Taking Big Red: The Colorado River - Grand Canyon Water War Gaylord Staveley AZ

Description

Taking Big Red: The Colorado River - Grand Canyon Water War by Gaylord Staveley (HC) Fretwater Press, 2016; 306 pages
"Whiskey's fer drinking and water's fer fightin' for."
That slangy Old West battle cry was never more true than it is now. The Colorado River has been intercepted, altered, and allocated, and its users are engaged in a quiet but desperate conflict. It's a war, but (with a couple of exceptions) not in the destructive sense. It's a series of battles between and within user constituencies to protect their takings. Whitewater boaters (and other recreational river and lake users) are among those constituents.
About 20,000 people pay to take a Grand Canyon river trip each year, and they now total upwards of one million. But in this water war, even though whitewater boating is not a consumptive use, river runners are overmatched. Unlike basins, states, and cities, recreational users have no water allocations but are affected by those who have them.
Taking Big Red
is a personal account of the battles inside and outside the river outfitter, guide, and passenger communities during the past fifty years, a situation one Washington official of the time termed "permanent political whitewater."
Book is in Very Good condition, with no underlining or highlighting. Contains personal inscription from the author. Book is clean and tight in binding, has only minimal wear, with no water damage, and is from a non-smoking environment. It is not an ex-library copy. Free media rate shipping within the U.S. is included in the price.
All listing photos are of the actual book in our inventory - we never use stock photos, so you will know exactly what you are buying
We pack very securely and ship the next business day.