When
to
Where
WRRC, Sol Resnick Conference Room
Speaker(s)
Charles Flynn
Executive Director, Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area
The Colorado River has always been a subject of contention and controversy. As water becomes even more scarce in the 21st century, the challenge to reach consensus among all the users and stakeholders will become even greater.
It is proposed that the Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park be re-themed and renamed as the Colorado River State Historic Park, which will serve as an open forum for a discussion of the past, present and future of the Colorado River. The purpose of the park would be to:
- Create regional and national public awareness of the dramatic changes and diminution of the river over the past century and of the need to address its future in a pro-active, collaborative -- not combative -- manner. Nowhere else is the river’s diminution more evident than in Yuma.
- Serve as an open forum for users and stakeholders to tell their stories and make their case for the river’s future. It is hoped that an annual conference on the future of the river can take place on the park’s campus in conjunction with the adjacent Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center.
- Provide the Yuma community an opportunity to set forth its concerns, so that Yuma is not left out of the conversation among all the stakeholders.
Yuma has always been an innovator on the river—with one of the first dams and canal systems on the river; with one of the most successful wetlands restoration project; with its strong commitment to agriculture and national food security; with the de-salinization plant nearby; with substantial ground water deposits; and so close to Mexico. It is time for the story of the Colorado River to be told and its future debated within the Yuma Crossing National Historic Landmark. Yuma is prepared to serve as that forum.