director of Domestic Policy Staff, White House; Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Max Baucus; Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of the National Audubon Society; Senior Adviser for Booz Allen Hamilton; and Analyst in Environmental Policy, Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress.
For more information on Dan and his book, please visit deadbeatdams.com.
For more information about Citizens for Dixie’s Future, please visit citizensfordixie.org.
Folks should buy Dan Beard’s book “Deadbeat Dams” and attend this free event. The book is a very interesting read and provides valuable information all citizens should have to understand how water has worked in the West in the past and why it’s so important to set a new future. It’s not a boring read; that’s for sure!
This was an excellent event and an opportunity for folks to learn more about water and the challenging decisions we face. There was a good crowd but no media to cover what was presented. Too bad that opportunity was missed.