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ABSTRACT: This book is a response to the USGS’s call for a research design that could be used as a framework for prioritizing cultural resources in the Colorado River ecosystem below Glen Canyon Dam. Changing River includes summaries of current environmental conditions and previous research and brings together diverse archaeological

ABSTRACT: This book is a response to the USGS’s call for a research design that could be used as a framework for prioritizing cultural resources in the Colorado River ecosystem below Glen Canyon Dam. Changing River includes summaries of current environmental conditions and previous research and brings together diverse archaeological opinions about Grand Canyon’s human story. It then presents a theoretical basis for using a landscape approach to organize future research efforts in the canyon. The research presented here explores the geophysical, paleoclimatic, and biological parameters that have shaped the canyon landscape and influenced choices made by humans as they attempted to adapt to this ecosystem. It then focuses on the distribution of cultural materials and patterns using several archaeological approaches, and investigates natural and cultural realms as mutually reinforcing and interacting components of an integrated ecosystem to which humans have applied meaning and value over time.

ContributorsFairley, Helen C. (Author)
Created2003-12
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River rafting trips and hikers use sandbars along the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons as campsites. The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on campsite areas on sandbars along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Campsite area was measured annually from

River rafting trips and hikers use sandbars along the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons as campsites. The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on campsite areas on sandbars along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Campsite area was measured annually from 1998 to 2012 at 37 study sites between Lees Ferry and Diamond Creek, Arizona. The primary purpose of this report is to present the methods and results of the project.

Campsite area surveys were conducted using total station survey methods to outline the perimeter of camping area at each study site. Campsite area is defined as any region of smooth substrate (most commonly sand) with no more than an 8 degree slope and little or no vegetation. We used this definition, but relaxed the slope criteria to include steeper areas near boat mooring locations where campers typically establish their kitchens.

The results show that campsite area decreased over the course of the study period, but at a rate that varied by elevation zone and by survey period. Time-series plots show that from 1998 to 2012, high stage-elevation (greater than the 25,000 ft3/s stage-elevation) campsite area decreased significantly, although there was no significant trend in low stage-elevation (15,000–20,000 ft3/s) campsite area. High stage-elevation campsite area increased after the 2004 and 2008 high flows, but decreased in the intervals between high flows. Although no overall trend was detected for low stage-elevation campsite areas, they did increase after high-volume dam releases equal to or greater than about 20,000 ft3/s. We conclude that dam operations have not met the management objectives of the Glen Canyon Adaptive Management program to increase the size of camping beaches in critical and non-critical reaches of the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead.

ContributorsKaplinski, Matt (Author) / Hazel, Joe (Author) / Parnell, Rod (Author) / Hadley, Daniel R. (Author) / Grams, Paul (Author)
Created2014-07
ContributorsWegner, Dave (Interviewee) / Hirt, Paul (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor) / Sweeney, Jennifer (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor)
Created2017-08-04
ContributorsYeatts, Mike (Interviewee) / Hirt, Paul (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor) / Sweeney, Jennifer (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor)
Created2018-09-08
ContributorsWegner, Dave (Interviewee) / Hirt, Paul (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor) / Sweeney, Jennifer (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor)
Created2017-08-04
ContributorsWalters, Carl (Interviewee) / Hirt, Paul (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor) / Sweeney, Jennifer (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor)
Created2018-08-18
ContributorsStevens, Larry (Interviewee) / Hirt, Paul (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor) / Sweeney, Jennifer (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor)
Created2017-02-06
ContributorsPotochnik, Andre (Interviewee) / Hirt, Paul (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor) / Sweeney, Jennifer (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor)
Created2017-12-04
ContributorsGarrett, Dave (Interviewee) / Hirt, Paul (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor) / Sweeney, Jennifer (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor)
Created2018-08-09
ContributorsSchmidt, Jack (Interviewee) / Hirt, Paul (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor) / Sweeney, Jennifer (Transcriber, Interviewer, Editor)
Created2018-06-11