Volunteers Love Cleaning Lake Powell

Volunteers are always needed for the popular Glen Canyon Dam Recreation Area located near Page, Arizona. Volunteer opportunities such as GRIT (Graffiti Removal and Intervention Team), Houseboat Pilot and Trash Trackers are available from the first of April to November.

For 15 years, the United States Department of the Interior has offered five and three day trips aboard a houseboat on Lake Powell. Volunteers clean the lake during the day and enjoy the houseboat in the evenings.

This is an out of ordinary working vacation that offers plenty of time for fun.

Resurrection:
Glen Canyon and a New Vision for the American West

A celebration of Glen Canyon, a call to protect a place reemerging Writer Annette McGivney explores the controversy and the history of water politics in the American Southwest through the lens of the re-emergence of Glen Canyon due to an ongoing drought. More than 125 large images by photographer James Kay capture the beauty of the legendary canyons of Glen Canyon as they emerge into the light of day for the first time in nearly 40 years. Each chapter opens with a journal excerpt that personalizes the Glen Canyon story, and the book concludes with a list of recommended hikes in the area that will draw outdoor enthusiasts to reemerging attractions. Throughout her account, McGivney stresses the need for a new model of living in the American West--the U.S. Department of the Interior must shift its water policy to meet changing needs and Americans must live more sustainably, especially in the arid West. Resurrection eloquently demonstrates why Americans should stand behind the renewal of Glen Canyon and accord it protection as a national park--both to honor the area as a national treasure and to preserve it for future generations.

My first outing occurred the eve of 9/11. As eight of us (four men and four women) traveled across Lake Powell, we witnessed a sunset that I labeled the "Opening of the Heavens." Light fluffy clouds hung high in the sky and a muted rainbow of light sprayed down through the middle as if a window had opened. It was the most beautiful sunset I had seen in a long time and everyone agreed. Little did we know that the next day tragedy would strike. We didn't hear about the macabre event till two days later because our captain had turned off all radio contact.

It felt like we were lost in time and that is what Kay Alderton, a twelve year veteran of Trash Trackers, says is the best part of this program.

Of course Alderton, now 70 years young isn't typical. She is very much the outdoors person and is an avid hiker, kayaker and camper. "Every trip is different," Alderton says, "never go with expectations, go with an open mind and go with the flow. I have never had a bad trip."

The recent drought created low water in the lake and Alderton's group once found a whole speed boat with a large chunk of cement in the middle of it. These circumstances did look suspicious, she said. That particular trip, her group also found a small aluminum fishing boat and tons of shattered boat pieces.

In my group, we found miscellaneous cans, bottles, pieces of tarp, paper and hundreds of golf balls.

On another trip Alderton says, " Captain John volunteered us to clean up this abandoned poorly built houseboat that could be seen from the air and was quite an eyesore. Even though it was only five to ten minutes away from Wahweep Marina, the remains were a 1/4 mile up a gully. That project took us two full days to clean up. First, we had to disassemble the boat, then saw it in two and finally haul the huge pieces in wheel barrows to the barge. In one morning, we filled five barges. Unfortunately, one of the ladies cut her leg and left early. After that there
was only myself and this French guy so we just played around the lake for the next two days."

One particular hot afternoon, our captains (we had a couple) suggested we all go for a ride in the motorboat over to the Rainbow Bridge National Monument. We arrived just as an intense summer rain leashed its fury creating a cavalcade of waterfalls spilling from the top of the ridge into the lake. It felt like a scene out of a science fiction movie as mist filled the canyon and it was beautiful!

We explored the park till almost dark then headed back to our houseboat. On the way back, we saw a heavy set man scaling a canyon wall by Moqui (pronounced Moki) steps. These steps are narrow and small and are usually a shortcut out of a canyon that is usually very steep. However, if he was able to do it, anyone can.

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