Plains to Peak Bulletin Spring 2016
2015-16 Speakers Series: Spring Semester Monday, January 25th at 7:00 p.m., Gates Common Room, Palmer Hall, Colorado College
Divining LA: Designing Western Cities for a ClimateAdapted Future Peter and Hadley Arnold, Founding Co-Directors of the Arid Lands Institute ALI trains designers and citizens to respond to water variability through innovative design, with the vision of creating a “water-smart built environment” that serves as a model for arid regions globally. Peter and Hadley both have architecture and environmental design backgrounds and have focused their teaching, research, and practice on drylands since 1998.
Monday, February 29th at 7:00 p.m., Celeste Theater, Cornerstone Arts Center, Colorado College
The Future of Water Peter Gleick, Co-Founder of the Pacific Institute Dr. Peter Gleick is renowned the world over as a leading expert, innovator, and communicator on water and climate issues. He co-founded and leads the Pacific Institute based in Oakland, California. The Institute is an innovative and independent science-based organization that creates and advances solutions to the world’s water challenges.
Thursday, March 24th at 7:00 p.m., Screening Room, Cornerstone Arts Center, Colorado College
Our Canyonlands Justin Clifton, Filmmaker, Producer and Director of “Our Canyonlands” and “Bears Ears” “Our Canyonlands” and “Bears Ears” are short documentaries exploring the management and proposed conservation of southeastern Utah. Filmmaker Justin Clifton is a native of the American Southwest who has dedicated the past decade of his career to advocacy film, first as director of Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour and now as a filmmaker whose work is centered around environmental and conservation issues.
Monday, March 28th at 7:00 p.m., Gates Common Room, Palmer Hall, Colorado College
Western Water and the Big Shake-up Daniel McCool, Director of the Environmental and Sustainability Program, University of Utah Daniel McCool will be speaking about Native American water rights and river restoration, addressing voices sometimes neglected in discussions about water in the West. Professor McCool’s research focuses on water resource development, public lands policy, voting rights, and Indian water rights.
Visit www.stateoftherockies.com for more info. 2
Table of Contents 4
Researching Western Water with a Wide Lens As the Rockies Project continues to explore Western water issues from an interdisciplinary perspective, Rockies Project Assistant Director Brendan Boepple shares the details behind the Project’s collaborations and diverse student work. Reflecting the unique liberal arts experience of Colorado College, the Rockies Project continues to look at critical environmental and natural resource issues with that same liberal arts lens. By Brendan Boepple, Rockies Project Assistant Director
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Flight Across America
During October of 2015 Rockies Fellow Jonah Seifer flew across the Southwest with EcoFlight, an organization that strives to provide a unique aerial perspective to conservation. Jonah combined his passion for photography with his interest in Western water through a photo essay that highlights his experience. By Jonah Seifer, Rockies Project Fellow
12 Water Leasing in a Water
Stressed West
As the West becomes increasingly water scarce, water trading increases to provide urban areas with enough water to meet growing populations. However, these water trades can often have negative third party effects on agriculture communities, making the need for thoughtful leasing mechanisms especially pertinent. By Burkett Huey, Rockies Project Fellow
14 Cultural Values of Water
and the Escalade Project
Discussions around Western water are often dominated by technical fields such as engineering and law, leaving out cultural values of water. This is shown through the proposed Grand Canyon Escalade Project which would develop a sacred site for the Navajo and other tribes at the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers. By Maya Williamson, Rockies Project Fellow
Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Faculty Director Eric P. Perramond Assistant Director Brendan Boepple Rockies Project Program Coordinator Brooke Larsen Rockies Project Fellows Burkett Huey John Jennings Jonah Seifer Maya Williamson
Contributors Brendan Boepple is the Assistant Director of the State of the Rockies Project. In his fifth year with the project, he also worked as a Program Coordinator and a student researcher. His research focused on the Eastern Plains region of the Rockies, and he is particularly interested in private land conservation. Jonah Seifer is a 2015-16 State of the Rockies Project Fellow. Jonah spent the summer of 2015 researching water quality rights for Native American tribes. His field research took him to the Navajo Nation and Pueblo Isleta. Burkett Huey is a 2015-16 State of the Rockies Project Fellow. Originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, his research focuses on water pricing and leasing in Colorado. His research brings attention to third party effects of water trade. Maya Williamson is a 2015-16 State of the Rockies Project Fellow. Maya grew up in London, England. As an anthropology major, Maya looked at the cultural values of water specifically at the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers.
State of the Rockies Project Mission:
The State of the Rockies Project engages students, conservation experts, and stakeholders to address critical environmental and natural resource issues through interdisciplinary research in the Rockies and the American West. 3
Researching Western Water with a Wide Lens
by Brendan Boepple, Assistant Director of the State of the Rockies Project In January, State of the Rockies hosted our first guest speakers of 2016, Hadley and Peter Arnold of the Arid Lands Institute. Based out of Los Angeles, the couple brought a different perspective to our ongoing discussion of water in the West with backgrounds in design and architecture. In addition to their talk, “Divining LA: Designing Western Cities for a Climate-Adapted Future,” the duo also reflected with our State of the Rockies Fellows on the IDEA Space’s Hydro-Logic exhibit during a special cabaret event. The exhibit brought together artists from across a number of different mediums to highlight a central theme of humanity’s connection to water. The cabaret was an excellent success as our students tied their current research focus to the different pieces on display for the Hydro-Logic exhibit. Jonah Seifer, a senior environmental science major, explained the connections between his research on Native American water quality rights and the work of John Sabraw, an artist who creates pigments and paintings from iron oxide collected during stream remediation. Burk Huey, a senior economics major, related his research in water pricing and banking on Colorado’s West Slope to photos by the world famous artist Edward Burtynsky. The
State of the Rockies Fellow Jonah Seifer makes connections between the work of John Sabraw and water quality issues for Native Americans.
audience witnessed the interdisciplinary nature of State of the Rockies’ student research, as our fellows tapped into their own scholarly work, the work of one another, and the arts to discuss the larger story of water use and civilization’s inextricable link to the resource. During the past 13 years State of the Rockies has worked closely with more than 75 Colorado College students on topics ranging from agriculture to energy development. In addition to the diverse set of topics addressed,
State of the Rockies Fellow Burk Huey discusses how his research connects to the work of artist Edward Burtynsky.
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State of the Rockies Fellow John Jennings shows how work by Edward Burtynsky and the Warka Water by Arturo Vittori reflect his research on diverse values agriculturalists place on water in the Gunnison River Basin.
student researchers have pursued 14 different majors over the course of the Project’s history. In this sense we believe the Rockies Project embodies the values of a liberal arts education. Cross-fertilization of student research interests has yielded some of the most compelling work the Project has pursued. We also believe a liberal arts education is important as the next generation of leaders rise to meet critical environmental and natural resource challenges. As our students transition into young professionals and are faced with complex problems, often with intractable solutions, they have the benefit of tapping into a diverse education that can provide a broad context for such issues. I have often described State of the Rockies as an “organic” development of the college’s long past in Western issues and the attitudes and thoughts that have prevailed here at CC for decades. In large part, this is due to the liberal arts education fostered by the college and the opportunities provided to students by its place here in the West. In 2016, we are also making cross-disciplinary research a core component to the State of the Rockies’ future as we transition to a faculty advisory committee to oversee the Project’s research and activities. We are excited to formally engage more of the campus community on complex issues affecting the West. We look forward to working with students and faculty from across the disciplines, and facilitating cross-fertilization of ideas that has long been a hallmark of the State of the Rockies Project. We thank you for your continued interest in the State of the Rockies Project and the work we do at Colorado College. Please do not hesitate to reach out and en-
gage with the Rockies Project as we continue our focus on water in the West. Sincerely, Brendan Boepple Assistant Director Colorado College State of the Rockies Project
State of the Rockies Fellow Maya Williamson shows how the Warka Water from Arturo Vittori reflects her research on cultural values of water.
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Flight Across America: Megadrought by Jonah Seifer, 2015-16 Rockies Project Fellow
Gary Kraft, volunteer pilot for Ecoflight, and Cayte Bosler, journalist, fly a Cessna 210 near Ecoflight’s offices in Aspen, Colorado. EcoFlight was founded in 2002 to provide the unique aerial perspective to conservation work. Their mission is to empower citizens to learn more about the issues that affect their lives and to speak out and participate in the decision-making surrounding these issues. EcoFlight flies conservation groups, policy makers, media representatives, concerned citizens and young adults over our Western landscapes so they can see humans’ impact on our natural world, and hopefully inspire proactive behavior to protect these landscapes. I had the immense privilege of flying with Ecoflight in October of 2015, during which I interacted with key stakeholders in the Colorado River Basin, completed my research for the State of the Rockies Project, and shared my perspective with students from the Roaring Fork valley. 6
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Hunter Mesa sits at the foot of South Mamm peak, just outside the White River National Forest and above the Mesaverde Formation of the Piceance Basin. This area is five miles southeast of Rifle, Colorado and hosts oil, gas, and associated hydrocarbon extraction operations as well as pipelines and gravel pits. Despite knowing the history and present-day extent of oil and gas extraction in Colorado, the surreal visual impact of land fragmentation as a result of oil pads struck me nonetheless. In some areas, the irregular grid of pads reached to the horizon.
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TOP RIGHT: Oil pads sit atop a hill near an agricultural region north of the Colorado-New Mexico border. The Animas River, recipient of the wastewater from the Gold King Mine spill, is seen in the background. Despite the Animas River returning to pre-spill conditions about three weeks before this image was taken, the EPA predicts that sediment will continue to be flushed out of the watershed during high-water events.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Sarana Riggs, volunteer for the Grand Canyon Trust and Save the Confluence listens as Rodger Clark gives an introduction to the geology of the Grand Canyon in the context of a discussion on uranium leases along its rim. In the background, Deon Ben, another Navajo activist with Save the Confluence, looks over the North Rim. Mining along the Grand Canyon is contentious due to the increasing value of uranium ore whose potential for contaminating nearby springs and streams may be considerable. Mining engineers from Canyon Mine claim that mines that are operated according to standard procedures do not pose a threat. Irresponsibility is not unheard of, however; the USGS has detected significant levels of radioactive water and dust near other mines. Not only does this material collect in local wildlife, but it also has the potential to disrupt tribes living along and within the Grand Canyon. 9
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TOP LEFT: Red Mountain #1 displaying its namesake iron-ore deposits just north of Silverton, Colorado. The Red Mountains are also adjacent to the Gold King Mine, which the EPA accidentally breached in August of 2015. The disaster released 3 million gallons of heavy-metal laden wastewater into the Animas River, causing it to appear an opaque, mustard color. The mountains in this region are heavily mineralized and naturally leech much lower concentrations of metal, resulting in similarly yellow hues in tributaries. RIGHT: A drainage south of the cities of Farmington and Shiprock, New Mexico in the Navajo Nation leads to the San Juan River, which converges with the Colorado River at Lake Powell. This image serves as an excellent example of the interconnected nature of the Colorado River Basin. Despite arbitrary political and geographic divisions, the Colorado River serves as the thread which binds the Southwest together. 10
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Water Leasing in a Water Stressed West
by Burkett Huey, 2015-16 State of the Rockies Project Fellow Western water is currently over appropriated. Many individuals have rights to water, but there is not enough water for everyone to divert as much as they are appropriated from the region’s rivers. Irrigators settled the West before other users, such as cities or recreationalists, and have the oldest and best water rights under the system of prior appropriation. The West’s growing population challenges the current farming-dominated water appropriation because cities need to provide water to every resident and they seek to buy the most senior rights from irrigators. This, in turn, leads to the term ‘buy and dry,’ because some believe the practice of selling irrigation water leads to widespread rural economic downturn. My research with State of the Rockies focused on water transfers and how rotational fallowing and water leasing mechanisms can provide water for urban areas and maintain the rural, agriculture livelihood. As a longtime suburban resident, I never had
the opportunity to learn about these water appropriation debates firsthand. One of the first questions many people asked our State of the Rockies research team was: do you know where your water comes from? During my time at Colorado College, I learned that Colorado Springs is located in a high desert, but I never considered how our location impacts our municipal water supply. Early in my project, I read that most of our drinking water comes from the Western Slope of Colorado. While talking with Rick Lofaro at the Roaring Fork River Conservancy, I learned that reservoirs and transmountain diversions—large pumping systems that bring water from west to east—hinder recreationalists and irrigators on the Western Slope. After learning this, I decided to focus my research on water trading and the third party effects of trading on Western Slope agricultural communities. To understand the challenges to specific communities that supply water to urban Colorado, we travelled to Colorado’s Western Slope and saw some of the state’s most productive agricultural land in the Grand Valley. Every highway exit is smattered with directions to farm stands and images of peaches. Views of green, irrigated fields in the foreground are framed with brown, dry hills in the background. Water is not wasted on land that does not produce. I did not realize how
A farm on the banks of the Gunnison River employs monitors to track precipitation and other relevant weather data.
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much people care about water on the Western Slope until I met with farmers and saw the intricately designed farms delivering water to crops The State of the Rockies research team talked with several irrigators in the Grand Valley to learn about water trading and their opinions on Colorado’s growth. Although rain and snow in late spring and early summer helped reduce the long-lasting drought in Colorado, water is still a highly contentious topic. One corn farmer in Olathe, Colorado sat us down with a large bowl of peaches that were too “ugly” to make it to market; they were delicious. He discussed how, “many residential users are irrigating grass,” which seems wasteful to him because grass irrigation does not produce anything. We talked further about the effects of water transfers and learned that some farmers on the Western Slope don’t want to consider selling their irrigation water because of potential negative indirect impacts to their community. The farmers we spoke with talked about long-term regional economic decline due to water sales because farmers no longer purchased agricultural inputs.
State of the Rockies Fellows tour the Glen Canyon Dam learning about water storage in Lake Powell.
Population growth is driving new partnerships between agriculture and municipal water users to avoid negative third-party impacts of water transfers. One
promising solution that works for both agricultural users and municipal users is implementing better irrigation technology to maintain crop yield, but use less water. We learned about some of the advantages, as one irrigator pointed out there are “big incentives from the government” for lining ditches or using better irrigations systems. Although there are some issues with Colorado’s water law and maintaining water rights with water saving programs, there have been successes in increasing water efficiency and allowing the excess water to flow downstream for the environment or be transferred to municipal users. In addition to increased efficiency in agriculture, urban residents can reduce their water consumption as well. Although new transmountain diversions may be necessary to secure enough water for our growing cities, residents can reduce their water demand by almost 50% by addressing outdoor water use. Water efficiency programs can be targeted to city residents, such as Las Vegas’s ambitious and successful water-saving program that pays residents to not irrigate lawns. These residential water savings are important in order to avoid large water storage and transfer projects that may detrimentally impact agricultural communities and the natural environment. Another potential mechanism to move water from agriculture to urban areas, while mitigating indirect effects to the economy, is rotational fallowing agreements. These agreements fallow part of the land in the program and transfer the saved water to urban areas. The rest of the land is still in agricultural production, so farmers continue to purchase agricultural inputs, which helps the rural economy. These agreements have been successfully applied in the Arkansas Valley and the Palo Verde Valley, and generate support from the local agricultural community. Although rotational fallowing programs are still new and need to be fully tested, they have shown promising results. Returning to life in Colorado Springs leaves me wondering every time I turn on a faucet, or take a shower: what has to happen so that I can have these services? With population growth already straining Colorado’s water supply, we minimize the strain by being smart water users and supporting policies that reduce thirdparty impacts on agriculture communities as we transfer water from rural areas to urban municipalities. -Burk’s full report on water pricing and leasing in Colorado will be released in the 2016 State of the Rockies Report. 13
Cultural Values of Water and the Grand Canyon Escalade Project by Maya Williamson, 2015-16 State of the Rockies Project Fellow
At the eastern limits of Grand Canyon National Park, on the border of the Navajo Nation and over 20 miles away from the nearest town, is the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers. The confluence, which is considered a sacred place for pilgrimage and prayer by many Navajo and Native American people, remained largely untouched, at least until 2012. At this time Confluence Partners LLC, a group comprised of lawyers, large-scale development planners, financiers, and members of the Navajo Nation, proposed the Grand Canyon Escalade Project. The Escalade Project plans to construct a multi-billion dollar resort including hotels, shops, and restaurants on the South Rim of the Canyon, as well as a gondola down to the canyon
State of the Rockies Fellows look out towards the confluence and learn from Jason Nez of Save the Confluence along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
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floor. The project has garnered media attention for its controversy, and four years down the line, Confluence Partners continue to face resistance from Navajo People, and the tribal group Save the Confluence, as well as the Grand Canyon Trust and other national conservation organizations. During our two-week field research trip around the Southwest, State of the Rockies student researchers had the opportunity to speak to several people with profound personal and cultural connections to the confluence, and hear their thoughts on the Escalade Project controversy. They spoke about their concerns regarding the environmental impact of the project, the supposed economic benefits, and the implications of conducting construction work at a sacred site. Just outside of Cameron, Arizona, in what feels like the middle-of-nowhere-desert, is the tiny office for the Little Colorado River Tribal Park. Here, we met with Park Manager Helen Webster. When we arrived she seemed surprised that our large research team was there to see her. We were shown into her office, and it became apparent that she is unaccustomed to visitors; she sat behind her desk, which was stacked with papers and books, while we maneuvered our plastic chairs into what little space was left in the room. Webster is modest and soft-spoken, and her demeanor suggests that she has little to share with us. But 2016 marks her 10th year as Park Manager of the Little Colorado River Tribal Park, and after a short period of time it became clear that she possesses vast knowledge of the region. One of the main arguments used by promoters of the Escalade project is that it will support economic growth. When I asked Webster if she thought the Escalade Project would create jobs and revenue for the Navajo Nation she said, “I don’t think so. We really, really need to do a comprehensive General Management Plan.” This plan would require an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) of the whole area to identify where development might be feasible, but it should be “nothing like a resort,” Webster clarified. She was also interested in conducting a cultural mapping exercise to document the stories and history of people who grew up in the area. At the end of the meeting, Webster told us that this is the most controversial project that has happened in all her time working at the park. I suggested that perhaps the developers were simply unable to comprehend the cultural significance and the potential damage they would be doing, but she quickly responded, “I’m sure
State of the Rockies Fellows look out over the Grand Canyon from the North Rim.
they understand, but they don’t care; it’s greed.” Tony Skrelunas, the Native American Program Director at the Grand Canyon Trust, agrees that greed is one of the biggest problems behind the Escalade Project. As part of his job with the Grand Canyon Trust, Skrelunas supports sustainable, local community-based economies. Naturally, Skrelunas believes that the best way to combat the Escalade Project is to create alternative investment platforms for Navajo businesses. His priority is promoting the protection of the culture and the environment, and believes that the tourist industry should be established within this framework. Skrelunas shares Webster’s thinking that developers are culturally cognizant but just want to make money. He suggests that this reality is a result of the changes that have been made in the way the Navajo Nation is governed. Skrelunas told us that historically Navajos spoke for the elements that couldn’t speak for themselves. Representatives were chosen for their dedication to representing not only the people but also the land. The people who were good at teaching these values were the decision makers, but now that Western governments have been imposed on the Navajo Nation, the decision makers just want to make money for themselves or the Nation. “The federal policy was always about acculturating us… They wanted to ‘civilize’ our people,” said Skrelunas. But despite the bleak outlook on the state of the Navajo Nation, Tony, unlike Helen, was very optimistic; he gushed about the future generation and believes that
change is on the horizon. He spoke particularly highly of Deon Ben, a young Navajo with deep cultural roots, who runs his family ranch, and also happens to have a Masters in Climate Change Mitigation. Skrelunas believes that Ben is set to become the next spokesperson for the Navajo Nation. Skrelunas also spoke to us about a recent movement that gives him hope. Young Navajos who are recent college graduates have been marching across the nation in their traditional attire, and stopping in each community to discuss issues that are relevant to the Navajo Nation. Currently, it seems as if the main issue surrounding the Escalade Project is a conflict of priorities. Those who prioritize cultural preservation, and who believe that land and water are sacred are fighting against those who prioritize economic development. Often, it is those who lean towards cultural preservation who end up accommodating those who favor economic development by offering alternatives for economic development. Why must it be this way? After speaking to people like Webster and Skrelunas it becomes clear that qualitative values, such as cultural significance or sacredness, are just as important as quantifiable values, such as economic growth, and that acknowledging the importance of those values would be a step in the right direction towards the resolution of the conflicts created by the Escalade Project. - Maya’s full report on the cultural values of water and the Grand Canyon Escalade Project will be released in the 2016 State of the Rockies Report. 15
The Colorado College State of the Rockies Project www.StateoftheRockies.com
14 E. Cache La Poudre St. Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Rockies@coloradocollege.edu (719) 227-8145 Cover photo by David Spiegel