Latest news with #JeffTopping
Newsweek
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Grand Canyon Flooding Move Sparks Backlash: 'We Are Failing'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Controversy has erupted after federal officials at the Bureau of Reclamation announced they don't plan to release floodwaters from Lake Powell this spring to restore the Grand Canyon because of work taking place on Glen Canyon Dam and further down the Colorado River. Newsweek contacted the Bureau of Reclamation for comment via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters Since 1963 the Glen Canyon Dam has obstructed the flow of water and accompanying sand into the Grand Canyon via the Colorado River. In response the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, which falls under Bureau of Reclamation jurisdiction, has opened the dam's bypass tubes 12 times since 1996 according to local media outlet AZ Central. Critics argue that failing to flood the Grand Canyon on a regular basis causes its beaches to wash away and has a devastating impact on its wildlife. What To Know The Bureau of Reclamation has said it will not flood the Grand Canyon this spring because of ongoing work around the Glen Canyon Dam and Colorado River. In April the bureau said it would recommend Interior Secretary Doug Burgum not approve a spring flood because of work being conducted by a National Park Service contractor, which is digging a slough downstream from the dam in a bid to prevent non-native fish, such as smallmouth bass, from spawning. On May 22 the agency said it stood by this decision and that it was final. However critics have argued this could violate the Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992, which requires government to conserve the National Park's wildlife and ecosystem. A stock image shows the Grand Canyon being flooded via water from the Glen Canyon Dam on November 21 2004. A stock image shows the Grand Canyon being flooded via water from the Glen Canyon Dam on November 21 2004. Jeff Topping/GETTY Environmental campaigners had been pushing for a spring flood to mimic the natural movement of the river and to restore the Grand Canyon's beaches. Groups representing anglers were also in favor as tailwater rainbow trout stocks have been hit in recent years by low water in Lake Powell, which has also caused temperatures to rise. Trout Unlimited spokesperson Jim Strogen said a "deeper, colder lake" would be better for fishing. However, major power consumers had warned spring floods would cut hydroelectric energy production. Leslie James, executive director of the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association, claimed a spring flood could cost between $1 million and $2 million in lost electricity output. What People Are Saying Speaking to AZ Central Ben Reeder, the Grand Canyon River Guides representatives at a technical group in collaboration with the Reclamation Bureau, said federal authorities were "looking for any excuse" not to have a flood. Reeder added: "It really kind of bothers me, honestly, that we talk about the Grand Canyon in these economic terms as if it's there for human consumption." Larry Stevens, an ecologist who represents the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council and Wild Arizona, said he was "deeply disappointed." What Happens Next The decision not to have a spring flood at the Grand Canyon could raise pressure for one later in the year, even though this wouldn't match the Colorado River's natural cycle so closely. Tensions around flooding the Grand Canyon are likely to continue between environmentalists, government and electricity producers.
CBC
02-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Monument in London, Ont., honours Canadians who served in WW II's Battle of the Atlantic
National monument in London honours Battle of the Atlantic veterans 9 minutes ago Duration 1:12 Social Sharing A Royal Canadian Navy base in London, Ont., has built a national memorial paying homage to the sailors and air force personnel who served and lost their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic — the longest continuous battle of the Second World War. The monument, outside the HMCS Prevost at the Forks of the Thames, will list each ship and the names of the navy merchants and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) members who were lost at sea. It will be unveiled this weekend for the naval campaign's 80th anniversary. The September 1939 to May 1945 battle lasted almost the entirety of the war. It was a crucial Canadian contribution that protected convoys carrying important supplies such as food, fuel and ammunition along the Atlantic Ocean from Halifax to Europe. "What we're building is a circle of honour that lists by ship every sailor lost at the Atlantic and up on the hill, as if high and still protecting us from the skies — the airmen listed that gave their lives protecting those convoys," said Jeff Topping, the Prevost honorary captain who spearheaded the project. "Telling the stories of the ships is one thing, but it's really about those who gave their all during the Battle of the Atlantic. We wanted to tell their stories and that's where the concept came of listing all the names, so you could see them and remember them." More than 2,000 sailors from the Royal Canadian Navy and the Merchant Navy of Canada never came home, while the RCAF lost 873 personnel and 350 aircraft that provided air cover to the convoys, according to HMCS Prevost. The Atlantic 'a critical transportation route' The Battle of the Atlantic played a pivotal role in allowing Britain to become an "arsenal" for European allies as critical resources crossed the Atlantic in significant quantities, said Jonathan Vance, a history professor at London's Western University. "Everything the allies would eventually need to defeat Nazi Germany had to come into Britain from overseas, mostly from North America, including supplies that Britain needed to sustain itself," he said, calling the battle an "Atlantic lifeline." "This was a critical transportation route right from Day 1 — if we hadn't won it, none of the other battles would've happened because the supplies couldn't have gotten close to the front." Despite the Battle of the Atlantic's importance, little is known about the individuals who served in it, said Vance, adding it took years for the Canadian government to recognize merchant seamen as veterans. "It was such critical work and a lot of the work went unnoticed in large measure," he said. " Crews were not military; they were merchant seamen who got lost in the shuffle when it came to remembering veterans and their contributions." The monument's first phase started in 2010 with a simple memorial on a hill outside the Prevost, but members wanted to do more and scoured through archives in Ottawa to ensure every name was accounted for. It took months, but they're confident the list is complete, said Topping, adding the navy has raised more than $500,000 in donations from organizations across the country. In London, approximately 70 sailors joined at HMCS Prevost, either before or during the war, who never returned home, he added. "Nowhere in Canada is there a single place where all the names are listed because if you think of ships going down at the sea, many sailors have no grave." Topping hopes this memorial will help other Canadians learn and appreciate those who were involved in the battle. "All of these sailors, airmen and merchant navy gave their lives for our freedom," he said. "The freedoms we enjoy today were as a result of what they did 80 years ago, so we hope that people will come honour, pay tribute and take away a bit of history for that next generation." The Prevost will host a ceremony on Sunday, when it will showcase the wall to the public at its location on 19 Becher St., starting at 1 p.m. ET.
