[Awclist] Grand Canyon Adopt a beach program

[Mary Scofield]

Adopt A Beach program on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon

We are seeking private boaters to participate in an Adopt A Beach 
program on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.  It is similar to 
Passing the Baton in a relay race except here we Pass the Camera and Kit 
to the Next boating group going down. What do you think? Details below 
and instructions to participate included at the end.

Recently we (Robert and Celia) went to the Grand Canyon River Guides 
Seminar* (www.gcrg.org ) and volunteered for the Adopt A Beach Program 
as a project FOR PRIVATE BOATERS to ALSO participate.  Normally they 
assign these beaches to guides/river companies who go down the river 
several times a year.  We thought it might be fun to find a number of 
private trips going down the river and ask if they would like to pass 
the camera/kit on to various people on trips this year.

The beach WE have is near Salt Water Wash at River Mile 12.2, just below 
Soap Creek and the F.M. Brown's Inscription.  The beach is on River left 
and makes a great lunch stop , probably not a camping zone.

Additionally there also happens to be some Nevil's Inscriptions on the 
cliff face above the beach (former high water times).

The idea is to take 2 pictures from a designated point and answer the 
data form provided based on your observations of the beach; e.g., bank 
cuts from recent High-Low daily flows, rock slides, flash flood erosion, 
anything you wish to note.  This is a long-term monitoring project (8 
year ) ongoing project and so this data gets put into a database for 
determining management issues of the river affecting the beaches and camps.

It is and EASY PROJECT since OUR BEACH is on day 1, 2, 3 (depending on 
your groups speed) so it is early in the river trip and then you put it 
away! When you return home send it back to me or the next group going 
down.  It is also not a very time-consuming stop even if all you did was 
just for this project.  It is a nice sunny beach and THE INSCRIPTIONS 
part of the history of the river.

If you have a Grand Canyon River Trip this year (2007), (or know someone 
who is) please forward this message.  Respond to me by either e-mail 
(best) or phone. Include your name, address, phone and e-mail so I may 
get the camera-packet to the next trip.  I hope to have a photo of the 
beach for each month of the river season.

GC Adopt A Beach – Celia & Robert Southwick
rsouthwick at shamanproducts.com
505-266-8518
4022 Anderson Ave SE
Albuquerque, NM  87108

Why Should I Participate in Adopt A Beach?

To learn more about the study results go to www.gcrg.org and then to 
Adopt A Beach!

1.	Become a steward for the River, in the Grand Canyon – a place to 
protect and keep for future generations.

2.	Be a UNIQUE  part of a long term study of beaches in the Grand 
Canyon, themselves an endangered  “species”. You are UNIQUE in that we 
are Private Boaters and most of this is done by commercial outfitters 
and their boatmen for the obvious reasons of making multiple trips a 
year down the Canyon.

3.	We (private trips)  can be a TEAM by sharing the responsibility of at 
least ONE BEACH to monitor.

4.	Learn more about how WE as RIVER RUNNERS impact the beaches.  While 
we keep them pretty clean and try to leave no trace, we have in fact an 
impact on the already fragile and eroded beaches due to the high-low 
flow regime.

5.	When we can make a conscious choice to save habitat that cannot be 
readily replaced it is a good thing!
o	Where and how we tie off our boats – use of sand stakes, e.g.
o	Traffic patterns to and from the boats
o	Where we place our camps and personal tents
o	Pee IN the water NOT ON the beach – implement a PEE CAN or bucket at 
the toilets where we can toss the pee into the river versus on the beach 
(development of green algal growth on the sands)

6.	By sharing things you learn from completing the Adopt A Beach data 
sheets you can teach others!  The study results will be used in the 
adaptive management plans for Glen Canyon Dam.  Additionally WE too can 
protect the beach  by being more aware of WHAT kinds of things impact 
the fragile and ever decreasing resource that we camp on ….in fact, 
perhaps there would be NO NEED to make new rules if we self imposed 
things that can easily be accomplished.  Not just Commercial companies 
and their passengers but ALL boaters going down a river corridor should 
help care for the beaches by making wise choices and decisions to lessen 
the impact where possible!  THIS project made me think in new ways about 
things we do and how it affects our beaches.

7.	Did you know that the sand in the canyon protects the ancient ruin 
sites and as it is blown away or washed away some artifacts are being 
lost FOREVER?  The sand for the most part is NOT being REGENERATED by 
the river except during flash flood rains which are mostly infrequent. 
This sediment in the river is crucial to rebuilding beaches.  Most 
sediment is lying behind a dam.

8.	Animals need the beaches in many cases to reach the water and for 
grass/plants foraging habitat.

9.	This is not rocket science per se – we can DO more when we KNOW more!

10.	These concepts can extend to other rivers which have flows that are 
dam-controlled and not just dictated by seasonal fluctuations.

11.	Results are reviewed each year to learn new information and so that 
flow regime can be regulated accordingly.

12.	I am sure there are MORE reasons you can list SO WHAT ARE YOU 
WAITING FOR ?   If you are on a trip or know of someone going down the 
Grand Canyon on a River Trip I would love to enlist your help in this 
project!!!

Call or E-mail
Celia Southwick (Albuquerque, NM)
(505-266-8518) rsouthwick at shamanproducts.com
Please note that if you do not hear back right away there may be a river 
somewhere calling us away for awhile – I will respond to you as soon as 
possible!