Morning photo: Painting with light

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Patience …

Waiting ... and catching a hint of sunshine deep in the shadowy Snake River Canyon near Keystone, Colorado.

SUMMIT COUNTY — If the light isn’t good, even perfect scenery and the best camera won’t help take a good picture, and, conversely, if the light is sublime, than even a common backyard scene can become magical. (more…)

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Are corporations running our national parks?

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Coca Cola may have leaned on the National Park Service to reverse a planned ban on disposable plastic bottles at the Grand Canyon.

Watchdog group claims Coca Cola exerted inappropriate influence on park service to reverse planned ban on disposable bottles at Grand Canyon National Park

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — A plan by the National Park Service to phase out the sale of single-use bottled water at the Grand Canyon is on hold at least temporarily, while the agency works with stakeholders and the public to develop a big picture plan to address the issue of plastic waste.

The agency reversed its decision on the policy just a few days before the long-planned ban on individual plastic bottles was scheduled to go into effect, prompting charges that close ties with corporate partners and donors like Coca Cola played a role in the decision. (more…)

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Ban on Grand Canyon uranium mining nearly finalized

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

This patch of land on the edge of the Grand Canyon but outside the national park would be protected from uranium mining under a pending federal plan. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

BLM releases final environmental impact statement on proposed 20-year moratorium

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Even though several Republican lawmakers in Congress are intent on making an end run around the executive branch’s authority to manage public lands, The BLM this week released its final plan for protecting about 1 million acres in the greater Grand Canyon area from uranium mining impacts.

The final environmental study analyzes the potential effects of withdrawing federal lands near the Grand Canyon in Arizona from new uranium mining claims by identifying a preferred alternative that would withdraw about 1 million acres, subject to valid existing rights. The withdrawal would prevent new mining claims. Approved operations could continue and new operations could be approved on valid existing mining claims. (more…)

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GOP pushes for uranium mining around Grand Canyon

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A new bill proposed by the GOP would open lands around the Grand Canyon to uranium mining. PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA AND THE CREATIVE COMMONS.

Latest Republican public lands attack aimed at Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s efforts to protect Grand Canyon watershed

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Republican lawmakers this week continued their frontal assault on the Obama administration’s public land policies by proposing legislation to open 1 million acres of public lands aournd the Grand Canyon National Park to new uranium mining. The bill would overturn an existing moratorium on new mining and mining claims and block Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s proposal to extend those protections for the next 20 years.

“We are disappointed in this jobs-killing legislation. Uranium mining threatens thousands of tourism-related jobs in northern Arizona,” said Roger Clark, air and energy program director at Grand Canyon Trust. “Salazar has found the right balance between protecting Grand Canyon and the $700 million tourism industry while leaving promising mining areas further from the national park open to exploration and mining.” (more…)

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Pressure builds against Grand Canyon uranium mining

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A diverse coalition opposes uranium mining on public lands around the Grand Canyon.

Decision on moratorium due soon

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Lawmakers, conservation groups and other major stakeholders are stepping up the pressure to prevent uranium mining on public lands around the Grand Canyon.

Officials from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (and the Southern Nevada Water Authority have pressed to limit new uranium mining along the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River watershed, which provides drinking water for 25 million people. The outdoor industry has weighed in as well, as visitation to the Grand Canyon generates $687 million annually in revenue and contributes to the creation of more than 12,000 full-time jobs, according to a 2005 Northern Arizona University study.

This week, major national conservation groups also weighed in.

“With most of our public lands in the West open to mining under the nation’s antiquated 19th century mining law, there is no reason why such harmful industrial activity should be allowed around this natural landmark,” the groups wrote in a letter to the Obama administration. (more…)

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Morning photo: Going where the water tastes like wine

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Post-modern, post-processing, post-trip memories …

Some textures and patterins in Great Sand Dunes National Park, enhanced with a bit of post-processing.

SUMMIT COUNTY — OK, so sometimes I get carried away with the post-modern digital imaging technology, but it’s hard to resist when, with the slightest flick of a slider, you can turn a murky, low contrast capture into a memorable image that evokes all the senses, even years later. The shot above was taken at dusk in Great Sand Dunes National Park a few years ago when Leigh and I camped there to watch a lunar eclipse. It was the texture of the sand and dunes that I was after, but when I got home and looked at the shot, I was disappointed with the burned-out sky. I set it aside for a while, then came back and played around with contrast and saturation until it highlighted the ripples and graininess in the sand. Now it’s one of my favorite shots from that trip. Click the “read more” button to see a few more shots from the dunes … (more…)

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Finally, air pollution controls in the Four Corners region

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Views from the rim of the Grand Canyon are often tainted by emissions from regional power plants, but the EPA is close to finalizing a rule that would help clear the air. PHOTO BY LEIGH WADDEN.

Proposed EPA rule would cut nitrogen oxide emissions from Four Corners and Navajo generating plants by 80 percent

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The famed Grand Canyon vistas could be even better soon, thanks to a move by the EPA to drastically reduce toxic emissions billowing from the Navajo Generating Station, on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona, and the Four Corners Generating Station near Farmington, New Mexico.

Along with several other old-school coal-fired power plants in the region, the Four Corners Station contributes significantly to air pollution throughout the area.

The two power plants are among the largest single sources of pollution anywhere in the United States, according to the EPA. The Four Corners plant is the single largest source of nitrogen oxides in the country. The agency’s plan to cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 percent at the Four Corners power plant would go a long way toward improving air quality at Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde national parks, as well as in the Weminuche Wilderness north of Durango. (more…)

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Week in review: Lynx, land trades and I-70

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

A Colorado-born lynx kitten, photographed in 2009 by Tanya Shenk.

A review of last week’s top stories

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Several stories published in Summit Voice this week have significant implications for Summit County and didn’t get much play elsewhere in the local or regional media. For the first time, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has documented lynx reproduction in Summit County.

While it was only a matter of time before the threatened cats found a permanent home in the high country, the birth of lynx kittens here means that the Forest Service and the division of wildlife will need to take an even more careful look at any actions or decisions that could affect the cats’ habitat. The Endangered Species Act mandates that listed species need to be recovered across their habitat. Denning and breeding indicates that the area is important to the long-term recovery of lynx.

In transportation news, a long-awaited revised environmental study for I-70 improvements is set to be unveiled in just a few weeks. All the headlines after the break … (more…)

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Grand Canyon: Uranium mining would be desecration

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Pollution from regional power plants threatens Grand Canyon viewsheds, air quality. PHOTO COURTESY THE NPCA'S FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM. Click on the image to see more.

Uranium mining threatens cultural and environmental values in the Grand Canyon

* Read a related story about Colorado River flows in the Grand Canyon here


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By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Along with low river flows and air quality issues, the Grand Canyon also faces a threat from the resurgent uranium mining boom. One stream near a popular South Rim hiking trail is already tainted by pollution from the Lost Orphan Mine, and Arizona land use agencies have identified the potential for up to hundred new mining claims on lands adjacent to the park, according to this week’s report from the National Parks Conservation Association.

“At least 100 mines, 20 acres or larger, could be operating within the next 20 years on lands around the parks, said Roger Clark, who manages air and energy programs for the Grand Canyon Trust. Those uses and the associated industrial impacts, including, noise, traffic, dust, and, most seriously, the threat of water pollution, are not compatible with the mission of the park, Clark said.

Equally important are the cultural impacts.

“The entire Grand Canyon is sacred to indigenous people. Mining would be a desecration,” Clark said, explaining that all the Native American tribes in the region are opposed to uranium mining. (more…)

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Report: Grand Canyon threatened by low flows

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
Environmental threats, Grand Canyon national Park

Low flows are one of the biggest threats to the ecological integrity of the Grand Canyon. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PHOTO. Click on the image to visit the NPCA's Flickr photostream.

Conservation groups offer constructive suggestions for mitigating impacts to cherished global icon

*Read a related story on other threats here


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By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Grand Canyon National Park, an American and global icon, faces serious threats to its most important resources from uranium mining, air pollution and stream depletions, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

The nonprofit, formed by Stephen Mather in 1916 as a citizen’s auxiliary to the National Park Service, released a new report Monday that identifies critical concerns and offers some strategies to address them.

“We’re trying to speak directly to the American people about how serious these threats are,” said David Nimkin, the organization’s Southwest regional director.

Nimkin said the Grand Canyon provides physical and spiritual recreation for millions of visitors, and also contributes more than $1 billion annually to the regional economy. (more…)

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