Zion Canyon Mesa Presents The Colorado River Series
– By Logan Hebner –
Community Conversations Continue
As part of their free Community Conversations lectures, Zion Canyon Mesa, along with Conserve Southwest Utah and Zion Forever, present their Colorado River Series with two unique presentations at the Canyon Community Center. 126 Lion Blvd. Springdale, Utah.
Join them for the first of this series on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 PM for Wooden Boats on the Colorado River with Brad Dimock—150 Years of Questionable Endeavors.
Navigating the rapids of the Grand Canyon began in the 1860s. Although most boaters turned to the more practical inflatable rubber boat after it became available in the late 1940s, there is a surviving faction that quixotically prefers to run wooden boats. Brad Dimock, a Grand Canyon boatman for a half-century, researched the evolution of wooden boat designs, built replicas of each iconic style, and then actually rowed them through the Grand Canyon. In this humorous, informative, and mildly horrifying talk, he will take you through that story, illustrated with historic and modern footage of the boats in action. Don’t miss this one.
Brad Dimock began running the Grand Canyon in 1971 and never had the sense to move on to something more respectable. For a decade, he spent his winters running international rivers in South America, Central America, and Africa. He later penned biographies of three iconic boaters, each a winner of the National Outdoor Book Award. About twenty years ago, he began building boats—historic replicas and new variations of modern dories. He now teaches boatbuilding around the country and operates Freshwater Beadworks in Flagstaff—the most prolific producer of whitewater dories in the country.
The second part of this series will be the Returning Rapids Project on Friday, April 5th, at 7 PM, also at the Canyon Community Center, 126 Lion Blvd. Springdale, UT. Admission is free for both lectures.
The Returning Rapids Project is a group of river-loving folks based in Moab, Utah. Our project seeks to document the recovery of the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon, Upper Glen Canyon, and the San Juan‒areas once inundated by a full but now receding Lake Powell reservoir.
With Lake Powell receding, the Colorado River above Glen Canyon Dam is changing rapidly in dramatic and unexpected ways. Buried rapids are rising, and channels are reappearing. The Colorado River is righting itself from this inundation. However, there are also emerging features that pose a potential threat to riparian ecosystems, archaeological sites, and reservoir management. The first group to observe and document these changes is the Returning Rapids Project, a group of river guides turned citizen scientists who work in partnership with scientific researchers.
Mike DeHoff leads The Returning Rapids Project. According to this month’s feature article in Rolling Stone Magazine, “Without DeHoff, this environmental miracle may have gone entirely unnoticed on the national stage.”
DeHoff will present his team’s latest findings on how homeostasis is at play in this environment and the challenges that lie ahead in managing what he terms as our diminishing water savings account, Lake Powell. You can visit ZionCanyonMesa.org for more information, and we’ll see you in Springdale!
